zevnik, "the organic conundrum"

8/3/2019 Zevnik, "The Organic Conundrum"

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Discover the how, what, where,

why, and when of eat ing greenBYNEILZEVNIK

have a confession to make: until recently, my love for all things organic was as much affectation as inclin ation.

Hazy remnants of my hippie days dictated my relentless champio ning of anything and everything organic.

Then, I decided to educate myself a bit, iust so I could be sure I was right.

Man, my head is spinning. Talk about having your assumptions turned upside down. There are so many

complex conside rations, so many vastly differing viewpoints and 'Tacts," so many passion ate peo ple urging

mutually exclusive choices—I h ardly know w here to begin to make some sense of it all.

i irst off, I discovered that it's important to distinguish between "organic" the philosophy and "organic" the

marketing label. Organic as a philosop hy speaks to a worldview, a set of feelings abou t how hum ank ind should

relate to our immediate environment and the planet; organic as a marketing label has simply to do with a set of

requirements and restrictions implemented by the government to provide a basis for consumer comparison and

to prevent outright fraud.

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Let's try to get a simplified picture of

the marketing term. The basic require-

ments for organic labeling are avoidance

of synthetic chemicals, genetically

modified organisms, irradiation, and the

use of sewage sludge; farmland that has

been free of chemicals for a prescribednumber of years; detailed written

records; and periodic on-site ins peaio ns.

MAKING SENSE OFORGANIC LABELSFor single ingredient foods (think

vegetables, eggs, milk), the organic

label may be used when these

conditions are met. For multi-ingredi-

ent foods, the labeling becomes a bit

confusing: "100 percent organic"

means just what it says; "organic"means that at least 95 percent of the

ingredients are oi^anic; "made with

organic ingredients" means that at

least 70 percent of the ingredients are

organic. And now let's complicate it

further by not ing that the LISDA

currently allows 245 nonorganic

additives in "organic" foods! You'll

practically need a scorecard—and

definitely your reading glasses—the

next time you go grocery shop ping.

"Organic" used to connote small and

personal, but now it is a big and

impersonal business. One of the most

telling indications of this is a com pari-

son of statements on the IISDA Web

site, and how they have changed in a

mere Hyears. Consider this from 1995:

"Organic agriculture is an ecological

production management system that

promotes and enhances biodiversity,

biological cycles and soil biological

activity. It is based on minimal use ofoff-farm inputs and on management

practices that restore, maintain and

enhance ecological harmony.

"What is organic food? Organic food

is produced by farmers wh o emp hasize

the use of renewable resources and the

conservation of soil and water to

enhance environmental quality for

future generations."

Now consider this from the 2009

Web site:

"U.S. producers are turning to

certified organic farming systems as

a potential way to lower input costs,

decrease reliance on nonrenew able

resources, capture high-value markets

and premium prices, and boost

farm income."Big business indeed, with

consequences for farmer and

consumer alike.

I Foods to. Eat Organic

\i cording to tlw Environtneittat Woiiung

i.roiip (EWCj), consumers can reihue iheir

pesticide exposure by 80 peiveni Ir}' avoidingthe most œiniiminated fruits and ivgetables

and eating only the cleimeM. Here's E W C s

¡ht oí ihf lop 12 foods to eal organic

1. Peaches

2. Apples

3. Sweet Bell Peppers

4. Leafy Greens

5. Nectarines

6. Strawberr ie '

8. Carr

9. Kale

10. Celery

11. Grapes

12, Pears

ORGANIC A S APHILOSOPHYBut let's talk for a m om ent about

"organic" as a philosophy —th is is

where the discussion ten ds to get

emotional and heated. It ties into the

whole green movement, and suddenly

becomes entwined with carbon

footprints, sustain ability, pollution of

all sorts, and the very way that people

choose to live their daily lives. There is

no unanimity of discourse, no chorus

of agreed opinion , and no solution to

make our choices straightforward and

clear. Consensus among the green and

scientific communities is about as likely

as a snowball's chance in the hot place.

