How things are produced to date has been mostly motivated by profit margins. But if production costs don't include health and environmental costs there is little to motivate a manufacturer to reduce those costs. Well, that is where consumers come in. Maybe one of the easiest things we can do locally to sway the tide of supply and demand is to buy organically grown foods. By buying - we demand; and by demanding - producers fill that demand!

The organic movement was founded on the precepts of healthy, uncontaminated food, local networks, and an equitable food system. Today there are a few different ways to categorize “organic” like local farmers, USDA organic approved, etc.

Our definition of organic food  is food that is not genetically modified - the genes come from the same species with no tampering in the process. The organic food we speak of is produced without the use of artificial pesticides, hormones and/or synthetic fertilizers.

We carefully avoid ingesting poisons, mutagens and/or stimulants. We want the production of our food to not harm our communities with polluted water, and we do not consume food from producers who harbor unsafe working conditions or inhumane practices.

The strictest organic standards should satisfy many of the above requirements. Ultimately we believe consumers should always ask questions and read labels, seeking out food based on above precepts, whether or not the food is USDA certified organic.

One easy way to spot organic fruits or vegetables is by the PLU number on small sticker placed on the individual piece of produce or on its packaging. It is either 4 or 5 digits long and the very first digit is VERY important.

If the first digit is a "9" then the fresh produce is organically grown. If there are only 4 digits then it is conventionally grown. But BEWARE if the first of five digits is an "8" then it is a genetically engineered item! Above and below are examples of labels with the organically grown PLU numbers.