GMO's and the Organic Scam with Jack Spirko

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/organic-certification3.htm

http://www.cooperativegrocer.coop/articles/index.php?id=371

What I call the "organic scam" isn't that there is anything wrong with organic food but the expense and government intrusion required to be certified. Additionally there are may healthful options out there that could not qualify and there is no way for the consumer to wade through labeling such as "no added antibiotics" (emphasis on added) or "all natural".

The key is people need to explore options beyond organic, locally grown food, talk to the grower just because it doesn't say "organic" on a label doesn't mean it isn't the same thing. Or perhaps a local grower uses some fertilizer that isn't organic but only for certain high feeding crops. He may do everything else "organically", just because a guy uses a bit of chemical fertilizer on corn doesn't mean his food is bad for you. Perhaps he uses a lot of organic fertilizer but needs a nitrogen boost at one point in the cycle. This food shouldn't be called organic but it sure as hell ain't Franken food GMO crap grown with pesticides in a monoculture field that is destroying our soil. We always used small amounts of chemical fertilizer when I was growing up, I don't do it now but our food was plenty healthy and we only fertilized as needed and only heavy feeders.

What about people that use chemical fertilizer in a drip irrigation system to grow fruits, nuts, etc on trees. No pesticides, the method is highly sustainable but their food must be sold in among all the chemical soaked crap.

There is no governmental answer to this issue, I have no problem with the organic label but I hate the way it is used as a crutch by people to not ask deeper questions and to not buy from local growers or to not grow their own. I also hate out CoAgra, DuPont, Monsanto, etc use it as a sword, "look consumers have the organic option, they don't have to eat what we produce if they don't want to".

It is complicated but the only solution is buy local, talk to growers and don't rule out something with out the organic label. My rules of how to get food from a priority stand point.

1. Grow it if you can
2. If you can't grow it barter with a neighbor who did grow it
3. If you can't barter from a neighbor buy from a local grower (farmer's market, CSA, etc)
4. If you can't get it that way buy it from a store and go with certified organic
5. If you really want it and can't do any of the above buy from mass produced sources by doing the above 4 first you will LIMIT not totally avoid food from this source.

There are other things to consider though, beef may not be certified "organic" but I sure as hell prefer grass fed to corn fed beef. Chicken may not be organic but I would buy free range eggs and chickens before pen raised any day. Organic eggs are not hard to find but organic chicken often is. Free range though can be a scam read the last part of this article

http://www.healthcastle.com/organic-freerange-chicken.shtml

Again not bashing the organic label just that labels can't be the only answer.

I would also want to talk about the true evils of the food industry, have you seen food inc, lots of good material there, Here is the whole movie online you have to put of with Asian subtitles but the audio is in English

<a href="http://www.tudou.com/v/Asse3z-JpfA" target="_blank">http://www.tudou.com/v/Asse3z-JpfA</a>

Also Dirt the Movie is an amazing story - http://www.vureel.com/video/11626/Dirt-The-Movie-2009-DVDRip-XviD-aAF it brings in a tiny bit of global warming crap but mostly sticks to real fact about what we have done and the long term consequences.