Modernist-Cuisine-Vol.-1-Small

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Organic foods, with labels promoting organic status, have become
a multibillion dollar business. What was once a synonym for
high-quality, artisanally grown produce is now a marketing slogan.
“artificial” sweeteners, and so onthe antithesis
of organic. But they bear the label.
These ingredients are not necessarily more
costly to produce in order to achieve the organic
label, but the assurance still comes at a price.
Consumers have shown they will pay more for
a largely meaningless organic certification, so the
food companies respond accordingly.
One reason for the price premium seems to be
widespread belief that organics are held to a higher
standard of safety and that organic foods retain
more of their nutrients than nonorganic foods do.
The few scientific studies on these matters are
complicated by inconsistencies in the locations
where the tested foodsall purchased at stores
were grown, how mature they were when harvested,
how fresh they were, and what variety they were.
A study was published in 2009 that systematically
reviewed all the scientific studies comparing
the nutritional value of organic and nonorganic
foods. Of the 162 studies the investigators found
in the scientific literature, just 55 were of satisfactory
quality; the rest were fatally flawed by
uncontrolled variables, biases, or other methodological
problems. The reviewers concluded that
the high-quality studies showed “no evidence of
a difference in nutrient quality between organically
and conventionally produced foodstuffs.”
At the beginning of the organic food movement,
the organic label usually meant a small
producer was using traditional methods of growing.
Growers would often use heirloom varieties,
and their product was distributed only within
their locality. Food grown like this by small,
artisanal producers often tastes much better. They
pick in small quantities only at the peak of freshness.
They take care in packaging and ship quickly
to the restaurant or farmer’s market.
Food like this is a joy to cook withit has taste
and texture that you just can’t find in massproduced
foodbut very little of that extraordinary
quality is directly due to the food’s being
organic. Mostly it flows from the care and skill of
the small producer, who must survive on quality
rather than quantity. Many chefs develop direct
relationships with farmers like these to get the very
best and freshest produce for their restaurants.
Networking with these artisans is more important
than relying on a legalistic definition like “organic.”
In recent years, that bucolic version of organic
food has shrunk to become a small part of the giant
organic food market. As more of the public asked
for organic food and paid a premium, big agribusiness
responded. In most rich countries, the majority
of “organic” food is now grown in huge volumes
for supermarkets, not farmer’s markets. It is picked
early and shipped far. This food may technically be
organic, but it often lacks the wonderful taste and
texture of small-volume, artisanally produced food.
Raw Food
One of the more recent dietary fads is the raw food
diet. Proponents argue that the best way to eat is
to consume food only in its raw state, which they
usually define as having reached a maximum
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FOOD AND HEALTH 247