Going Organic

About a month ago, I saw the documentary “Food, Inc.”.  It is a film exposing the way the food in the United States is mass-produced.  All we see are the neatly packaged meats, produce and other products in the grocery store and we don’t see where that food comes from or how it is created in as cheap a way as possible in order to get the consumer to buy more so the major food producing companies can make as much money as possible. This film exposes all of that so that people can see what is being done to the farmers, ranchers and animals in order to feed America.

I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who wants to see it but a few examples are the chickens that are forced to grow quickly and with enormous breasts since Americans like white meat better than dark.  Breasts that are so large that the chickens can’t stand or walk more than a few steps before collapsing to the ground. Not to mention the long, dark, closed-in buildings in which they are raised.

Then there is the way cattle are fed corn (not their natural food) instead of grass (their natural food), which leads to all kinds of problems for the cattle and, subsequently, the consumer. They also talked about the way pigs are treated before being slaughtered to make a very well known brand of ham. The way soybean farmers are treated by a well-known seed company.  And on and on and on. There were several moments when I was watching it that I just sat with my hand over my mouth, shaking my head in disgust.  It was a very powerful film.

A result of having watched it is that I have decided to go organic.  I am trying not to buy any food that is mass-produced but rather to carefully select organic vegetables, meat and dairy and other products from companies that treat animals in a humane way without pumping them full of chemicals or abusing them.

This is proving to be a little difficult at times.  Most organic food is more expensive the regular food.  Since I am single and only buying for myself, this isn’t too big of an issue. But since my grocery bill has gone up by a third (from $60 to $90 this week alone), I don’t see how families could afford to do this.  I suppose if you are committed to doing it, you just make it work financially.  But they sure don’t make it easy.

Besides the added expense, this new way of eating is more time consuming.  I read labels on everything.  For instance when it comes to buying eggs.  Do I buy the eggs that just say the chickens are not treated with chemicals or fed animal by-products or do I actually get the eggs that are from chickens that are cage-free?  How penned in are the other chickens? And, here is an interesting side bar, eggs that are organic are usually sold in egg cartons made of clear plastic instead of cardboard.  Why would that be?  It forces you to choose to either be kind to chickens or kind to the earth.  Not that the plastic isn’t able to be recycled but I really try not to use plastic all that much.  Paper products break down easier and why add more plastic to a world already filled with it?

I do know that this year, more than ever, I am looking forward to the farmer’s market season.  It will be easier to buy organic and healthy when I am buying directly from the farmers.  Fresh meat, eggs, butter and vegetables all from within York County, Maine. I can actually drive to the farm and see the operation and talk to the people growing my food.

Maybe this year I will even plant my own garden.  Raise my own vegetables.  At least grow some tomatoes. Then I will can my own tomatoes and not have to wonder where the tomatoes I use in my spaghetti sauce were raised and what chemicals were used on them.

If you get a chance, watch “Food, Inc.”. But be prepared.  Parts of it will horrify you and more than likely will change the way you see the food in our grocery stores.  Then you can join me in going organic!