Column: To go organic or not to go organic

Whether to spend the extra money and buy organic constantly plagues me during my weekly trips to the grocery store.

To obtain the United States Department of Agriculture organic certification, foods must be produced without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers, cannot be genetically modified or have undergone irradiation and must be free of chemical food additives.
Organic farms are undoubtedly more eco-friendly and better for soil, climate and animals than  traditional industrial agriculture.

Yet, organic farming may not be better for farmers.

New USDA and National Agricultural Statistics Service data revealed that organic farms produce smaller yields and are more expensive to own. Despite being able to sell organic products for more money, organic farms are rarely as profitable as their industrial counterparts.

But this data was released from the USDA, whose role is to support American agriculture, of which organic farms make up a small percentage.

Even though organic farms are possibly not as fruitful, health and environmental concerns outweigh my desire to save a few dollars, and I try to go organic whenever possible.

Items most worth going organic for, in my opinion, include milk, beef, chicken and produce with edible skins.

I fear the effects of using hormones and antibiotics on animals in the future. Eating produce that has the outside covering removed, such as a banana or pineapple, does not bother me because chemical contamination only occurs on outside coverings.

The exponential growth of organic foods in today’s food market is evocative of the current shift to consume a more natural diet. That consumers such as myself are willing to pay more for a seemingly identical product shows that food awareness is increasing across America.

I hope that in coming years, the USDA will follow this trend and make it easier for more and more farms to make the switch. Currently, even obtaining  USDA organic certification is a cost many small-time farmers cannot afford.

At the end of the day, eating an apple with the certified organic sticker reassures me, and lets me know exactly what is going into my body.

­— hsspence@indiana.edu