Trying to buy affordable organic food, my family recently purchased many cans of Safeway's generic brand O-Organic beans. When we went to open the first one, we found stamped on their lids that they are a product of China. I was furious. That country's recent track record of product safety is deplorable. I have made every effort to purchase nothing made there, only now to discover that I am ingesting their food products. As a result we are no longer patronizing this food chain.

The long term affect of consuming pesticides (nerve gas reinvented for food use after WWII) will show up in ill health. I think Clarke is so money oriented that like many who hoard at any cost, including health, are not as smart as they purport to be. I am truly disappointed that Clark is so ill advised and lacks the incentive to find out the details on an extremely important topic.

Organic food is more expensive at the giant super markets where it is competing with conventionally grown agricultural products.

The most common pesticides in use today, organophosphates interfere with nerve conduction, and exposure may cause neurochemical aberrations in the brain. Particularly at risk are the young, whose nervous systems are still developing.

What's not in organic?
*Persistent toxic herbicides increasingly linked to birth defects, cancer and other health problems.
*Genetically modified organisms which have yet to be tested for their impact on the environment or human health
*sewage sludge-a source of asbestos, bacteria, fungi, heavy metals and industrial solvents
*Antibiotics which contribute to drug-resistance in bacteria and growth hormones
*ionizing radiation

Organic food is richer in nutritients also so you're getting more nutritional bang and of course, we eat to get nourished so why waste money on food that's not nourishing. The body knows that and the lack of proper nutrition has health consequences as well.

How we grow and distribute food is a major factor in pollution of both the air and water. Buying local is the least we can do to eat healthier food and limit pollution. The earth provides our sustenance and its value cannot be measured in mere dollars and sense (cents).

As a long time listener to Clark, his statements on the organic food issue are going to offset all that I valued in his wisdom.

People who value their children, their health and their bodies along with the living planet know that "you can't take it (money) with you."

Best option yet in terms of long term costs, higher nutrition and real sustainability is to purchase from local farmers, weekly neighborhood markets, and CSAs (community supported Agriculture). Learn who grows your food and how it's handled. Leave a couple of the "middle men" out of the loop and gain bounds of freshness (which equals flavor and nutrition) while supporting your local community and it's economic health. I think it's time to bring commerce back to the local, accountable scale - and what better place to start than with food?

Another option for buying organic foods is to look into organic food coops and/or buying clubs. Here in Jacksonville, FL. we are buying organic foods that are priced much less than what you will pay in a specialty organic food store. The prices are very competitive with the likes of the mainstream grocers as well as Wal*Mart, Target, etc.

Sorry, Clark, have to disagree! I am 62 years old, born and raised on a farm and farmed for the first 40 years of my life. I gardened, canned, froze and raised beef and hogs, which we also butchered and ate. When farms started raising animals in feed lots and chicken in barns, the taste quality deteriorated. The hormones and pesticides added affect the meat and eggs. You would not notice the difference if you had not been raised on it yourself. I spent the last 15 years buying from the grocery and wondering why I needed enzymes to digest the meat. Then, I experimented with organic meat, buffalo and elk and found I did not need the digestive enzymes to be ablt to tolerate it. !! I now buy my eggs from the neighbors--range fed and the above meat sources. The animals are not stressed and do not release cortisol that also affects the meat. I am a doctor, and have also done some nutritional research over the years. My family still farms, so I know about the fertilizers and pesticides and how the soil has been depleted. We now need more minerals that are available in our vegetables. I have traveled extensively---China, Australia, 7 trips to Europe, Turkey, Brazil and Canada and Mexico,etc. Everytime I come home, it is difficult to eat the fast food----my body likes the fresh produce overseas. The additives and preservatives we put in foods are a tragedy. It makes them last longer, but they are not good for our bodies. Call me if you want more details.