Eating Organic and Saftley- Go Organic Campaign
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EATING, the Go Organic way
Clean food is all around you, it just takes a refocus.

Do you know what pesticides are on your food?

Thousands of chemical insecticides, herbicides and fungicides are routinely applied to our foods—with inadequate testing for long-term and synergistic effects.

 

Today, organic food choices are widely available, even for those on a budget, at supermarkets, health food stores, farmers’ markets, online stores, specialty stores and restaurants. 

Understanding What’s In Conventionally Grown Food

What Are We Eating? Really.

Agricultural pesticides travel many miles on wind, water, and dust. They can last in our bodies for years.

Find out what’s on your food.

We’d like to believe that U.S. government agencies are protecting us and our food supply from chemical contaminants. They’re not—they do not have the regulatory framework, or the political will, to do so. U.S. policy treats pesticides as “innocent until proven guilty” and it can take decades to reach a guilty verdict. Even then, billion-dollar corporations can outspend public interest groups to ensure that policy does not change.

 

 

It’s up to us to choose our food wisely. Pesticide Action Network North America provides a database where you can find out what pesticides are used on most fruits and veggies. Or you can search the database by pesticide chemical to see the list of foods it is approved for.

 

Search this database to learn What’s on Your Food?

 

GMOs? SynBio Watch’s Shoppers Guide identifies whether or not a product contains GMOs

 

Chlorpyrifos–more than a dangerous example. When researchers at the Center for Disease Control sampled American for metabolites of the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos, it showed up in 93 percent of those tested.

 

Twenty years of scientific evidence showing the danger chlorpyrifos poses to children and to pregnant women resulted in the EPA decision to ban all uses of chlorpyrifos nationally in 2015. However, the current administration decided to overturn this decision. Learn more about the effects of chlorpyrifos on developing children’s brains and Maryland’s efforts to pass a state law to protect our children.

Help Finding Budget Friendly Organics

Guides for Buying Organic Foods

Whether you are a practicing organic connoisseur or just getting started, these resources will enlighten you.

Here’s a round-up of product reviews and practices to help you get started.

Eat Organic on a Budget (Over 75 Tips) is sure to inspire you. The Food Babe Vani Hari covers the gamut of how to get the most from your organic food dollars!

 

Your holiday meals: Planning to cook an organic entree? Make your own or buy organic eggnog? Pumpkin or pecan pie? Check out your local markets that are known to carry healthy, organic food and products including MOMs Organic Markets, Common Market Co-op and David’s Natural Markets.

 

Talking turkey? Turkeys are often fed grains treated with pesticides, antibiotics, steroids and hormones. A better bet: buy an organic free-range turkey. Want to skip the turkey altogether? Choose an organic meatless option. To read Consumer Reports on why you should buy an organic turkey this Thanksgiving, click here. For meatless and vegan holiday meal ideas, click here.

 

Get Rid of the “Dirty Dozen”—the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables—put these at the top of your organic list. Get the list–there’s even an app for that!

 

Know Your Farmer — Buy Local Organic & Pesticide Free

  • Fair Farms Maryland focuses on healthy agriculture that’s good for people, wildlife and the Bay. Get to know and support this community of Maryland farmers who grow produce and raise livestock sustainably–most are organic or pesticide-free.
  • Maryland Organic Food & Farming Association (MOFFA) offers a list of organic farms offering Community Supported Agriculture, aka CSA, buying programs. By purchasing a share, or part of a share, you’ll get a weekly delivery of the harvest throughout the growing season. Find a MOFFA CSA near you.
  • Unfortunately “Buying Local” may only mean that your food is fresher. “Know Your Farmer” means finding out how the food was grown when you buy at your local farmers market. Print and carry this Farmers Market Pocket Guide so you know the right questions to ask.

Start Your Day with a Healthier Breakfast

A Better Beginning with Organic Breakfast Foods

We know change is hard. Start making the switch to organic with your first meal of the day.

  • Your Morning Joe: How do the brands measure up for pesticides and other health and environmental factors? Find the best organic and eco coffee brands with FoodMatters Coffee Buying Guide.
  • Tea Time? Your favorite brand may contain high levels of pesticides and synthetic fluoride. Find out what to avoid.
  • The quest for a “good egg” can be satisfied with this Egg Scorecard.
  • Use the Dairy Scorecard to find top rated organic milk products.
  • Not all organic cereals and natural granolas are equal. See how your favorite brands measure up with Cornucopia’s Cereal Scorecard.
  • Break bread, the organic way. Get the skinny on breads.

Pick-Your Own and Local Fruit

Finding Safer Fruit Orchards and Farms

Local seasonal fruit is a Maryland tradition, but avoiding the toxic pesticide cocktail is crucial.

Children’s impacts from pesticides can be 40 times greater than adults, due to their smaller body size.