Why? The cost conventional foods have on our health is greater than the cost of transitioning to less-chemically intensive farming practices.
Let's face it, in today's economy, we are certainly paying closer attention to price tags. Especially
at places like the grocery store, where prices of staples have risen over 11% in the past year.
While home for the weekend, I recently found myself comparing prices at Glen Ellyn's Jewel Osco as I picked up a few items for my family. For blueberries, the organic and standard packages both cost $7.99, but, of course the organic one was half the size. As for a whole chicken, the 4.75lb organic one was $20.15, but, Perdue’s was a whopping 6lb for just $16.14.
Given that I am a Cornell University student on a tight budget, you'd probably guess that I'd choose the option that's a bigger bang for my buck. But, as a former Division I cross country and track runner, I put great thought into what I place on my plate.
When it comes to my produce and protein, I opt for organic. And I'm not the only one.
American appetites for organic foods have grown steadily over the past few decades. According to the Economic Research Service, their retail sales have been rising 10% annually since 1994 – despite prices being 7 to 82% higher than their conventional counterparts.
That's because there is growing concern about how food-related chemicals impact health. In fact, Pew Research says that the main reason Americans buy organic produce and meat is the appeal of their less-chemical-intensive farming practices – that restrict pesticide, fertilizer, antibiotic, and growth hormone use.
A recent meta-analysis that extends over the past two decades shows that when harmful lipophilic toxins from pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, and growth hormones are consumed, they often bypass digestive and excretory processes – which results in the body storing them in fat tissue.
This bodily reaction has been linked to "a myriad of detrimental effects on health, such as propensity to develop diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, heart disease, mood disorders, and other chronic health conditions," according to Duly Healthcare's top-rated immunologist Dr. Brian Smart.
And it even has a disproportionate impact on younger populations – whose underdeveloped internal organs struggle to digest and excrete these chemicals more than adults.
This leaves me concerned that many kids who could be on track or in other athletic endeavors – just like I once was – may be sitting on the sidelines due to unsafe food from inorganic farms.
Illinois policymakers are equally concerned about this harsh reality. And bravo to them for taking some steps forward in 2021 by passing quality-related initiatives proposed by General Assembly members Elizabeth Hernandez and Bill Booth to remove conventionally sourced meats from school lunches and replace them with healthier alternatives state-wide.
The thing is that unless farmers have monetary incentives and government assistance, a policy such as this will likely fail in the long run.
At least that is what Illinois State Representative for the 48th district, Terra Costa Howard, told me. After trading her heels for boots on an organic livestock farm to meet with the Illinois Farm Bureau (ILFB), she learned that switching to organic practices poses immense challenges for farmers.
The ILFB said that the greatest is protecting herds from illness – as it is nearly impossible to deter harmful pathogens with antibiotic restrictions per organic labels and state-level guidelines.
Produce farmers face similar challenges with pesticide restrictions. When one crop becomes infested, they all become infested.
Either way, farmers transitioning to less chemically invasive practices have no choice but to overcompensate for the loss by increasing work hours and spending on livestock or crop replacements.
Before that day on the farm, Howard – the Ill. Rep – did not understand why the 2021 school lunch policy that limited access to conventionally farmed foods to encourage organic at the state and county levels faced pushback from the ILFB. And until she relayed her story to me, I didn't either.
Howard is hopeful that with some hard work, organic farming can feasibly fuel the younger generation of District 48, and I am too.
For starters, the DuPage County Board began to address conventional food concerns this past month by approving a $5 million allocation for food quality-related support to community members.
The support came from the Federal American Rescue Plan Act. Its funds will broadly support the purchase of fresh produce and investments in infrastructure – refrigerated vehicles, distribution hub facilities, technology improvements, and future grant opportunities.
Still, this is not enough.
Illinois must formulate a policy that incentivizes lower production costs for organic practices on the local scale. Such a policy would alleviate the financial burden on farmers, simultaneously lowering consumer prices.
This would require research on the cost differential for DuPage County farmers to determine how to affordably integrate organic farming into our food system – factoring in potential risk, too.
It would be an investment in our future, but our community's health, especially the third of its population that is under the age of 18, will pay the price later if Illinois doesn't act now.