You Are Being Ripped Off by Much of the ''Organic'' Food You Are Buying

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You Are Being Ripped Off by Much of the ''Organic'' Food You Are Buying

_http://www.mercola.com/2006/oct/12/you-are-being-ripped-off-by-much-of-the-or

ganic-food-you-are-buying.htm_ (http://www.mercola.com/2006/oct/12/

you-are-being-ripped-off-by-much-of-the-organic-food-you-are-buying.htm)

As the popularity of organic food grows, it is becoming more and more

difficult for food companies to keep up with demand. Companies ranging from

Wal-Mart to General Mills are now marketing organic food.

 

_Click Here for Stonyfield’s Rebuttal_

(http://www.mercola.com/20061205/stonyfield) .

While the involvement of large corporations has turned organic food into a

$14-billion business, these organizations are frequently choosing to eliminate

the ethos that many feel is essential to organic food as they struggle to

find a consistent, large-scale supply of high-quality organic ingredients.

To be certified as organic by the U.S. Agriculture Department, food must be

free of most pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics,

genetic modification, and irradiation. But many argue that true organic food

also

entails respect for locally produced food, respect for livestock and

employees, and environmentally sustainable practices.

The Organic Integrity Project last spring released a high-profile report

card calling 11 producers ethically challenged, including Horizon Organic Dairy

and Aurora Organic Dairy, both of which operate giant corporate feedlots and

feed their cattle grains, rather than letting them graze on grass at pasture

for all of their food.

There is also now " organic " food that is imported from such countries as

China, Sierra Leone, and Brazil, where standards, wages, and conditions are

difficult to monitor and enforce.

_BusinessWeek Online_

(http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005001.htm?chan=search)

October 16, 2006

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

This great review by Business Week documents _the progressive decline_

(http://www.mercola.com/blog/2006/sep/18/wal-mart_promotes_a_distorted_view_of_o\

rgani

c_foods) in the quality and meaning of the organic label. One of their

examples is Stonyfield Farm yogurt, which abandoned its organic farm in New

Hampshire long ago and now gets its milk in powdered form. Yes, you read that

correctly:

Powdered milk exported from 9,000 miles away in New Zealand.

You can bet your bottom dollar making powder out of milk is one of the worst

things you can to do to it after pasteurization. Nearly all of the biologic

value of the milk is removed.

Once that happens, " organic " Stonyfield Farm yogurt sitting on your grocery

store shelf is not much more of a health food than _a can of soda_

(http://www.mercola.com/2006/apr/20/american_soft_drinks_poisoned_with_benzene_t\

oo.htm)

.. It is so far removed from the real deal, it is a pathetic tragedy.

Consumers pay huge amounts for what should be a health food, but are getting

ripped off in a major way. The best yogurt is obtained from _grass-fed cows_

(http://www.mercola.com/2006/sep/19/new_lower_standards_for_grass-fed_beef_wil

l_destroy_the_meaning.htm) that are NOT fed any grains (unlike the feedlot

cows used by Horizon and Aurora). This will optimize the fatty acid balance

and improve its _CLA _

(http://www.mercola.com/blog/2006/aug/4/cla_fights_diabetes_as_effectively_as_a_\

drug) content. Then, avoid adding sugar to flavor it

like Stonyfield does.

You will want to consume the milk _in its raw form_

(http://www.mercola.com/2005/dec/13/raw_milk_meets_mainstream_media.htm) and

certainly not put in a

powder. Raw grass-fed milk is the true health food that will move your body to

vibrant health, not the factory-farmed " organic " crap that Stonyfield is

selling.

Additionally, the major corporations like _Wal-Mart_

(http://www.mercola.com/2006/may/23/wal-mart_will_be_the_largest_seller_of_organ\

ic_food_driving_prices_

down_is_this_a_good_thing.htm) , _Dean Foods_

(http://www.mercola.com/blog/2005/nov/10/any_difference_between_organic_pasteuri\

zed_milk) , General Mills,

Unilever, Mars, Kraft and Kellogg have jumped in to reap some of the fat

margins that are present in organic foods. You can bet they will keep the

prices

high and lower the quality and take the extra profit for their bottom line. In

the meantime, you are getting ripped off again.

The organic label has become virtually meaningless as a sign of quality.

Your only solution is to seek out LOCAL suppliers of healthy food where you can

actually get to know the people who are growing your food. You can start to

find some of these suppliers in an article _I wrote earlier this year_

(http://www.mercola.com/2006/aug/17/how_to_get_inexpensive_organic_locally-grown\

_veget

ables.htm) .

Related Articles:

 

_Why do You Need Organic Food?_

(http://www.mercola.com/2003/jul/23/organic_food.htm)

_GM Crops Raise Price of Organic Food_

(http://www.mercola.com/2003/jun/21/gm_crops.htm)

_Chisan-Chishou: Fresh, Local Produce the Norm in Japan_

(http://www.mercola.com/2006/sep/21/chisan-chishou_fresh_local_produce_the_norm_\

in_japan.htm)