Know Terminology Before Choosing Food

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Consumers shopping at local farmers’ markets stand to take home more than a good meal -- growers at the local markets will know the variety, where and how the food was grown, when it was harvested, and how to choose and use it.

“Getting to know growers can help a consumer build confidence in food systems and in the kitchen,” said Jana Beckman, coordinator of the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, which is based at Kansas State University.

With local markets reporting growing numbers of customers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent Agricultural Census, reported that from 2002 to 2007, direct food sales rose 49 percent to $1.2 billion, from $812 million in 2002. When adjusted for inflation, the increase was about 30 percent, Beckman said.

Direct sales to consumers increased from 116,733 to 136,817 – a 17 percent gain – during the same period, she said. In addition to shopping a growing number of farmers’ and local markets, consumers also are buying produce at U-Pick farms and buying shares in local farm production.

Choosing healthy foods need not be difficult, but understanding the language used in food labeling can be helpful, Beckman said. The term “local foods” is an example. It’s typically used to describe food grown within 50 to100 miles of the market at which it is being sold. Local foods may also fall into the homegrown, natural or organic categories.

“Homegrown” foods might easily have been grown by a friend or neighbor with a passion for gardening, and a “natural” food may not quite meet organic growing standards, yet  include a single or short list of ingredients, usually without added coloring or preservatives. The term “natural” should not be considered synonymous with healthy – or organic.

So, what makes an organically grown food “organic?”    

The USDA has established legal standards for organically produced foods and for labeling foods as a certified organically grown food, Beckman said. Organic food producers use agricultural systems and methods that mimic natural ecosystems by choosing to use natural fertilizers such as manure or compost, naturally occurring pesticides, such as pyrethrum, and traditional farming methods such as crop rotation.

Organically grown food must be grown on land certified to be free of synthetic pesticides for at least three years prior to being marketed as certified organic crops, she said.

Local growers who produce and sell less than $5,000 of organically grown food annually are not required to obtain and display a notice of certification, but must comply with specified organic growing procedures.

Organically grown fruits, vegetables and grains also must be free of additives, irradiation and not genetically modified. Organic specifications for eggs, milk, meat and other animal products require livestock to be raised organically from the last third of the gestation period and poultry to be raised organically no later than the second day of life; fed organically grown feed; free of antibiotics and hormones; and raised with outdoor access, shade, shelter, fresh air, direct sunlight and appropriate exercise. And, organically grown foods also are to be kept separate from non-organics during production, harvest, storage and marketing.

Fruits and vegetables typically account for about one-third of the organically grown foods sold. In 2008, the Organic Trade Association reported that sales of organically grown food in the U.S. increased by 15.8 percent to $23 billion. In recent years, however, sales of organically grown foods have grown by 20 to 25 percent annually, said Beckman, who noted that some sales previously thought to be reserved for organically grown foods are now being used to purchase locally grown foods.

With a variety of foods to choose from, consumers are reminded that any food can be subject to contamination during the growing process from animals, humans who skip recommended hygiene, equipment used during the harvesting or marketing process, or from consumer food handling practices, Beckman said.

More information on choosing and using food is available at K-State Research and Extension county and district offices and on Extension Web sites: www.ksre.ksu.edu/foodsafety, www.ksre.ksu.edu/humannutrition/. A directory of Kansas Farmers’ Markets is available at www.kansassustainableag.org.     

                                                          

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