Called to be organic?

[Xantippe]

“But you make assumptions about both conventional and organic production of food that are unsubstantiated. Organic does not equal worker’s rights and care of the environment, nor does conventional equal lack of worker’s rights and the disregard for the environment.”

Right. I think it’s especially clear that “organic” has very little to do with working conditions or wages. That’s not what the organic certification is meant to cover, and it doesn’t cover it.

Also, given the choice between conventional local foods and imported organic foods, which should you choose?

 

[Xantippe]

Here’s another possible issue–is it right to buy organic if one isn’t giving a full 10% of one’s income to charity?

 

[gracepoole]

Right. I think it’s especially clear that “organic” has very little to do with working conditions or wages. That’s not what the organic certification is meant to cover, and it doesn’t cover it.

No. It’s clear that we can’t and shouldn’t assume that *all *organic farms are providing safe and reasonable working conditions or wages. This is why I said earlier that if one wants to buy organic, one must do a hefty amount of research. There are indeed organic growers that are providing positive working conditions.

 

[gracepoole]

Here’s another possible issue–is it right to buy organic if one isn’t giving a full 10% of one’s income to charity?

I’m not sure why you’re describing a “full 10%” here, since the Church doesn’t give a specific percentage that must be tithed (see this).

 

[KellyPalmer]

In general, cereal is very unhealthy and would suggest just ditching cereal altogether for your 5 year old.

Just do the best you can when it comes to organics. The USDA label isn’t all that trustworthy to start with. Often times it’s better to go with local produce that just doesn’t have the USDA label but still avoids pesticides. We order our meat from a local farm where the animals are pastured/grassfed but they do not have the organic USDA label. The quality of the meat is way better than the commercial organic meat bought in the grocery store, often from another country!

And I would always encourage trying to grow your own produce when possible!

 

[KellyPalmer]

I’m not sure why you’re describing a “full 10%” here, since the Church doesn’t give a specific percentage that must be tithed (see this).

 

[TheWarriorMonk]

Organic would imply no water… water isn’t organic… Ok all nerdy science behind.

I find the use word “organic” incredibly irritating in this context for the same reason. “Natural” suffices.

As far as the OP goes, it’s just common sense to treat God’s Earth with respect. That would include growing food (plants and animals) in the least destructive manner possible. However, our populations levels are now such that it is no longer possible to feed the planet without artificial (name removed by moderator)uts, so damage (environmental or otherwise) is a necessary evil in the production of food.

 

[EasterJoy]

We are to be prudent with our bodies and our money and we are to care about what effects our actions have on others. Whether fortunate or not, habitually buying things that are deemed “organic” by the USDA does not automatically fit that bill.

For instance, there is no necessary connection between “free-range”, “cage free”, and “organic” eggs. Those are legal terms that mean different things. Furthermore, cattle raised in a situation where there is too much grazing land to certify it all may fail to be deemed “organic”, while cows that eat organic corn in feedlots can be deemed “organic”. That doesn’t mean the non-organic grass-fed beef is not better for you and raised more humanely than the corn-fed organic beef.

The same goes with “processed” foods. For instance, there is nothing inherently immoral with eating foodstuffs made from grain that has had the germ removed. An excess of it can be bad, but that doesn’t mean that white flour is forbidden in the diet of a moral person. Besides that, white flour can be organic, while whole wheat may not be. A crop such as tomatoes or bell peppers may have a great difference in environmental impact depending on whether it is organic or not and fresh or not, whereas with onions and melons, there may not be much of a difference. (acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/60/1310/should-i-eat-organic-when-does-it-really/)

Of course, then there is the issue of fair working conditions for farm laborers, which is another thing altogether, not to mention the distances special foods have to be transported compared to “less angelic” locally-processed foods. It can get to be enough to drive one to distraction, trying to figure it all out. We don’t have to do that.

If you know something violates moral law, don’t buy it. If you can’t know, don’t obsess about it. For the things in-between, do what you can but don’t think you’ll ever truly “keep kosher” when it comes to this question. It is not currently possible, and it is certainly not within the means of everyone. We would do wrong if we implied that it was a moral imperative.

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

We are to be prudent with our bodies and our money and we are to care about what effects our actions have on others. Whether fortunate or not, habitually buying things that are deemed “organic” by the USDA does not automatically fit that bill.

For instance, there is no necessary connection between “free-range”, “cage free”, and “organic” eggs. Those are legal terms that mean different things. Furthermore, cattle raised in a situation where there is too much grazing land to certify it all may fail to be deemed “organic”, while cows that eat organic corn in feedlots can be deemed “organic”. That doesn’t mean the non-organic grass-fed beef is not better for you and raised more humanely than the corn-fed organic beef.

The same goes with “processed” foods. For instance, there is nothing inherently immoral with eating foodstuffs made from grain that has had the germ removed. An excess of it can be bad, but that doesn’t mean that white flour is forbidden in the diet of a moral person. Besides that, white flour can be organic, while whole wheat may not be. A crop such as tomatoes or bell peppers may have a great difference in environmental impact depending on whether it is organic or not and fresh or not, whereas with onions and melons, there may not be much of a difference. (acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/60/1310/should-i-eat-organic-when-does-it-really/)

Of course, then there is the issue of fair working conditions for farm laborers, which is another thing altogether, not to mention the distances special foods have to be transported compared to “less angelic” locally-processed foods. It can get to be enough to drive one to distraction, trying to figure it all out. We don’t have to do that.

If you know something violates moral law, don’t buy it. If you can’t know, don’t obsess about it. For the things in-between, do what you can but don’t think you’ll ever truly “keep kosher” when it comes to this question. It is not currently possible, and it is certainly not within the means of everyone. We would do wrong if we implied that it was a moral imperative.

and to garden’s response as well (and other people as well… I think a lot of people have answered well).

There is plenty of organic junk food; a non-organic eating person can be eating healthier than a organic eating one… Furthermore, we are called to be good stewards, but never put the Earth above the well-being of other people. Just because something meets the federal guidelines for organic does not make it a morally superior choice. There are so many factors that could be evaluated from a moral perspective (how many of the crunchy granola organic brands out there support gay marriage? vs, for example, Chic-Fil-A that may espouse more Christian values but serves plenty of fried food and possibly all non-organic (I don’t know, I do enjoy going there occasionally ).
We are called to be good stewards, we are called to take care of our bodies, we need to care about the conditions in which others work etc… but the way in which we do this can be unique for each situation.