Whenever I go to the grocery store, I always try my best to load my cart with socially responsible products.  Cage free eggs?  Uh, yeah why not?  Organic lettuce? Sure, throw that on in there.

The truth is, though, up until recently, I didn’t really know what these things meant.  They’ve just been over-marketed so that I think I’m doing good when really I may just be wasting money.  That’s why I formulated a mini label guide for all of your shopping needs.

Hint:  don’t waste your money on the “organic” Oreos!

“Organic”: Now these babies can be tricky.  In order to determine exactly what you’re eating, you have to read the package carefully.  There are 3 basic types of organic labeling that you may see in your local grocery store.
1. 100% organic:  This one is pretty straight forward.  If it says the product is 100% organic, then all of the ingredients, except water and salt, are grown and processed organically.
2. Organic:  Organic is simply the weak-sauce version of 100% organic products.  These products must contain 95% organic ingredients in order to obtain an organic label.  According to the USDA, all other ingredients must be on “the list” of foods that are unavailable in an organic form at the present time.
3. Made with organic ingredients:  This label is just a fancy way of saying “we’re just putting this on our label so you’ll buy it and think you’re doing something good for the environment.”  Under this labeling, 70% of ingredients must be made with organic ingredients, but the law leaves much for interpretation in how the product may advertise its organic-ness.  My advice? Go for the other two if you really want to make a difference.

Fair trade:  Fair trade is built on the principles of respect in trading partnerships, usually through higher wages and economic self-sufficiency for overseas workers.  However, there are no set guidelines for fair trade labeling like there are for organic products.  A fair trade inspection committee, known as FLO-CERT, inspects companies to make sure they have “a quality management system, transparency in all processes, and independence in certification decision making” before giving out a certification.  Although these are vague terms, free trade can be worth it if it has the official sticker on it.  If not, there really is no way to tell whether or not fair practices are in place.

Free range: In theory, “free range” indicates that livestock are allowed to roam freely instead of being in cages before slaughtering.  The USDA, however, does not have a set definition or any sort of regulation for free-range animals and for egg production.  Thus, free range labeling is entirely unregulated and really doesn’t mean much when it comes to your food.  Save your money on these are look for more meaningful labels, such as “grass fed” (see below).

Grass fed: Unlike free range, the USDA has actually formulated a substantial definition of what constitutes “grass fed.”  According to this definition, livestock must be grass fed for their entire lives – pasture included! That means there are no scary antibiotics or other chemicals in the food you’re about to put in your body.  Although some argue that there are loopholes in grass fed labeling, it sure is a heck of a lot better than free range!

So yeah, this is a lot of great information, but how does it relate to the environment?  It actually has everything to do with the environment!  As a rule of thumb, you can consider everything that takes a step back from our highly industrialized economy a step forward for the good of the environment.  In other words, the more natural our food production processes are and the less harmful chemicals, pesticides, and pollution are used, the happier our planet is!

Last Tuesday I saw the documentary Food, Inc. and it changed my life.  Although it had a relatively minimal environmental focus, it still reminded me how important we are as consumers and how much our food purchasing decisions actually make a difference.

Think about it – 10 years ago you couldn’t really find any substantial amount of organic produce in mainstream supermarkets.  Now, due to the demand for healthier and more sustainable products, the supermarkets are flooded with organic products from Oreos to macaroni and cheese.  And for those of you who think you can’t afford eco-friendly foods on a college budget, think again.  I will show you where, how, and what to buy to decrease your carbon “foodprint” while increasing the size of your wallet.

1. Skip the supermarket and head to your local farmer’s market.   By shopping locally, you support your neighborhood farmer and decrease the amount of fossil fuels needed to transport your food.  Most of the food sold at farmers markets is organic, and even if it’s not, you still increase the amount of in-season crops that you purchase.  Plus, by cutting out the middle man (i.e. the supermarkets) you can usually get a better price for healthier foods.  Find a farmer’s market (or two!) in your town by visiting www.localharvest.org.

