What’s Up With Organic?
Organic food is food that does not contain any sort of pesticides or chemicals, whether it’s from growing, harvesting, or packaging. There are many reasons why people shop for organic food such as the tastes, it is healthier for you, and they contain more vitamins and nutrients. Personally, I think organic food tastes better because it’s fully grown, and has more flavor.
Many people do not buy organic foods because they cost more. Only about 10% of the United States’ population are organic shoppers. But, the health benefits will shock you in the future. Some studies have shown that eating non-organic foods can cause health problems such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and eczema for some people!
I asked people around the school if they shopped for organic food and why?
“Yes, i do. Because it’s healthier for you. And in the future you’re going to see the difference. And it’s good for you!” –Kimberly, FRESH staff member
“I don’t shop for it, but my mom does. She goes to Trader Joe’s or the farmers market. I don’t think it’s good to be shopping at non-organic stores because I know there might be deformed fruit. It’s not normal to see a strawberry the size of an apple.” –Jenny, FRESH staff member
“ I don’t shop for organic food because it costs more. And the place that I buy my groceries at, doesn’t sell organic food.” –Mitzi, my sister
Ways to check if you food is organic or not?
-Look at the package/label and see if it shows that it has been approved by your states organic ingredients.
-Check where the food was made (such as a farm.)
-Search for the United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDA) label. If the food has this on the label, then it means it is at least 95% organic.
On all fruit there should be PLU sticker, that contains a code with 4-5 numbers. Learn to read stickers so you can identify how the food was grown:
begins with 3 or 4 = has been sprayed with pesticides and weed killers
begins with 8 = is chemically treated
begins with 9 = produce is organic!!
If you’re still wondering if your fruit is organic or not, you can check out this website:
(BTW, the adhesive used to stick the sticker is edible, not the sticker itself!!)
These are some of the many stores that sell organic food!
-Trader Joe’s 5727 College Avenue, Oakland, CA 94618 (510) 923-9428
-Farmer Joe’s Marketplace 3426 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland, CA – (510) 482-8899
-Whole Foods Market 230 Bay Pl, Oakland, California – (510) 834-9800
-The Food Mill 3033 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland, CA – (510) 482-3848
Here are some more locations of some farmers markets in Oakland!
-Splash Pad Park at Grand Ave and Lake Park Ave, Oakland, CA – (415) 472-6100 Saturday’s 9am-2pm.
-Broadway & 9th St, Oakland, CA – (510) 745-7100 Friday’s 8am-2pm
-5300 Claremont Avenue, Oakland, CA – (510) 985-1213 Friday’s 8am-2pm
-1956 Webster Street, Oakland, CA – (925) 825-9090 Sunday’s 9am-2pm
after eating organic food for a wild you will see and feel the changes
amazing article. loved it!!! high five.
ko0l ima be checkin the tag lately good thing the banana eating is the inside not outside
the pics r hella pretty!
Great article, Aileen. The claim that you make–”[organic foods are] healthier for you, and they contain more vitamins and nutrients”–is probably a little more controversial than you think. Why? It’s thanks to a published in 2009 that claims organic food is no more nutritious than conventionally grown food. If that is true, it also suggest it may not offer much, if any, more health benefits because the health benefits of organic food partially come from being supposedly more nutrient dense. (Of course one can point to possible harmful effects of chemicals, but that’s a discussion for another time.)
Great article, Aileen. The claim that you make–”[organic foods are] healthier for you, and they contain more vitamins and nutrients”–is probably a little more controversial than you think. Why? It’s thanks to a study published in 2009 that claims organic food is no more nutritious than conventionally grown food. If that is true, it suggest organic foods may not offer much, if any, more health benefits because the health benefits claimed by organic foods by and large come from being supposedly more nutrient dense. (Of course people claim, as do you, that the lack of chemicals used to grow organic foods also makes organic foods healthier, but that’s a discussion for another time.) Perhaps you can explore this topic more in future articles. I would love to read more about it.