Organic Vs. Free Range
In recent years, an increasing amount of media and consumer attention has been paid to not just what kinds of food we eat, but where the food we eat comes from and how it is produced. The result has been the soaring popularity of organic and free range foods. But what do these terms mean, what’s the difference between them, and which should you prefer?
The organic label refers to certain production standards: restriction on the use of pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides and rejection of the routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones for livestock. In the U.S., foods must be “certified” organic which means that food producers are held to certain standards of the National Organic Program—part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Many people prefer organic foods out of health or environmental concerns because organic farms produce less potentially hazardous waste and foods are thought to be lower in pesticides and growth hormones which may impact human health.
Free range means something very different than organic. It refers to the raising of livestock in which animals are allowed to roam more freely. This often is contrasted to “factory-farming” in which animals are housed in small confined enclosures and rarely allowed to walk, run, exercise and sometimes even to lay down. Because free range refers to how livestock are treated, only meats, eggs, and milk—not fruits or vegetables—can be free range.
Consumers tend to be interested in free range foods, not just because of environmental or health benefits, but also out of concern for the humane treatment of the animals. Unfortunately there is not much oversight on this worldwise, as seen by the USDA about requirements for free range meats, dairy, and eggs. You can see here, for instance, a visual comparison between “factory-farmed” and free range chicken enclosures.
Both the organic and free range industries are currently in high demand and consumers are likely to become even more interested in the future. Job opportunities are likely to increase in the coming decades as more farmers, meat-packers, and local food vendors will be needed to keep up with ever increasing consumer demand.
