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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2000)
■ Certmed organic food is grown with balanced soils and no pesticides, and its popularity is catching on By Jessica Etheridge for the Emerald Forty dollars at the grocery store will give you the option of eating well or just eating. If you’re tired of macaroni and cheese, Big Macs and frozen piz za, organic foods offer a diet alter native that can be pleasing to both your health and your taste buds. With the substantial increase in the popularity of organic foods, some larger companies are jump ing onto the bandwagon. General Mills recently acquired Small Planet Foods, the producer of Cas cadian Farms and other organic brands. Meanwhile, H.J. Heinz re cently bought 19 percent of the Hain Food Group, which makes a variety of organic and other natu ral products. Katherine DiMatteo, director of the Organic Trade Association, said it may be awhile before or ganic foods become the norm. “Getting to 5 percent of food sales in 10 years would be miracu lous,” she said. Organic foods are found at nat ural foods stores such as Sun dance Foods or Oasis, but the big ger chains, such as Fred Meyer, also have health food sections where organic foods can be pur chased. Another location to find organic foods is at the Eugene Farmers’ Market. According to the Organic Foods Production Association of North America, “organic” refers not to the food itself, but to how it is pro duced. Organic food production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes the fertility of the soil. Natural foods are produced without the use of toxic pesticides’and fertil izers. These products are mini mally processed to maintain the integrity ot the tood without artm cial ingredients or preservatives. Many farmers will advertise or ganic practices, such as not using pesticides, and siphon off poten tial organic customers, DiMatteo said. But they will do this without making the commitment to hav ing their products comply with the certification requirements of monitoring groups. “Certified” means that the food has been grown according to strict uniform standards, which are ver ified by independent state or pri vate organizations. Certification includes inspections of farms, fields and processing facilities, detailed record keeping and peri odic testing of soil and water to ensure that growers and handlers are meeting the standards that have been set. The pressing question that everyone seems to be asking is “Is organic food better for you?” OFPANA states that there is no conclusive evidence at this time to suggest that organically pro duced foods are more nutritious. However, well-balanced soils grow strong healthy plants, which many believe taste better and con tain more nutrients. Many restaurants across the country, such as Holy Cow, located at the University, are using organic produce because they think it tastes better and is healthier for the con sumer. Organic growers often select varieties to grow for their flavor, not only their appearance. Prices for organic foods reflect many of the same costs as conven tional foods in terms of growing harvesting, transportation and stor age. But organically produced foods must meet stricter regula tions governing all these steps, making the process more labor and management intensive. Also, farm ing tends to be on a smaller scale. To test the organic option for yourself, visit the Holy Cow, locat ed on the second floor of the EMU. Hiroshi Nakamura Emerald (above) Melissa Morgan works at Holy Cow, a vegetarian restau rant located in the EMU. (right) The restaurant offers an array of organically produced foods, in cluding a salad bar, which is of fered daily. 1860600 Now next to the rock climbing wall Organic juices, coffees & real fruit smoothies. Expanded food menu full of healthy alternatives. We accept competitor's coupons Hours: M-Th 7-9, Fri 7-8 Sat 10-8, Sun 12-8 • 346-1100 v' Solutions _ AA, vZl Events All Week April 17-22 Earth Day. Saturday information, food, music 2- 10pm EMU east lawn Schedules available in the Survival Center, Suite 1 EMU 1 or look for posters on campus
