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It's the Latest Crave: Eating Organic

Contributed by Julie Whitten on 10/04/06

Sustainability is and continues to be an important initiative for Ithaca College. Fresh Food Market in Towers Dining Hall opened this fall offering organic, local, fresh, and natural foods. Although several faculty, staff, and students have heard of organic and sustainable foods, many are unsure of the exact details.

What is organic food? Over the years, it has become common to understand and define organic agriculture as farming without synthetic pesticides and conventional fertilizers. This should not be considered a definition but a characteristic—only one characteristic of a socially and environmentally conscious approach to agriculture that is currently experiencing rapid growth in the U.S.
A more suitable definition of organic agriculture is provided by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB)—the federal advisory panel created to advise the USDA on developing organic legislation. The NOSB defines organics as:
“an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.”

The NOSB definition, not surprisingly, is similar to many definitions of “sustainable” agriculture. Research on organic farms, done over several decades, has revealed characteristics usually associated with sustainable farming, such as: (1) reduced soil erosion (2), lower fossil fuel consumption (3), less leaching of nitrate (4), greater carbon sequestration and, of course, (5) little to no pesticide use( http://www.attr.../whatisorg.html).

Fresh Food Market employs dedicated chef Puang-Ngern Deljoo “Pam”. Pam is very knowledgeable about Fresh Food Market food’s origin and informs students what farm her ingredients are from. The menu is evolving with the change in seasons, and all food is served to order making little waste. Organic farms that provide food to Ithaca College include: Stick and Stone Farm, BB Farms, Remembrance Farm, and Fingerlakes Fresh.

Fresh Food Market menus are available on-line at www.ithaca.edu/dining, selections include: organic turkey and club sandwiches, tower burgers, mushroom walnut burgers, crisp polenta, portabella wellington, free range chicken, burritos and tacos with grass-fed beef and organic pasta. The most popular items include: fresh organic salad, marinated tofu, and grilled vegetable heros. All menu items are cooked to order and organic salad and fixings are always available.
Fresh Food Market availability is hoped to increase as the demand for sustainable food increases.

Ithaca College Dining Services offers a variety of services including residential and retail dining. For more information regarding Ithaca College Dining Services explore our website at www.ithaca.edu/dining .

Topic: Archive

It's the Latest Crave: Eating Organic Comment from cprocto1 on 10/05/06

I can only assume you meant, "craze" rather than "crave."

But moving on - there is a large amount of controversy in the scientific community surrounding organic food. I recommend the article, The Organic Myth: A Food Movement Makes a Pest of Itself. Magazine article by John J. Miller; National Review, Vol. 56, February 9, 2004. If you are a member, you can read the entire article on Questia.

When I was living in Palo Alto, CA - A biology professor at Stanford said during a seminar that the last thing she would do was eat organic food. She commented that the risk of bacterial infection from organic food was vastly greater than the risks inherent in eating foods that had been sprayed with pesticides.

It's the Latest Crave: Eating Organic Comment from ablock1 on 10/05/06

I am the Co-President of Ithaca College Environmental Society and I'd like to applaud the towers dining hall for adopting organic food into its line! Organic food has huge ecological benefits, and I’d like to point out that Organic as a label, has the same standards as conventional growing for safety and health risks. The scare in California with ecoli happened with non-organic spinach, and that was the largest produce scare we have seen in quite some time. So again, on behalf of Ithaca College Environmental Society, thank you for offering organic food!

It's the Latest Crave: Eating Organic Comment from claus on 10/05/06

I, too, very much applaud and support this move -- all efforts at providing more local and organic food on campus are greatly appreciated by many of us!! Now, how about some better food options in places those of us often have to frequent for quick lunches -- like the "convenience store" near the bookstore -- the food options in there are horrible.