Did you know that eating conventional produce increases your risk of pesticide contamination by 30 percent?
And chowing down on non-organic chicken and pork increases your risk of exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria by 33 percent?
This is all according to a 2012 Annals of Internal Medicine report.
If you are not already sold on the benefits of eating organic, consider this: organic foods may have more nutrients than their conventionally produced counterparts.
Organic broccoli, for example, has higher levels of antioxidants and vitamin C than the traditionally produced variety, found a 2012 Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture study. There’s also evidence of more heart-healthy omega-3s in organic poultry and dairy.
So eating organic is good for you and your family, but here's more: organic grub is good for Mother Earth. Foods advertised as organic must be grown by farmers who aim to use renewable resources, and conserve the soil and water. These practices preserve the environment and help prevent the extinction of numerous animal species.
Resource Directory
One place to start your hunt for eco-friendly food options in and around the East Bay is by checking out the Om Organics' resource directory. It provides a go-to list for all things organic in the Bay Area. In it you can find names of restaurants, caterers and personal chefs that use organic ingredients in the food they prepare as well as grocery stores, markets, delivery services and food co-ops selling organics.
Whether you like to shop at farmers' markets, specialty grocers, buy directly from farms and pick-up your purchase weekly or have your produce delivered to your door there options out there for most every budget and lifestyle.
Retail Stores
When we think of organic grocery stores Whole Foods often comes to mind. It has expanded throughout the Bay Area with outlets in Oakland, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Berkeley and elsewhere.
Most major grocery chains also now have at least some selection of organic meat, dairy, produce and packaged foods. If you cannot readily find what you are looking for it is worth asking a store clerk because often organic options are sprinkled among other products throughout these stores.
There are also specialty retailers selling organics on this side of the Bay worth exploring. Among them are Berkeley Bowl and Monterey Market in Berkeley; Berkeley Natural Grocery Company with stores in Berkeley and El Cerrito; Alameda Marketplace, Dan's Fresh Produce and Baron's Meat and Poultry in Alameda; Rockridge Market Hall, Lakeshore Natural Foods, Food Mill and Farmer Joe's in Oakland; One Earth Health Foods in Danville, and Harvest House in Concord.
You might be surprised to learn the bargain Grocery Outlet with stores all over the Bay Area (including Hayward, Newark, Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Concord, Dublin, Livermore, San Leandro, and Pleasant Hill ) is known for selling a large number of organic brand foods. The selection is continually changing so you will find different products on the shelves from week to week, but good options at discounted prices can be found here. Grocery Outlet stores are owned by local owner/operators.
Delivery
A number of companies will deliver organic offerings to your home or office. Usually they will deliver your pre-selected order on a particular day of the week, when they are scheduled to be in your area. It is worth calling them, even if your own town is not among places they currently deliver. (Many have started out small and have expanded their delivery range over time. They may be planning to come to your area soon or would if there was enough demand.)
Just a few in the Bay Area are Farm Fresh to You, Planet Organics, Spud.com, Full Circle Organic Pick up and Delivery, and Golden Gate Organics.
CSAs - Community Supported Agriculture
About.com has an entire directory of CSA offerings in the Bay Area. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) links consumers directly with farmers. In general, consumers purchase a stake in the farm's harvest in advance and in turn reap the benefits of that harvest in the form of food later in the year. Consumers pick-up their food at drop-off points or by other means arranged with the farms.
Click on the links below to read about some CSAs that serve the Bay Area:
Eatwell Farm (Among its delivery sites are El Cerrito, Alameda, Emeryville, Oakland, Berkeley, Lafayette, San Leandro and Castro Valley)
Full Belly Farm (Deliveries are made to Albany, Berkeley, Danville, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Piedmont and Oakland with pick-ups elsewhere in the East Bay).
Frog Hollow Farm Happy Child CSA (Pick-up locations are scattered throughout the East Bay.)
River Dog Farm (They deliver vegetable boxes in Berkeley, Concord, Emeryville, Oakland and Walnut Creek in addition to some other Northern California communities.)
Terra Firma Farms has pick-up sites throughout much of the East Bay and beyond.
Soul Food Farm, with pick-up sites in the East Bay, offers pastured poultry and eggs.
Farmers' Markets
Why not explore a Farmers' Market near you or take excursions to visit others further away? Click on the links provided below for information about each one.
Pacific Coast Farmers' Markets has 14 markets in Alameda County and 15 in Contra Costa County. You can visit its website here to find current information on locations and hours.
The Ecology Center operates farmers markets in Berkeley and Albany.
The California Farmers Markets Association operates markets in Walnut Creek, Rossmoor, Moraga and San Leandro.
Phat Beets sells in North Oakland.
Contra Costa Certified Farmer’s Markets holds markets in Orinda, Walnut Creek, Concord and Martinez.
Fremont Farmers’ Markets Association operates markets in the Tri-cities area.
The Agricultural Institute of Marin operates farmers’ markets in Newark, Hayward and Oakland.
Urban Village operates Farmers Markets in Castro Valley, Lafayette and the Montclair, Temescal and Old Oakland districts of Oakland.
San Ramon has its own farmers' market, as does Kensington.
As an added tip, if you're at a Farmer's Market and leery of what the seller is telling you, just get a feel for the size of the produce. Generally speaking the major differences between organic and inorganic are the sizes. Inorganic products are made larger as they are pumped with growth chemicals, to grow at a faster pace.