The Organic & Cage-Free Myth

How many times during your grocery shopping trip do you idly scan shelves in hopes to select the most organic and environmentally-friendly product? I do this an average of 5 times per trip and most of the time it occurs in front of the egg and meat aisle. We’ve all heard that happy food comes from happy animals; therefore, these animals are not raised in cramped cages or killed inhumanly. Knowing this, I do my best to buy products that are dubbed organic by the USDA and featured the words “grass-fed” or “cage-free”. I assumed I was doing my part as an ethical carnivore until I read an article that made my rethink my buying habits.

The article featured on PETA’s site wrote:

Many organic and free-range farms cram thousands of animals together in sheds or mud-filled lots to increase profits, just as factory farms do, and the animals often suffer through the same mutilations—such as debeaking, dehorning, and castration without painkillers—that occur on factory farms (PETA).

I was really hurt by this information and felt I was being tricked by companies that trusted. I’ve always tried to buy organic beef but the FDA said that this meat can be labeled as organic as long as the cows are given organic feed; therefore, these cows are deemed organic but still sent to factory-farm feedlots to be fattened prior to slaughter.  Cows on organic dairy farms may still be kept in inhumane enclosures though their milk is labeled organic. I also read that some organic and “cage-free” chickens have their beaks cut off. According to my own opinion, this is not what I or the USDA should consider “organic”. I’ve always believed organic meant that animals were raised properly and never mistreated; however, this definition is becoming misconstrued and twisted into something more of an antonym of its core meaning.

What really is "Organic"?

The only advantage of organic products is that they do not contain antibiotics, hormones or arsenic-based addictive. The flesh may be somewhat healthier than non-organic animals but to avoid all of these unethical animal behaviors is to avoid all meat, eggs and dairy. This is difficult for someone like myself who doesn’t eat a ton of red meat but loves eggs. Realistically, there’s no win/win in this situation. I look for “organic” and “cage-free” eggs and buy from suppliers that I trust. There is no perfect answer and my advice is just to do the best you can when selecting your produce.

Time to Dish Out "MyPlate"

I always found the food pyramid confusing. Its shape ironically represents the massive portion of food the USDA doesn't want us, obese Americans, to consume. I understood the concept, but somehow the visual of a pyramid and food never clicked. It reminded me more of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs than a way to balance my nutrition. I also found it kind of ugly and outdated (Plus, which always annoyed me, the picture of "sweets" looked more like a herd of fireflies than something I'd be tempted to eat. What are you trying to pull, USDA?).

From what I've learned growing up, I always thought veggies and fruit were more important than a big helping of grains (and I don't think I have 6-11 servings of bread in 2 days). Plus, determining serving sizes are sometimes hard to calculate--especially when manufacturers try to trick us with packaging and clever marketing. I don't always have the time or patience to measure out my food and examine labels. And when I'm starving, I've already obtained a pre-meal snack before I even think about how many servings are in the heaping pile of pasta on my plate (which most likely represents the shape of the food pyramid above)-- I just wish I had a visual of how much grub I should eat per sitting.  Make it so, USDA.

And finally, the fairy food godmother answered our prayers!

Eureka! Above is what abolished the food pyramid. It makes sense, a picture of a plate divided into recommended nutritional servings. How cutting edge (note the sarcasm), but seriously this was a good move by the USDA. Not only does this provide a visual for individuals (especially kids), but also creates more attainable nutritional goals. I don't know about you, but the old pyramid just made me feel defeated and like a foodie failure. Thankfully, this new "myplate" gives me hope. I really do like the concept and new, concise design. Here's the USDA's reasoning for the switch (I got this from their Web site):

• Balancing Calories
• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid over-sized potions
• Foods to Increase
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
• Make at least half your grains whole grains
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
• Foods to Reduce
• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals--and choose the foods with lower numbers
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks

It's simple and to the point. I love it and think it's a great idea. It's like a guideline to healthy eating. My hope is that it'll motivate individuals to want to make healthier food choices, and know that it's not impossible to take small steps towards a better health (even if it's just substituting water for soda). You go, USDA, you go.