The organic food hype

Organic, shmorshmanic, give me a break...

For me the word "organic" conjures up images of a 75-year-old farmer in the Italian countryside, holding a succulent red tomato in his calloused hands with utmost care, inspecting it for bumps and bruises, plucking it and placing it in a woven basket. His wife, an Arianna Francesca Maria Olivieri, middle-aged but likely a former soap opera star back in her prime, carries the basket to the truck and kisses each tomato before it is transported to the local grocery store. The sun sets to the west.

That, my friends, is what I perceive the organic label to represent. Quality. Natural. Bling to the Bling Bling Bling.

But what does organic really mean?

Organic foods are grown in such a way that avoids the use of insecticides, pesticides, chemical fertilizers and antibiotics/growth hormones, in the case of animals.

In Canada, in order for a food to be sticky-labelled “organic,” the product must contain or use at least 95 percent organic content. Or it gets a “% Organic” label, which is for foods that are between 70–95 percent organic. For anything below these standards, the next best label is pretty much a Sesame Street Band-Aid.

Is organic better or healthier?

Organic food has not been shown to be nutritionally healthier, tastier or better quality than their regular counterparts despite the perception. However, the process of growing organic food is supposedly better for the environment because of water and soil conservation as well as a reduction in pollution.

The reality…

Just as we can theoretically suppose that a big bowl of Montreal Poutine is good for your skin complexion, let us theoretically suppose it is slightly healthier to eat organic. In order for you to benefit from this healthier diet, you will still need to consistently buy only organic. In order to consistently buy organic, you’ll need a fair bit of extra change.

Organic foods are stupendously more expensive than non-organic foods. Furthermore, to realize the environmental benefits, there needs to be enough demand for the agricultural industry to make the switch to only producing organic veggies and meats. But due to the high cost of organic produce, that demand is currently not sufficient.

There needs to be stronger proof that organic-labelled foods are significantly better before the masses start adopting. For myself, if I were to pay three times the price for free-range organic chicken breast, I’d expect the packaging better come with a photo album of that chicken’s life from the time it was a wee egg to the time it was roaming freely around the farm eating natural grains as justification for my expenditure.

The challenge

I am always open to new ideas and this is where I open up the dialogue to you, the readers and, of course, Danielle—who knows much more about the entire organic topic—to explain your point of view on why you choose to eat organic and whether the costs are justified.

   

You are what you eat

Reality check: eating organic is worth the extra money!

Assume your food is laden with chemicals and hormones unless otherwise stated. Why? Because this is how industrial agriculture works.

Hazardous chemicals are not only being pumped into and onto what we eat, but they are getting into our natural environment and into our bodies. I think it is disgusting to accept this type of food production as okay, particularly at a time when cancer, obesity, early on-set puberty and antibiotic-resistance are at all-time highs.

First, I must correct you, Davin—organic food has been shown to be nutritionally healthier, tastier and of better quality than their non-organic counterparts. 

Organically grown food has been proven to have higher protein quality and vitamin C and mineral content. Meanwhile, meat and dairy products from grass-fed animals—versus those raised on corn and soy feed—have been shown to be lower in saturated fats and harmful cholesterol, and they are higher in vitamin E and the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.

Lastly, I invite you to do a side-by-side comparison, eating a slice of organic chicken and non-organic… Not only will the meat look different in colour, but the texture and taste will differ, too. This has also been noted at many zoos where animals such as chimpanzees will choose organic over non-organic at feeding time. (At the Copenhagen Zoo, the tapirs and chimpanzees eat organic bananas, skin and all; however, when handed a non-organic banana, they peel it first.)

'Organic' does not mean 'sustainable'

While organic is great in many ways, it is still just a band-aid on a broken system because in many ways organic foods are produced using the same unsustainable practices as conventional industrial agriculture.

