Whether you’re picking up fresh hearts of romaine for dinner or stocking a restaurant’s walk-in with iceberg lettuce, it’s important to be aware of the farming methods that bring fresh produce to the table.
The organic food industry continues to experience enormous growth, and conventional farming operations continue to deliver healthy choices to consumers every day. The two agricultural models have influenced each other and become more similar over the years, so let’s take a fresh look at the facts.
The High Cost of Popularity
As organic foods became more popular, their sales increased from $3.6 billion to more than $24 billion between 1997 and 2011. The average price of organic produce can be twice that of vegetables and fruits raised with conventional farming techniques, and consumers often assume that a higher price tag guarantees a healthier product.
This misconception doesn’t take into consideration that today’s conventional farming operations have always been firmly invested in raising and delivering the highest quality produce. Those strict standards are part of the tradition of family farming, and they’re also ensured by multiple layers of state and federal regulations.
Food Safety Versus Increased Prices
When any market sees a huge upswing in profits, new operators move in and bring as many issues as innovations to the industry. A 2011 scandal in Italy identified groups that sold more than 17,000 tons of conventionally farmed produce as organic. It’s important to note that no health problems were involved, but the incident stands as an example of the type of fraud that often follows a product as it soars in popularity.
While most organic foods are grown according to strict standards, their significant profit margins can lead to practices that pose a danger to public health by failing to meet regulations. As far back as 2008, the Journal of Food Protection reported concerns over significant amounts of contamination found in organic produce.
Conventional Farming and Traditions
Like so many farming operations across California, our love of the land has been passed down through many generations, and family traditions form the roots of our business. Organic and traditional farming are much more alike than consumers realize.
Our company president and general manager, Michael Boggiatto, sums it up. “Organic is another way to farm. It’s not necessarily safer. For instance, every grower has to control insects, and that’s why organic farmers use pesticides as well.”
Nicotine sulfate, for example, is permitted to be used on organically-grown crops. Although nicotine is considered a ‘natural’ pesticide, it is highly toxic to humans and is readily absorbed through the skin.
According to Stanford Medicine research in 2012, it’s more important to focus on a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables than to assume that a label makes a difference in food quality.
While organic agriculture has made important contributions to our industry, we know that our family farming operations have had a positive influence on countless produce companies here in California. Our history and commitment to excellence and food safety stretch back to the late 1800s.
You can trust Hitchcock Farms to always provide the very best produce for tables from field and harvest to packing and delivery. That’s always been our mission, and it’s a fact that will never change.
