@simpleD is right on.
I was wondering the best ways to shop for good food and I just have a couple of questions:
Buy local produce before organic, and pressure farmers to adopt organic or “beyond organic” methods.
1. Should I trust food that is labeled “organic”?
I’m not sure there is any convenient alternative.
2. How can I trust that the ingredients are accurate?
Legally, I am sure ingredient lists are accurate. However, labeling laws like any other law contain loopholes that are exploited (in my experience, usually in the use of increasingly ambiguous terminology). If you have a question about something on a label, you should try to make time to research it. The one currently burning on my mind is the use of the phrase “natural flavors”.
3. If I’m curious to know how a food company is operating, how can I find that information? (For example: how does Sanderson Farms raise and process chicken?)
You can contact them directly. If they are unresponsive, that is not a good sign. You’ll have to weed through the BS though. I’m sure some companies will use descriptive words that sound positive but are not meaningful.
4. With so many companies “running” to make money from organic food, how can I be sure that they won’t half ass the organic food too?
You can’t be sure. It happens. That’s one reason why buying local is better – easier to hold people in your “backyard” accountable than some black box in China or on the other side of the country.