Saturday, August 18, 2007

When Buying Organic Pays


Grist Magazine's advice section recently directed a reader seeking information about organic foods to a Consumer Reports article that I found useful and that I thought I'd share. It deals with which organic foods are best to purchase.

Being that there's some debate as to whether buying organic is worthwhile (mostly based on how organic "organic" actually is) the input is welcomed. Mind you, I'm not sure if the details included reflect the situation in Canada, but it's should be useful as a guideline, at the very least. Here is the basic breakdown...

Buy These Items Organic as often as Possible

Apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries.

Meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy.

Baby food.

Buy These Organic if Price is No Object

Asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples, and sweet peas.

Breads, oils, potato chips, pasta, cereals, and other packaged foods, such as canned or dried fruit and vegetables.

Don't Bother Buying These Items Organic

Seafood, cosmetics.

...With full details in the article itself. The products are separated based on cost increase of buying organic as well as the level of pesticide that you'd be avoiding.

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