Why? Well to begin with, the same companies producing non-organic food own most organic food companies. We continue to depend on these mega-corporations that employ cheap land (often overseas) and poor labour standards. The crops grown remain monolithic, which further diminishes biodiversity, while large, unnecessary amounts of GHGs and other forms of pollution are emitted in the packaging and transportation of these crops. Plus, certifying a farm organic costs tens of thousands of dollars, which provides an unfair disadvantage to small scale, local farmers who cannot afford the certification, even though their practices may surpass certified organic specifications.

Better than 'organic'

Slowly, a more holistic approach to farming is becoming popular again. Farmers are committing to biodiversity, raising different types of plants and animals that are rotated around a farm’s fields to enrich the soil and help prevent disease and pest outbreaks by strengthening food crops’ natural resistance. And therefore obviating the need for pesticides and herbicides.

Chemicals are not used unless absolutely necessary. Animals are treated humanely and are well cared for. Labour is treated fairly and paid competitive wages. Water and soil resources are respected and replenished in a self-sustaining manner that will not cause harm to future generations. And a holistic approach to farming contributes to the local food distribution, minimizing the cost, handling, packaging and pollution caused by long-distance transportation.

While you may complain about the price of organic foods, keep in mind that North Americans typically pay less than 15 percent of their income to eat. That is only half the percentage of some European nations.

I encourage you to wave your wallet in the air and declare yourself important enough to purchase produce, meats and dairy products that are healthy for your body.

11 tips for making smarter food choices

But since organic can be expensive, difficult to access and not always the best option for everyone, I have put together some helpful tips for when you go shopping next:

• Tuna calculator;
• Shoppers Guide to Pesticides;
• Michael Pollan comes to Vancouver; and
• Good to Grow: Raising Food in BC’s Cities

What guiding principles light your path when buying foodstuffs? What are your non-negotiables? What resources do you depend on? Share your thoughts and suggestions below.

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5 simple steps for a waste-free party

Davin, I can’t wait until your next party—I’ll totally be there! I love a good house party. Friends, drinks and a couch to sit on—ah, could I ask for more? Well, I can and I will. I will ask anyone intending to host a house party to step it up a notch and consider the environment.

This doesn’t mean hosting an eco-themed house party. Please, if you want guests to actually show up and stay, then theme your party with pirates or togas. But don’t host a party at the environment’s expense. Follow these simple steps for a waste-free party.

Just say no to paper towels

There is no doubt that drinks are going to spill. When they do, be prepared. Guests will search high and low for your paper towels. But have you seen someone try to clean up a mess while drunk? It usually involves sheets upon sheets of paper towels, if not the entire roll.

Save a tree and some room in your garbage can by keeping old rags close and handy. Guests will catch on pretty quickly that the rags sitting around smelling like beer are for cleaning up their spills.

Next stop, Recycling Station!

No one likes sorting through the trash after a party. Admit it, you’re probably hungover so anything in that trash bag is going to get kicked to the curbside—regardless of what it contains. The solution then is to set up a recycling station at the beginning of the party. Your guests will see it and most will use it. For those who don’t? Someone will probably get drunk enough that they will make it their mission to publicly announce recycling is available. I’ll drink to that!

Friends don’t let friends drink Coors Light

Serve domestic BC beer in brown glass bottles. The carbon footprint is not only less with domestic beer, but when returned to the bottle depot, the brown domestic bottles are cleaned out and reused (unlike their non-domestic counterparts which are crushed and melted into new bottles). This uses much less energy and resources!

You can also opt for kegs, which are reusable, lasting up to 50 years.

• A listing of local breweries
• Brewers Association of Canada – Environmental Leadership

Your butt is gross

Put out ashtrays. Let your guests know that cigarette butts are unwelcome in both your garden and your neighbours'.

Disposable schmisposable

Avoid disposable everything and anything. From real cutlery to real cups, treat your guests like they’re adults—not sitting at the kid’s corner about to break everything.

If you have to buy disposable, pretend the items are not disposable and wash and reuse them as many times as possible before they fall apart.

