Organic Food/Whole Foods?

[lady fern]

Nonesuch, here are 2 peer reviewed articles. I'm sure there are plenty of articles as well on the benefits of GMOs in regards to feeding an ever growing population, but the information that I have come across is enough for me to be concerned and choose to not grow GMOs and do my best to not feed them to my family.

Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests
In the present case, we wish to underline that the commercial GMOs in question contain pesticide residues, some of which have been demonstrated as human cellular endocrine disruptors at levels around 1000 times below their presence in some GM feed

http://www.bulletinofinsectology.org...-099-106lu.pdf

In regards to organic foods, Whole Foods and Trader Joes...I really don't get it. I could eat my way through local farmers' markets in the summer and wouldn't even have to work that hard to make it to a winter market in Concord or Tilton, although the offerings are much more limited to what is in season. I don't go to Nashua so can't speak for that area, but there are food co ops in Lebanon, Hanover, New London and Concord offering plenty of organic fare. Plenty of what is sold in Trader Joes is not organic, although I admit to enjoying shopping there when I lived close to one in Washington. I never bothered with Whole Foods, even though it was only 30 minutes away. It just felt too trendy to me and I understand it is fairly pricey. I can shop organic at the supermarket, but most of these items are shipped in from other locations - some pretty far away. I would rather grow it myself or buy it from a local farmer. It's fresher, more environmentally conscious (not using all the petrol for shipping), and supports the local economy.

When I lived in Washington I found that many people used eating organic as some sort of badge of honor yet they didn't think twice about the fact that the organic apple they were eating in January was shipped in from Chile. Doesn't really seem like a sustainable model, IMO.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by Oldmanlookatmylife

Not sure what the situation is like in Nashua, but the Concord area - if anything - has more farmers markets' than its population can support. Being a bigger city than Concord, I imagine that there's a big farmer's market at least once a week in Nashua year-round and (if Nashua is anything like C-Town) a few per day during the warmer months. I agree with the general tenor on here: NH has a large agricultural community and many of the best farmers would rather sell their own crops and reap the profits than go through a corporate middleman like, say, Whole Foods.

im a lot like you were ... great neil young screen name!


maine has one whole foods... its in portland,,,enough people to afford and drink the whole foods kool-aid..

be very very careful when with the "organics" claims,,,
i went to whole foods once,,never again,,prices are just outragious i bought an orange for 2.00 it was labelled "organic" it was the same orange hannaford has for 2/1.00
and their grass fed beef which was 5.00 more per lb than anywheres else, tasted like the cow pee'd on it..
i gave it to my dog..


beware the signs on foods.. and as far as gmo -modifying veggies, we've been doing it for thousands of years, you think the original ear of corn looks like it does today?? we've been playing genetic god with veggies a longgggg time..


farmers markets,,, can be great-but beware,, i went to one in maine and someone was selling "native" pineapples for 8.99 each... i asked her where she grew them in maine,,,she got defensive and said- she's only doing what whole foods is..
but again,, tourists bought the pineapples "because everything tastes better at a farmstand"
there is no oversight for this crap and ripping the public off.... but the pruis crowd doesnt care,,, i saw tomatoes being sold for 3.00 each - and i would have bet they were bought at hannaford or market basket-i saw where little stickers had been removed..


as some of the wise posters stated go to the farm stands(in front of farms are my favs) -- if you can smell cow manure ...even better,,you know its grown fresh-just wash it good,,,


and those little farm stands with the honor system,,,you gotta love that- where else can this happen??

(id still be setting up a fake camera at the money jar, anyone could be driving by,, and take it)


i shop in portsmouth- i stumbled on this store called mckinnons,,, its now my favorite grocery store- they have the biggest seafood selection ive ever seen, and marinated meats and organic meats & produce (by the waterpark)

[gemstone1]

If agribusiness and mega food didn't have something they don't want the public to know concerning GMO.....why would they spend the $$$ they did in order to prevent California and Washington consumers from knowing what is in the food they buy and consume ? Vermont GMO labeling. Bottom line...they don't want you to be informed and have a choice of what to purchase based on labeled ingredients.

Another article.

Grocery Manufacturers Association documents

Perhaps I'm just a skeptic, but I can't shake the feeling that agribusiness and big food fear a loss of revenue once consumers have a choice.....'cause they sure aren't concerned about consumer welfare.

Regards
Gemstone1

[FrugalYankee]

If you want the real deal and support local farmers, try this:
http://www.agriculture.nh.gov/public...-directory.pdf

although these folks are even a tad too commercial for my taste. My feeling is if I don't know the name of the dog who guards the henhouse I'd rather not buy there.

[lady fern]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

beware the signs on foods.. and as far as gmo -modifying veggies, we've been doing it for thousands of years, you think the original ear of corn looks like it does today?? we've been playing genetic god with veggies a longgggg time..

Not quite....there is a big difference between controlled pollination and gene splicing. I think you are confusing hybrids with GMO's.

I think the article below explains it well.



Unlike hybrids, which are developed in the field using natural, low-tech methods, GM varieties are created in a lab using highly complex technology, such as gene splicing. These high-tech GM varieties can include genes from several species — a phenomenon that almost never occurs in nature. “With GM varieties, genes are transferred from one kingdom to another, such as bacteria to plants,”

Read more: Hybrid Seeds vs. GMOs - Ask Our Experts Blog - MOTHER EARTH NEWS


Seems to me that agribusiness has been doing a good job trying to confuse everyone as to what genetically modified really is. Farmers were never modifying plants on a genetic level by allowing only the most robust or largest fruit bearing to reproduce.