Organics are popping up all over the place. You can buy organic food, organic mattresses, organic clothing and even organic chocolate, wine and vodka! Organic has become the newest marketing label, but what is organic and why should you choose it?

What is Organic?

People choose to look for the organic label for a variety of reasons, from health to environmental consciousness. I recently took an informal poll, by asking my friends and family members to define organic. I got many answers, but two were reoccurring: “grown without pesticides” and “expensive!” Both answers are correct. Organic food is grown without pesticides and it is quite a bit more expensive than non-organic foods; however this is only a surface look at organics.

To earn the organic label farmers must not only forgo pesticides, but they must maintain and replenish their soil without the use of fertilizers. They must not use antibiotics, synthetic hormones or genetically engineered materials, seeds or otherwise. They must not add preservatives, artificial ingredients or use irradiation processing or chemical ripening. Basically, organic farmers must maintain the integrity of the land and simply put: they may not add anything unnatural to their soil or food supply.

The Cost of Non-Organic Standards

I remember when I first found out what ‘organic’ was. I was appalled that organic standards weren’t the standards for ALL food. I thought the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) existed to make sure that our food was safe, natural and edible. In fact, I never read the ingredients labels of my food, because I thought they were taking care of this for me. When I woke up to non-organic standards, I began to open my eyes and see for myself what I was choosing to put into my body. Once I started reading and researching, I found myself more than happy to pay the extra costs of organic standards.

Unfortunately, it costs farmer Joe a lot more money to maintain his small, organic, family farm than it does for a global corporation to upkeep their international factories that mass produce food at the lowest of all standards. Organic food is more expensive because small growers, or even larger family growers, must pay for everything themselves. They must pay for the upkeep of their farms, the equipment, the time, the marketing, distribution and packaging, to name a few. In addition, they are doing something radically different from the large, corporate food producers: they love the land, work extra hard to keep the soil clean and chemical-free and they are passionate about creating quality food that offers health and wellness. Organic is more than just a sticker on your banana, it is a way of life that cares about people, health, the planet and the quality of life for decades to come.

Think Before You Buy

If you are like many people who only think that organic means no pesticides and a more expensive price tag, think again. While the stores are filled with foods that have never seen sunlight nor been in soil, it just may be worth it to pay a little extra for a few more years, until organic is the standard for all food and the prices go down.