Why Buy Organic?

We believe that everyone benefits and the overall health of the environment is improved when less toxic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers are used to grow food. It’s a very easy conclusion to reach. Yet for many farmers and consumers, organic production is so much more than the absence of toxic and persistent synthetic pesticides.

Growing organic food means more than just farming without toxic persistent pesticides and other chemicals. It’s about farmers meeting stringent government-regulated standards for organic production. It’s about choosing agricultural practices that keep our soil healthy, our water clean and our animals happy. And most importantly, providing better tasting, nutrient rich food.

Organic is about the use of humane standards for animals, increasing biodiversity on farms and in nature, and fostering resilient and adaptable plants and soils that reduce our carbon footprint. In addition to all these things, consumers who choose “certified organic” know that they are getting products that do not use GMOs, artificial colours, synthetic additives or flavours. Organic is simply a great choice.

When you use products that are grown and made organically you help:

• Save the energy it takes to produce synthetic fertilizers and cut pollution
• Protect farm workers health and help keep a healthy environment for wildlife
• Prevent genetically modified organisms from flooding food supplies
• Keep carcinogens found in most herbicides and pesticides out of our water systems
• Support a true economy without hidden costs of subsidies and environmental damage
• Promote biodiversity and ecological sustainability
• Increase international demand for organic products and help small and local organic farmers
• Motivate farmers to embrace sustainable agricultural practices

Is Organic Food More Nutritious?

The comparison between organic and conventionally grown food is often complicated by different factors such as growing conditions and post-harvest storage. Growing conditions and variables like soil minerals, water, light and heat units as well as pressure from insects or microorganisms, can affect the nutritional value of plant crops, according to food scientist Dr. Alyson Mitchell at University of California at Davis.

Dr. Virginia Worthington published a study that appeared in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in 2001. Her conclusions were that organic vegetables, fruits and grains contain 27 percent more Vitamin C than conventional produce; 21 percent more iron; 29 percent more magnesium; 13 percent more phosphorus; and 15 percent fewer nitrates. Other studies have found that, except for lower levels of pesticides in organic foods, there are few nutritional differences between the two types of produce.