You walk into the grocery store, wanting to buy some Granny Smith apples for a pie you’re planning to bake. You find there are two types—organic apples from across the country, or apples from a local farm that uses chemical pesticides and herbicides. Which do you choose?
It’s a conundrum we’ve all faced at one time or another, particularly since 2007, when a University of Alberta study announced that the climate-change benefits of organic food are almost negated when that food has traveled a long distance from farm to plate.
In response, the “locavore” movement—or people dedicated to buying much of their food in season, from local farms—enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, casting doubts on the wisdom of always buying organic.
And yet, even in today’s economy, US organic sales continue to grow, according to the Organic Trade Association. In 2009, as the economic crisis raged on, US organic food sales increased by 5.1 percent, totaling $24.8 billion. In contrast, total US food sales grew 1.6 percent.
Are organic shoppers making the right choices, when that food isn’t also sourced from a farm near their grocer?
New research is providing more evidence to consider when choosing between organic and local, when you can’t have both.
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