<h2></h2> <h2>Four Important Things in Organics</h2> <p>Thinking about making the switch to organic foods? Wondering if its really worth it, or if you should maybe buy more? At The Organic Box we are absolutely convinced about the superior value of certified organic food and here are four reasons why I know personally that you should feel good about your commitment to organics and look for ways to try something new this week in the world of organics.</p> <p><strong>Ask for the proof.</strong></p> <p>Its not organic if its not certified. Organic food is the most highly-regulated food in Canada - we have an extensive, complex regulatory framework that ensures every farm, producer, processor and distributor is inspected at least once per year and we support each other and our industry without using extensive government funds. Every producer pays for its certification and inspection costs and we work in partnership with the Canada Food Inspection Agency to ensure food that is called organic is truly organic. If you see an organic claim that doesn't include a certificate, ask the seller for proof - who is their certifier, where is the food produced and what methods do they use. The Organic Box is certified organic by the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA). Here is our proof: <a title="OCIA Website" href="http://www.ocia.org/organic-product-search/business/organic-box" target="_blank">OCIA Website</a></p> <p><strong>Decide if its Heathier.</strong></p> <p>If you take a look at various opinions about the nutritional value of organic food, you can find research that shows that organic food is either more nutritious or has the same levels of nutrition as conventional food. Even if it is the same, there is more to the health story than just nutrition. Conventional food practices use extensive chemical applications, which are hazardous for both farm workers and the soil. There is excellent anecdotal and scientific evidence that draws direct links between pesticide use and multiple types of long term farm worker health problems. Here is a 2006 study from the National Institute of Health: <a title="Studying Health Outcomes in Farmworker Populations Exposed to Pesticides" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1480483/" target="_blank">Studying Health Outcomes in Farmworker Populations Exposed to Pesticides</a></p> <p><strong>Understand Price Versus Value.</strong></p> <p>Part of my role at The Organic Box is reviewing customer feedback from people who find the prices of organic food challenging. Often people compare conventional grocery store produce to what we offer our members. Our produce prices are set by the growers themselves based on cost of production and living wages for farm workers. We also commit to paying our warehouse and delivery workers living wages and providing health benefits for the fifty people on our team. The price of food is directly correlated to the number of labour hours spent on production. Organic food is much more labour intensive because we don't rely on mechanical and chemical inputs to the same level as conventional production. To understand the true price of organic food its important to understand the lifecycle of the food system. I am hosting an event during Organic Week at the University of Alberta to screen a film called <em>Dirt! The Movie</em> that examines the impact of our farming system on the soil. Details here: <a title="Free Screening of DIRT! for Organic Week" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/511703935571849/" target="_blank">Free Screening of DIRT! for Organic Week</a></p> <p><strong>Look at Where Your Money Goes.</strong></p> <p>When a consumer is doing some price shopping at the grocery store or the market, it is rare that he or she thinks about where the money goes beyond the cash register. The organic food industry is much more efficient and direct than conventional. Farm to fork supply chains are more common and the truth is that a much higher percentage of your money goes to the primary producers - growers and processors, than in the conventional food system. When you buy organic food, you are paying more of your money to the actual producers of that food, and much less to the shareholders and banks backing the large grocery stores. Even in the organic food industry, the major food companies are hiding behind pictures of cows and fields on packaging - you may think you are buying local or independent but actually just buying more products from Pepsi or Kellogg. See a few different charts outlining the true owners of food labels here: <a title="Organic Processing Industry Structure" href="http://www.msu.edu/~howardp/organicindustry.html" target="_blank">Organic Processing Industry Structure</a></p> <p>Your support for Organics is why we exist and why we continue to be successful in our community. We are a food family that starts with our members and ends with our farmers and producers. Thank you for your support and we wish you an excellent start to the new school year.</p> <p>Havea Great Week!</p> <p>Danny.<br />Founder, The Organic Box.</p> <h2>FeaturedProducts and Producers:</h2> <table cellspacing="15" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#edf0e9"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"><img title="Chickens" alt="Chickens" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/chickens.jpg" /></td> <td><h2>The Sunworks Chicken Breast Special</h2> <p>We are doing it again. We have teamed up with Sunworks Farm, and with every purchase of a <strong>large chicken breast box</strong>, you will receive one box of <strong>chicken wings</strong>... <strong>FREE</strong>. It is a fantastic deal so stock up that freezer, fire up that BBQ, marinade some wings and have a wing night at your own house! We also have featured some of our favourite dipping sauces/marinades to make some super flavourful, 100% organic chicken wings. Try the Honey Garlic sauce made from organic, Albertan honey. </p> <p>Sunworks is an amazing organic meat producer run by Ron and Sheila Hamilton. They have a true love of their animals and are great stewards of our Mother Earth. They have grown with the demand of organic, humanely raised meat, and are now one of the top Certified Organic meat producers in the province. We love working with them, and if you'd like to learn more about how their operation works, we invite you to go to their website and also watch a very informative video made by Kevin Kossowan:</p> <p><a href="http://www.sunworksfarm.com/about/">http://www.sunworksfarm.com/about/</a></p> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/15062212">http://vimeo.com/15062212</a></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"><img title="Mikey" alt="Mikey" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/Mikey! .jpg" /></td> <td><h2>Team Organic Box</h2> <p>This is Mikey. He has been working in our warehouse for well over a year now and he is one of our amazing, energetic, and dedicated employees that pack your food into your boxes every week. We have such a wonderful team at The Organic Box and it warms our hearts. </p> <p>As you can see, Mikey loves peaches. He also loves apples... and is eagerly awaiting the apple season to start from our farm in Creston, <strong>Just-A-Mere Farm</strong>. It starts next week with some delicious Macintosh Apples! We'll have lots of photos and tidbits to share, and you'll be meeting more of our wonderful staff. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"><img title="Chia" alt="Chia" src="/uploadedImages/009_-_This_Week/chia-seeds.jpg" /></td> <td><h2>New Products... like Chia </h2> <p>We have lots of great new products availble! Such as roasted corn salsa, apple sauce, apple butter, tri-colour quinoa, buckwheat groats, quick oats, and black chia seeds. We have had ground chia for a while, but now we have whole chia seeds which offer greater whole nutrition. </p> <p>Chia is a wonder seed! It is an amazing source of fibre, omega-3 fats, and calcium... which makes for healthy bones, brains, and stomachs. It is a protein shake in itself and is a wonderful addition to fruit smoothies in the morning to get your long lasting energy source. It is also a wonderful addition and binding agent for gluten-free baking. So if you haven't already... try it out. You won't regret it. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
