Is Being Certified Organic Enough?

There is still plenty of room to grow low quality (low nutrition) food and still be certified organic. Our family tries to avoid the retail prices of certified organic food; instead we get to know local farmers who care more about the quality of their food than they care about a certification.  They are first and foremost soil farmers, going out of their way to balance minerals in their soil and feed the microorganisms. They understand the the soil is the basis for the quality of the food they are producing.  We buy grass-fed non-certified organic beef and lamb, and cage free pastured chicken. We buy eggs produced by cage free pastured hens and we own a cow-share in order to get raw milk (non-pasteurized, non-homogenized).  We buy vegetables and some fruit in season at our farmers market, and grow some ourselves. There are still quite a few foods that are not grown locally, such as coconut oil, olive oil, wheat berries, spices, tea and coffee. For these, we don’t feel bad purchasing from the store or through our co-op, and preferring the certified organic label as much as possible.