Concerned the plastic might be leaching into your drink? Aim to buy plastics with the triangle symbol #1, 2, 4 or 5 because these can be recycled in Vancouver and are known to not transmit chemicals into food. There is debate whether #1 plastic (i.e., water bottles) leaches when it’s been sitting for a while with liquid in it and heated up. I can only hope the beer in your cup is fresh and cold. If it’s not? Well that’s just alcohol abuse.

Urban legends about 'Drinking Bottled Water Kept in Car'

   

How to throw a memorable party

Back during my residence-dwelling days at the University of Waterloo I used to be something of a social director. I organized keg parties, pub crawls and brewery tours like an overly bubbly WestJet employee who owns too many shares of his own company. And people turned out. Lots of them.

Although I’ve lost some of that passion for organizing through the natural aging process, I’ve still managed to retain my knack for hosting a memorable night of fun. And so it is my goal this week, dear reader, to impart some of these obvious but often forgotten tips to you.

There are three key elements to throwing a successful party that will guarantee your soirée a prime ranking in the annals of life’s best memories, in between wedding night and accidentally letting a loud fart go… during a classical concert… at the end of an epic violin solo… before people begin clapping… sitting next to the hottest date of your life… and her parents… behind the conductor… and it definitely smelled… like eggs. 

Okay, how to throw a great party...

Tip #1 – Make everyone think everyone else is attending

The most important resource at a party is the people. The more people that say they are going to show up, the more others will decide to show up as well. But this presents a chicken and egg dilemma, doesn’t it? If Suzie shows up, then Bob will show. If Bob shows up, then Suzie will show. But neither will show without the tacit agreement of the other. You know how this works, don’t you?

Suzie: “So is Bob coming to the party?”
You: “Maybe, I’m not sure yet.”
Suzie: “Oh, okay, well I’ll let you know if I’m coming closer to the date.”

This is a classic case of “Unless I am spending Friday night watching the Humidex on The Weather Channel, I probably won’t come to your party”.

Your solution? Lie your face off and go to confessional afterwards. Let me illustrate:

Suzie: “So is Bob coming to the party?”
You: “Yeah, he said he was coming as far as I am aware. Everybody is going to be there. Billy, Cindy, Catherine, Jose, Johnny. This party is going to be HUGE! You’re obviously invited… if you can make it.”
Suzie: “Oh, okay, I’ll be there then.”
You: (Pick up the phone and call Bob)
Bob: “Hey man, who’s going to the party?”
You: “Suzie, and like a whole whack of people. So many people. I don’t think my place can fit everybody so you can only bring a couple of friends. Like two people maximum.”
Bob: “Cool, I’ll be there with the Olsen twins and Shia LaBeouf”

You see how this all works now? Believe in your party! Before you know it, your apartment will be stacked full with celebrities.

Tip #2 – Never run out of booze

Not all parties involve booze. But mine always do, so you don’t have a choice but to read this tip anyways. The tip is simple. Your party’s longevity is directly proportional to the alcohol that is available. So do not run out of it. This means that you will have to spend a little extra cash and get some floater beers and spirits so that when people run out of their own drinks, they can bum some off of you.

Don’t be a cheap ass, be generous—what goes around eventually comes around.

Tip #3 – Maintain a relatively equal guy-to-girl ratio

Guys hate sausage parties because they have nothing to look at. Girls also hate sausage parties because they don’t want to be the only thing people are looking at. So make sure you don’t pack your digs full of dudes unless you are a monk living in a monastery and the closest thing you know to a female is Brother Mulligan wearing silk stockings.

The goal is to make your party girl-friendly. That means strategically indicating to your female friends that you will be playing lots of Madonna songs, providing Killer Kool-Aid, and inviting the hottest guys in the world—but not letting them know that said hot guys are already in loving relationships with other girls and don’t stand a chance. Control the sausage perception. It is pivotal to a successful party.

To me, throwing an awesome party is a rewarding experience because it is like pepper spraying all your friends in the face with a can of fun. They won’t be able to rub those good feelings out for a long time. “OH MAN WHAT A RIOT THAT PARTY WAS!” is what they’ll be saying.  So with this handful of tips, go forth and start planning!