Naming Names: Learn the Very Best Organic Brands and Some Tricks to Identify the Fraudsters in Organics
Please watch Mark Kastel, live from the farm, explore the grocery brands he has high confidence in that are found in his own kitchen. He bases his critique on first-hand research and personal knowledge of the owners and entrepreneurs in charge. (Spoiler alert: all the brands are owned by independent companies rather than publicly held corporations.)
- Are your black beans from China, or US or Canadian farms?
- Do the companies you buy from purchase their ingredients from anonymous sources, through brokers, or do they actually know the organic family farmers involved?
- Do the brands you trust actually manufacture the food themselves, or do they subcontract to “copackers” and just stick their label on the product? Are they fully responsible for the quality of what goes in the can or package?
Watch the archived video of Mark’s insights into buying the very best, safest, and nutrient-dense organic food on our Youtube channel or Facebook page.
About Kastel’s Kitchen
Because of lax oversight by USDA, choosing certified organic food is just the first step in ensuring that you’re buying the best products for yourself and your family. In our new series, OrganicEye’s Director, Mark Kastel, will tap his many years of experience in the organic movement to decode the best options from the grocery aisles, farmers markets, and online buying sites.
His perspective is based on over three decades of personal experience as a shopper, gardener, certified organic farmer, and organic business/cooperative consultant, as well as his work as the country’s preeminent organic industry watchdog for the past 16 years.
Mark first came to organics after nearly being disabled from pesticide poisoning. Even though he was already eating a healthy, whole food diet, he credits his move to all-organic—on the recommendation of one of the country’s preeminent environmental allergists—with his recovery. He now enjoys robust health, not only due to avoiding the agrochemical and drug residues often found in conventional food, but because of the exceptional nutrition inherent in true organic production. He has skin in the game and a passion for protecting the authenticity of everyone’s organic food, including his own.