Walmart, already one of the country鈥檚 largest distributors of organic foods, will gobble up additional market share this summer, thanks to a deal it struck with Wild Oats to carry more than 100 of the natural-food chain鈥檚 house-branded products.
The agreement, coming on the heels of , which is 40 percent organic, marks a new era. One obvious benefit is that prices for organic foods should drop nationwide as production increases and competitors are forced to match big-box discounts.
But the supersizing of organic comes at a cost. When the term first gained traction, in the 1980s, it was mainly used by small farms supplying local markets. In 2000, when the Department of Agriculture created the USDA Organic label, its standards included a list of roughly 100 substances, including some synthetic chemicals, that would be allowed in the farming process. The list is picked over incessantly, but in September of last year, the USDA made it more difficult to remove pesticides and herbicides it had already approved.
All of which means that, for consumers, shopping is more complex than ever.
Straight Talk on the Organic Frenzy
鈥淚t鈥檚 better for you鈥
Not necessarily. Thousands of studies show on the nutritional benefits of organic over conventional foods. However, fewer pesticide residues and fewer antibiotic-resistant bacteria in organic foods.
鈥淚t鈥檚 better for the environment鈥
True. that organically farmed soil has greater microbial diversity, in large part because of crop rotation, cover crops, and the use of compost, required for certification. Organic crops usually have .
鈥淚t鈥檚 better for the animals鈥
Probably. There is no conclusive evidence that organic meat or dairy is healthier, but most animals are required to have access to pasture and are exposed to far fewer antibiotics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 better for the farmers鈥
Definitely. Laborers on conventional farms are exposed to hundreds more agrichemicals than those on organic farms. Consequences range from headaches to birth defects to cancer.
The Local-Versus-Organic Question
In terms of nutrient value, fresh almost always trumps organic, which is why local is usually better. But a local farmer could be spraying his crops with every chemical in the book. Don鈥檛 stress out about which chemicals to avoid. Find a farmer you can trust and ask if the produce is certified organic. If he says yes but his stand isn鈥檛 labeled, be skeptical. If he says no but is eager to talk about how he grows his crops, that鈥檚 probably the best indicator. The is time consuming and expensive, and many local vendors skip it.