A Field Guide to Buying Organic [Paperback]

Luddene Perry (Author), Dan Schultz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2005

The definitive guide to healthful, affordable food shopping in the Organic Age—from a pioneer in the organic movement

What does it really mean when a food is labeled organic? While many of us believe there are good reasons to buy organic, what exactly are they? The authors of this indispensable handbook sift fact from fiction to help you make informed decisions that are right for you. Here is everything you need to know, including when paying more for organic is worth it—and when it’s not. A Field Guide to Buying Organic provides you with:

·Self-tests to determine your current organic-shopping habits—and the type of organic shopper you want to become

·A primer on organic food standards, labels, and seals

·Health and quality comparisons of organically grown versus conventionally grown produce

·An aisle-by-aisle supermarket guide to information about the most popular organic produce, dairy, meat and poultry, baked goods, nuts, seeds, grains, convenience foods, and drinks

·The truth about pesticides, hormones, genetically modified foods (GMOs), toxins, and bacteria

…Plus illustrations featuring product logos and contact information, and a fascinating overview of the evolution of organics

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Perry, a teacher and consultant to the organic food industry, and freelance writer Schultz skillfully guide readers through the complexities of organic food production, distribution and consumption to help informed purchasing decisions. They begin by detailing the history of organic farming; federal regulations and the U.S.D.A. certification process; nonorganic practices of concern for consumers (pesticides, hormones, genetically engineered organisms and crops, etc.); and the effects of current production methods on the environment and society. Then, they give an aisle-by-aisle guide to supermarket and health food store shelves. Useful tools—such as label and ingredient comparisons, a brand guide, explanations of processing methods—will allow readers to confidently choose between conventional and organic products. In each section, the authors offer quizzes for readers to pinpoint the concerns that drive their choices: health, economic, environmental, social or culinary. Readers whose main motivation is to safeguard health may be surprised to learn that some organic products don't have clear advantages over conventional ones, while those who seek the freshest, best-performing products may be inspired to select organic items more frequently. Similarly, price-conscious shoppers will discover that some organic products do offer definite advantages for only a few cents more. The authors' balanced approach should appeal to those committed to organics and skeptics alike. (Aug. 30)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Luddene Perry began her career in organics with a small plot in Colorado almost forty years ago. She is currently a teacher of horticultural food production and garden and landscape design, based in Minneapolis. She founded an organic-certifying company in 1992, and her innovations in the industry led to what are now standard certifying procedures. She is a member of the Independent Organic Inspectors Association and actively consults with the organic-processing industry.

Dan Schultz is a freelance writer based in Minneapolis.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; 1 edition (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553382934
• ISBN-13: 978-0553382938
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Field Guide to Buying Organic, June 30, 2006

By 

Stephanie S. (Nottingham, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to Buying Organic (Paperback)

This book has been SO helpful in deciding which foods are worth buying organic and which ones you can safely buy conventional. I was planning on switching to all or mostly organic, but my budget just woulnd't have allowed that, so I picked up this book at the library to help me decide what to buy. For example, I'm going to keep buying regular skim milk because there were nearly no presticide residues found in it, but because pesticides hold in fats, there were a lot found in whole milk, cheese, and butter, because of the fat, so I plan to buy those organic. It also made me realize hormones in milk and meat were probably not as much of a problem as organic advocates would have you believe. I plan to buy organic fruits and veggies, and I'm still deciding on meats. These authors don't recommend all organic, but they don't seem to be in the pocket of the big farms OR the organic growers. They form their own conclusions and opinions. Great and helpful book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Empowered with the knowledge, January 4, 2006

By 

Grace (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to Buying Organic (Paperback)

Before I started reading this book, I wondered whether to start on organic foods or not (as I don't like spending money). After reading it I now have a plan of transforming step by step.
I understand why the previous review says it's confusing-it gives so many facts from all aspects and it contains lots of scientific & technical details that even a biology PhD student like me doesn't feel comfortable with.
But this is exactly what makes it believable. I've read a few thin books advocating organic foods that cite only evidence supporting their idea. I'm sick of them-superficial works backed by pure financial interests. This book, on the contrary, presents (to the best of their capabilities) impartial data. This is honesty.
The book is more than "best bets" charts that are concluded from Total Diet study. I don't any more take for granted things I eat.
Being health conscious, I won't stop at this book alone and will certainly continue to monitor future trends.
Overall, I feel this book is well worth the read.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More confused than before, December 26, 2005

By 

threeforflorida "threeforflorida" (Clearwater, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to Buying Organic (Paperback)

In the attempts of the authors to provide an unbiased opinion of Organic foods, they created a book that seems to contradict itself. The beginning starts good as it describes the Organic movement and helps to decipher Organic labels. As you get further into the book, especially the chapter on dairy and milk you begin to get confused. The book atempts to explain the different pesticides, hormones and residues in milk but leaves you more confused about what is acceptable and what is unpreventable. The book completely lost me when it compared food items and tried to convince me that boxed Mac and Cheese with Yellow #5, Yellow #6 and tripolyphosphate was just as healthy as the organic version that did not contain anything artifically engineered. You can decide for yourself but personally I felt this book was written by authors who felt the need to buy Organic foods was foolish and not worth it.