Some Thoughts On Buying Organic Food

Here, I would like to share with you some of my thoughts, musings and ideas regarding buying organic food.

This article was first written and published on another website in 2008.

Buying Organic Food – some thoughts

The process of buying organic food is not a difficult one, although it may seem a little daunting at first.

Increase in availability of organic food

With an increase in awareness on the importance of food quality and the dangers posed by many modern day food products, the demand for health foods and organically certified food products is increasing worldwide.

This has made buying organic food easier as more and more health food stores are being set up, and these stores usually stock up on their fair share of fresh organic produce as well as dry organic food products, such as bread, crackers, pastas, etc.

In addition, many ‘normal’ food stores and supermarkets are also beginning to provide a selection of such organic foods.

Besides availability, the variety of organic foods has also increased greatly. Just walk into any health food store and you will see what I mean.

These changes have made buying organic food not only easier and less of a headache, but also more fun and exciting.

Reading food labels

To make your task of buying organic food a more fruitful and healthful one, it is imperative that you learn to read food labels. Reading the large wordings is often not enough, as these main labels are often misleading.

Be sure to scrutinize the ingredients lists. Long chemical names, some of which are practically unpronounceable, should be avoided. Long ingredient lists should also be avoided, for they imply the addition of artificial flavorings, additives, fillers or preservatives.

Typically, the ingredients are listed in order of their proportion of the whole food product, from highest to lowest. So, if sugar or flour is listed as one of the first ingredients, I would be inclined not to buy a certain food product.

Also, be sure to look out for the relevant symbol or notice which indicates that a particular food product is certified organic.

Take note that saying a food product is “natural” or “all natural” is very different from saying it is “organic”. You want to look out for organic certification; “natural” or “all natural” doesn’t really mean very much.

Beware of unhealthy foods in healthy food stores

Please be aware of the fact that many health food stores actually sell food products which are not organically certified, and some even sell food products which don’t look very healthy at all! I’ve seen my fair share of food products being sold in health food stores which contain preservatives, food additives, refined sugar, processed salt, etc.
This makes your ability to read and understand food labels all the more critical.

Buying organic food from local sources

Try to buy from local organic producers and farmers. Not only would you be supporting these small businesses and your local community, you would also be cutting down on your expenses, since you would not have to pay for transport and shipping costs.

Make friends with these farmers and food sellers, and ask them questions!

For more information on purchasing organic food, read this page on lowering your organic food costs.

You may also want to read about some tips on embracing an organic diet and lifestyle.