Even though we have been farming organically since the beginning of mankind, it (organic farming) has changed.
Whole Foods is the largest retailer of organic food. North America and the U.K. account for approximately 300 stores. They offer their own brand – “365.”
Recently, Whole Foods has been scrutinized for its suspicious methods.
The following video brings 2 things to mind:
1. Food is grown all over the world. Most of the food we eat comes from someplace other than our region.
2. China has an insanely large population, especially based on population per square mile. Even though they produce a tremendous amount of food on a relatively tiny amount of land, the quality of their soil (amount of top soil) is far better than ours here in the U.S. This is because of their careful farming methods – which is mostly organic.
When you buy organic food from Whole Foods, you would expect it would be farmed in North America. However, many of their foods are being grown and shipped from China.
It is ideally best to purchase food from our local farmers. It supports their business, which helps the buyer in the long run. Also, the food is fresher and generates less of a burden on the environment due to fuel consumption and other transportation byproducts.
Although buying food from afar is not necessarily bad, it is in everyone’s best interest to do their best to buy local. During winter in many locations like Canada and much of the United States, buying local is not a viable option. If you’re not able to buy food from your region, do your research and try to buy food closest to home.
Even if organic, people still need to be aware enough to look at labels. Organic doesn’t mean you are for sure safe, but it’s a very good start to a healthy diet.
Todd Stebleton 