Should I only buy organic when at the farmers' market?

Wendy Gordon responds:

No, cautious is a good thing, though informed is even better. There are about 15,000 to 20,000 certified organic farms in the U.S., according to Ronnie Cummins, founder and director of the Organic Consumers Association, who estimates that at least that number and possibly more are practicing organic standards, but aren't certified. The ones who aren't certified tend to be smaller and sell their products seasonally and locally. About 40% to 60% of all farmers' market growers are organic, estimates the Organic Trade Association, which means the majority of growers at your local farmers’ market are not. And yet, many of these farms could certainly qualify.

That's why NRDC’s Simple Steps team urges you to get to know the growers at your farmers' market and ask them about their farming methods, how they treat their animals, and when and why they may use pesticides. Knowing how a farmer tends her farm, how he cares for its health and the healthiness of the food he is selling you, should be as important to you as the care and concern your doctor shows for your health and well-being.

What To Ask About Fruits and Vegetables

1. Have you grown this produce yourself?

Farmers don't have control over vegetables and fruits from neighboring farms.

2. Are you trying to grow organically?

If you get a flat out no, there is probably no need to continue questioning. If you hear that they are trying, you should ask more detailed questions. Many farmers will say that getting certified costs too much money. Ask them if they were aware that the government has subsidy programs to make it less expensive to get certified. And see if it’s been there experience that the organic growers they know in the area get more money for they crops.

3. What practices do you use to control pests, disease and weeds on your farm? What do you use to rejuvenate soil to keep it healthy and fertile?

If you hear some of the following statements you'll know that the farmer is paying attention to these issues and trying to make positive changes:

• They are encouraging wildlife population, by using bat houses, owl houses, bees in the area, and beneficial insects to control pests.
• They are diversifying the crops that they grow.
• They are planting flowers and are using complimentary crops. If some crops, for example, are next to each other it can help control bugs.
• They are rotating crops, not planting the same crop in the same place each year.
• They hand hoe weeds.
• They use cover crops, such as buckwheat or alfalfa, in the off season to put minerals back into the soil.
• They plant clover to help build fertility.
• They only use botanical substances made from other plants or minerals to control pests, weeds, and diseases.
• They only use over the counter imports when they have a real problem and then they don't harvest for 3 or 4 days.

What To Ask About Meat, Chicken and Eggs

1. What was the animal fed?

You want to hear things like cracked corn for chickens, pasture and hay for beef and dairy perhaps supplemented in winter with whole grain or whole corn. You don’t want to hear that they just get feed from the grain mill. You want to know if what they’re purchasing for feed has animal byproducts.

It’s best to choose 100 percent grass fed. Grassfed animal products have been shown to be higher in beta carotene (Vitamin A), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are important in reducing cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and other life threatening diseases. In addition, the risk of infection by E. coli in these products in virtually eliminated. To learn more about why it is important to choose grass fed meat, click here.

2. Were growth hormones used?

Two-thirds of the beef cattle raised in the U.S. are implanted with growth hormones. Although meat products contain only trace amounts of hormones, agricultural runoff of both hormones and antibiotics has been found to threaten the reproductive capabilities of fish in U.S. waterways.

If the meat sold at your farmers’ market is not certified organic, look to see if it bears one of these other labels: Certified Humane Raised and Handled, Food Alliance Certified, Animal Welfare Approved, or American Grassfed Association. These programs do not allow growth hormones to be used.

As for dairy products, if you can't buy certified organic milk, yogurt or cheese, try to buy those that say they are "rBGH-Free" on the label. Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) is a drug injected into cows to make them produce 10 to 20 percent more milk. But in order to increase production, rBGH elevates levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which can cause cell division and tumor growth, and may cause breast and prostate cancer. Furthermore, cows treated with rBGH have higher rates of infected or inflamed rudders, which must be treated with antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics has led to a rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria.

3. Were antibiotics routinely given?

Conventional cattle receive heavy doses of antibiotics in the food they eat and as treatment when they get sick. Animals raised on industrial farms receive on average up to thirty times more antibiotics than people do, some to treat or prevent infections but others to make them grow faster. Such overuse of antibiotics has contributed to a rise in drug-resistant bacteria in humans. Much more virulent strains of bacteria, such as E. coli 0157:H7, have developed resistance to antibiotics.

If the meat is not certified organic, look for one of these other programs which only allow antibiotics to be given to sick animals: Certified Humane Raised and Handled, Food Alliance Certified, Animal Welfare Approved, American Grassfed Association. If the meat is not certified by any program, ask the farmer whether antibiotics are used, when and why.

4. Were the animals confined?

Don't be fooled by the term "Free-Range". USDA defines Free Range only for chicken, not eggs or beef and access to the outdoors, according to their definition, can be as little as 5 minutes per day. Ask whether hens are caged? Do they go outside and do they have enough room to take dirt baths and get grass outside? Eggs will lack omega 3 unless chickens get to peck the dirt.

To learn more about what food labels you can trust, use Simple Steps Label Lookup, (also available in November 2009 on your iPhone).

So go, grab your shopping bags and head out to the farmers’ market, confident that by getting to know the farmers better, and finding out about the farming techniques they use, you can be sure you are getting not just fresh, but healthy and safe, locally produced food.