Lucid Food_ Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life - Louisa Shafia [15]
LOCAVORE
This term, coined in 2005, refers to someone who only eats food that has been grown or raised within a 100-mile radius. Locavores argue that buying from nearby food sources helps to reduce carbon emissions by cutting down on transportation, and routes consumer dollars toward small farms, resulting in preserved farmland and an economic boost to local communities. Cultivating these more direct relationships with local producers, locavores insist, improves food safety and producer accountability, and well-informed consumers help to foster the kind of public awareness that keeps food production in line with environmental goals.
ORGANIC
The definition of organic agriculture is controversial. Originally, organic simply meant producing good food through sustainable methods, such as planting crops on a rotating basis to enrich soil, using chemical-free pest control and fertilization, and raising livestock in open pasture without hormones or antibiotics. In essence, organic farming was practiced by small farmers who thought of themselves as stewards of the land. The term’s current meaning, as defined by the USDA, has many loopholes that may unfairly benefit corporations. These days, food may legally be labeled organic even if its growing procedures deplete soil, synthetic ingredients are added to the finished product, and the animals (in the case of meat or dairy) never go outside. The substantial fee and detailed record keeping required by the USDA for a food producer to receive organic certification have forced many small and truly sustainable farmers out of the business. Ironically, organic agriculture began as a grassroots movement set in opposition to the mechanized and chemical-laden production methods pushed by the very same corporations that now dominate the so-called organic market.
Large corporations are typically driven by profit, not by an interest in the environment. While there may be exceptions, as a rule, the “organic” label simply means that certain minimal standards were met in order to slap on the “organic” label and charge consumers a higher price. For the conscientious shopper, the safe bet is to buy directly from small farmers whom you can talk to and even visit on their farms if you wish. That’s the best way to verify a food’s authenticity.
PASTURE RAISED
This term conveys the same idea as “grass fed,” but refers to poultry, too. This label means that animals roam freely outside and eat a natural, species-appropriate diet.
SUSTAINABLE
In a general sense, this term refers to any system that operates in a way that doesn’t deplete the earth. When applied to food, it means producing and eating food in balance with environmental limits, recognizing the needs of nonhuman species, and planning with the long term in mind, so that the natural world may be preserved intact for generations to come. An example of eating sustainably is consuming meat in small amounts and choosing meat from farms where animals are raised on pasture.
USDA CERTIFIED
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the government office in charge of establishing policies on farming, agriculture, and food. Like any government agency, this department is bogged down with bureaucratic systems, is influenced by industry lobbyists, and is partial to the politics of the current presidential administration. The USDA has been widely faulted for overlooking egregious offenses in CAFOs, allowing GM crops to be planted without adequate testing or supervision, and watering down the definition of organic to favor big business over environmental protection.
WILD FORAGED
Wild-foraged foods are edible plants found in nature, including berries, mushrooms, herbs, fruits, and nuts. There is renewed interest in these