Many consumers have started noticing a trend in the food industry: a little round green sticker that says organic\ on more and more food products.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, organic food is produced by farmers who ""emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.""
More specifically, organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are not given antibiotics or growth hormones. The website stated ""Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation.""
Barbara Ingham, UW-Madison professor of food science, said that the trend for more organic food is marked by three major elements.
""Individuals are concerned about their health and they're looking for food to provide that, and that's a little bit of a change, versus say 10, 15, 20 years ago where food was fuel. Now we're looking it as a fuel for health,"" she said.
Ingham added that she thinks organic food is becoming more plentiful and the cost is decreasing slightly, but it is still higher than conventional items you would find in the grocery store. But, because we are a more affluent society, people are able to make that choice.
""Also,"" she said, ""organic food is becoming more readily available.""
Mark Sweeney, a 2004 UW-Madison graduate, is one of the people who helped make organic food more available. Sweeney used to work as a program associate with AmeriCorps VISTA at ""Just Food"" for its Community Supported Agriculture program in New York City. He worked to connect local farmers with urban community members.
""The vast majority of farmers Just Food works with are classified as organic by the USDA. In order for food to be marketed as organic, it must meet USDA regulations,"" sweeney said.
""However, not all Just Food's farmers are USDA-certified. The certification process can be long, and paperwork-intensive, so some farmers have promised to meet the regulations without the certification.""
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