2. Order delivery. If you don’t have time to hit the farmer’s market, you should check out community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs in your area.  When you subscribe to a CSA, you buy your produce directly from a farmer.  Your produce usually comes in a giant box per week that the farm delivers directly to you or to a pick-up spot near you.  The best part about the box is that all of the produce is in-season, fresh, and organic.  Each week’s box is a surprise filled with vegetables and fruits that you never knew existed.  It’s a great opportunity for you and your roommates to share the expense (and the cooking!) of eco-friendly, healthy foods.

3. Be picky. As much as we’d like to, most of us can’t afford to buy solely organic foods.  Skip the confusion at the grocery store head to www.foodnews.org.  This website lists various produce items in order of their tendency to be contaminated with pesticides.  Some of the most contaminated foods include peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, and strawberries.  These are foods that you should definitely buy organic if you can.  If you’re strapped for cash, don’t worry about onions, avocados, pineapples, mangoes, and asparagus – these have the lowest pesticide load of all produce.

4. Eat your vegetables. It takes far less energy to produce vegetables than meat, dairy, and produce.  Each year, livestock consume about half of the grains and oilseeds grown in the U.S., which requires huge amounts of pesticides and fertilizers to produce.  They are also constantly sprayed with insecticides and injected with antibiotics to keep them healthy despite their too-tight living quarters.  All of this requires tons of energy and produces a huge amount of pollution.  Instead, limit your consumption of meat, dairy, and seafood or buy organic meats and wild seafood if you can’t go without.  Even just adopting a “meatless Mondays” tradition can decrease your carbon “foodprint” by leaps and bounds.

5. Avoid processed foods. If you can’t do any of the above, simply choosing fresher, non-processed foods can do tons of good for the environment and your health.  Processed foods require dozens of ingredients (most of which are artificial and/or doused in pesticides) to produce and preserve the product.  Most of these ingredients are shipped in from all over to a main processing plant before the finished product is even shipped out to supermarkets.  Avoid the “mystery ingredients” and vow to only eat food made with ingredients you can actually pronounce.

Food production is one of the top sources of greenhouse gases and pollution.  Be sure to educate yourself before you put something like that in your body!  If you want more information, check out the documentary Food, Inc., go to www.coolfoodscampaign.org, or check out books like Fast Food Nation and In Defense of Food.

I’m also not the biggest carnivore. Red meat is just not my thing, and most of the time I stay away from steak, pork, or ham. Chicken, turkey? Fine. Fish? Fine. Anything else? Nope.

Is it because I have a moral issue with how livestock is treated? Well, I’d be lying if I said I was up to date on all my PETA reading, and of course I think animals should be handled humanely, but the only thing I really won’t eat for ethical reasons is veal. Baby cow? Honestly. Let the thing at least grow up!

But let’s pretend, for a moment, that my dislike for red meat came from a deep-rooted concern for the livestock in the world. Let’s pretend a little part of me dies every time I watch someone take a bite of hamburger. What would I want more than anything? Animal-less meat.

It sounds strange, but in a few years, my hypothetical wishes may be answered. Scientists have recently started work on an experimental way to produce meat in a labratory.

You’re a little grossed out. That’s okay. So am I, but researchers at the University of Maryland in College Park are very, very serious about it. So serious, that they’ve just acquired a 5 million dollar grant from the Dutch to continue their research.

Supporters of this new technique claim it will not only save millions of animals’ lives and decrease the need for environmental-ruining livestock, but will also produce chemical and disease free meat that is leaner and healthier than anything we’re eating now.

One scientist linked to the program even predicts that in a few years time, homes all over America will have devices similar to bread makers which produce the stuff, allowing families to regulate their intake.

The process of making this new kind of no-death-protein begins with removing muscle cells from an animal with a small needle, and then allowing those cells to grow in a vat sized Petri dish “kept at the same temperature as the animal’s body and filled with glucose, amino acids and minerals”. The soupy substance is than poured onto sheets, continually stretched out to keep the cells moving, and finally peeled off, rolled up, and chopped up into hamburger.

…As appetizing as that sounds, I think I’ll just stick with the occasional turkey sandwich.