Intro and food purchasing questions

JenD1018

Hi all, I've been lurking for the past couple months as my husband and I have made a decision to be more 'green' - reducing waste/reusing, eating clean, organic, making homemade cleaners, etc.  We watched the Food Inc documentary a few months ago and it has acted as a catalyst for all of these changes as we've tried to become aware of what is in our food and where it comes from.

My question is in regards to buying local meat.  I live in suburban Philadelphia. What resources are there to find local farmers that sell chicken/beef?  Right now we buy our meats from Whole Foods, but I'd like to source locally if I can get organic meat nearby.

Also, are all organic foods sold at WF non-GMO?  I read their statement on their website but it's not 100% clear.  I have the link up right now to download the non-GMO shopping list but wanted to know if I would be wasting my time looking at labels if everything is already non-GMO.  And what about their conventional produce?  Does anyone know if that is non-GMO?

Thanks!

CDMay2006

By definition, organic certification precludes GMOs.  There could be contamination from pollen, etc., but the certification assures that the growing methods are in accordance with organic certification, including the use of only non-GMO seed.

I don't know about WF's conventional produce.  Trader Joe's says nothing they sell includes GM ingredients, so it's possible that WF has that policy, too.  I think it's unlikely, though, given the diversity of what they sell.  There are some crops that are more likely to retain chemicals than others (see the dirty dozen and clean 15 lists), but i firmly believe that from both health and environmental standpoints you are NEVER wasting your time choosing organic over conventional.  However, if GMOs are your only concern, then check their policy.  Also avoid anything with a produce code starting w/ 8 (4 digits is conventional; starting w/ a 9 is organic).

JenD1018

Thanks for the clarification.  Now let me ask you this - Kashi cereals are organic but are not listed as a brand that is on the non-GMO.  Is it because they are not 100% organic and therefore could be made with conventional or GMO ingredients?

CDMay2006

JenD1018:

Thanks for the clarification.  Now let me ask you this - Kashi cereals are organic but are not listed as a brand that is on the non-GMO.  Is it because they are not 100% organic and therefore could be made with conventional or GMO ingredients?

What non-GMO list are you talking about?

For a product (such as cereal) to be listed as organic by the USDA (other organizations exist and are often considered more reputable) it has to contain and be processed using only organic ingredients.  Kashi is labled organic, so this applies.  I recommend reviewing USDA organic standards (and the details of "Organic" and "100% Organic") and looking at the ingredient list of the products you are wondering about.  Failing that, you could contact the company directly.

I would guess that companies that only produce organic products would not be on the list b/c it would be redundant, however, Kashi has organic and covnentional (and mixed, i think) products, so i'm not sure why they wouldn't be listed.

CDMay2006

Here are some resources you may find helpful: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004446&acct=nopgeninfo

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/organcert.html

http://www.ocia.org/

http://www.qai-inc.com/

http://www.ccof.org/

http://tilth.org/ (i rec. this one esp.)

JenD1018

I was looking at the Non-GMO Shopping Guide that lists all of the brands.

Thanks for the links!

rubyiu

Google local CSAs or Farmer's Markets. Even if they aren't open/available at this time of year (most likely they aren't), a lot of times they have lists of farms that provide meat and you can contact them directly.

UndomesticNess

I'm a little late to this post, but there is a buy local site for PA...

http://www.buylocalpa.org/

 

 

SuperGreen

I'm a little late too. 

If it's certified organic, meaning it has the USDA Organic seal, then it is not GMO.  You're fine.  Even products that say "made with organic ingredients" are not GMO. For example, "made with organic ingredients" means 70% of the product must be organic, but 100% are non-GMO.

As far as local meat, try localharvest.org to find Farmer's Markets and CSAs in your area.  We get all our meat (chicken, beef, and pork) from our Farmer's Market.