What are the benefits or organic farming and organic food? What do you get from them that you can’t get with normal food? Learn the surprising benefits of organic farming to farmers, the environment, and eaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
In terms of marketing, the main differences between local and industrial food are price and availability of information on quality.
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With on-farm organic food sales, the farmer, rather than middlemen, receives most of the consumer\u2019s dollar.<\/strong> Local organic food is honestly priced (its price reflects the true cost of production), meaning it costs more but you\u2019re not paying additionally for pollution and health costs, or through a government subsidy. The only information available on industrialized products is price, although there\u2019s a barcode, which isn\u2019t understandable to consumers. The USDA message is that all meat inspected by the government is of the same quality (which isn\u2019t true). While industrial food is sold on the basis of price, buyers of local organic food can discuss quality and get information directly from the farmer. This is one benefit of organic farming. With more information people might make different decisions on what they buy. Small producers focus on exceptional quality and keeping expenses down<\/strong>. For instance, they save money by using word of mouth<\/a> and reputation rather than advertising. They educate customers<\/a> about seasonality: For example, eggs are better in summer, when chickens have a natural diet, than winter. As consumers we can still decide what to eat and what sort of food chain to participate in. Supporting a local food chain supports a pastoral environment and values, but this type of shopping requires more effort <\/strong>than shopping at a supermarket or Whole Foods. Preparing fresh food requires more time and effort as well. A local food economy requires not only a different kind of producer, but also a different kind of customer, who is willing to give up convenience <\/strong>and spend time on shopping and preparation to get better quality food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pollan\u2019s meal based on a local food chain consisted of two chickens from Polyface Farm, plus eggs and sweet corn from the farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Benefits of Organic Food<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n