Most can agree that ingesting

pesticides is not a great idea, butbeyond that it's chaos. Are organic

veggies more nutritious? Depends on

whom you talk to. is organic asparagus

flown in from Ixuador better for the

environment than nonorganic trucked

in from the next countyrPhat's iffy,

if Wal-Mart is selling organic products,

are we selling ou r "green" souls to big

business? Som e would argue yes, some

would claim it spells salvation.

ORGANIC VS. LOCAL:WHAT'S IDEAL?To me, the most intriguing aspect of

the current debate has to do with

organic versus local. The rallying cry

has always been "You are what you

eat." But in terms of considering the

origins of your food, not simply the

manner of production, could it be that

"You are where you eat" as well? This

seems to be the latest twist in the

ongoing discussion.

Does eating local trump eating

organic? Are fruits that don't have to

navel far and are thus picked closer to

I ipeness, more nutritious and delicious

ihan organics that traverse the globe

Hid consume resources in so doing?

I here is a growing clamor, from

restaurateurs to food writers to

scientists, that answers yes lo localism,

.ind an equally emphatic group of

environmentalisis and advocates who

trumpet the enduring and superiorvirtues of the organic movement.

SO WHAT TO DO?There's just no way to reconcile all these

conflicting opitiions and studies and

passionate discourses to accommodate

them all—and yet one must eat, and eat

healthfully and well. As a private chef,

I have a responsibility to provide my

clients with the best food and most

current information I can, to better

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THE ORGANIC CONUNDRUM

iheir health, and to enhance their culinary

pleasure.

I still absolutely believe in the virtue of

going organic, despite the conflicting dynam-

ics of th e issues surrounding it these days. So

here's my take on ihe matter, for what it's

worth: do w hat works for y o u , do what fits

your life and times, do what you can.Ideally, a mix of local and organic, with

plenty of overlap between the two, will fit the

bill. Your neighborhood farmers' market is of

course indispensable; and as you come to

know your local purveyors, you can not only

be confident about the foodstuffs they

provide, but you can feel closer to the actual

source of your food—and that can be so

satisfying. And many supermarkets now

identify the source of their p roduce and

meats, allowing you to make the local choice

there as well. And as you may have heardbefore, organic junk food is still junk food,

so keep it dean and try to cook from scratch

more often.

These are tiny steps, and they don't even

begin to encom pass the overwhelming

complexity of the organic issue. But we must

begin som ewhere, right? And it's the small

brLish strokes in life that finally create the big

picture. Buy organic. Buy local. Love your

food, love the earth that provides it, love your

family and yourself by paying attention and

making the best choices you can. ••

FARMERS' MARKET BEET & AR UG ULA SA LA

Serves 6

Bring hom e a treasure trove of organics from your local farmers' m arket

and enjoy this simple but perfect salad.

2 b u n c h e s h e i r lo o m b e e t s (r e d a n d g o l d )

5 T b s . o r g a n i c o l i v e o i l . d i v i d e d

6 o z . w i l d a r u g u l a , r in s e d a n d p a t t e d d r y2 l a r g e r e d p l u m s , p it t e d a n d c h o p p e d

4 o z . f e t a c h e e s e , c r u m b l e d

V « c u p w a l n u t s , c h o p p e d

2 T b s . o r g a n i c b a l s a m i c v i n e g a r

1 . Preheat oven to 375*'KTrim beets, moisten with 2 T b s . oil, cover with

aluminum foil, and roast until cooked through, about 1 hour. Cool to room

temperature; peel, and cut into thick slices.

2 . Spread arugula in wide, shallow bowl. Arrange beets over arugula, then

plums. Sprinkle feta and walnuts over all. Drizzle remaining oil and vinegar

over salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

PER SERVING: 2 00 CM; 5 C PROT; 15 G TOTAL FAT (4 G SAT FAT);

13 G GARB; 17 MG GH OL; 399 M G SO D; 2 G FIBER; II G SUGARS

zevnik, "the organic conundrum"

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