What Does It Mean to Be Organic?

Organic Krush…Lifestyle Eatery! Our name tries to say it all… We have a Krush on organic eating! But every once in a while a guest at one of our restaurants will ask us if we are “actually organic?”  

It makes us so happy to be asked this question because not only are we “actually organic”, we are a 100% organic restaurant, committed to serving the most safely grown and responsibly sourced level of food that is available on a commercial scale. We joke with our customers that it would be fine with us if anyone wants to take photos of our boxes in the dumpster out back because one will see that on each box and bag the USDA certified organic label is present. 

So, now, the question may be…Why create a restaurant that is only organic? 

20 years ago, I was pregnant with my first child, and I learned that the pesticide & chemical industry was infiltrating our food supply by creating a mass movement of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms, which we wrote an explanation blog post here). This made for quicker growing and larger crops with less pests and insects getting to the produce first. It also created a world where a GMO corn or sugar seed, for example, could be modified with a pesticide inside its DNA so that it could withstand even more pesticide spraying by the companies and farmers who wanted a hands-off approach and big-win results. Once I knew what I knew, it was hard to un-know it.

At the same time I was learning that chronic illnesses in children, especially auto-immune illnesses, were growing at an alarming rate. Today the estimate is that 50-60% of all children have an autoimmune condition: allergies, asthma, autism, ADD & ADHD, and so many more illnesses. An incredibly insightful woman, Robyn O’Brien, shed light on this years ago and she continues to work tirelessly to change this happening. 

So at the same time that GMOs and pesticides were allowed to infiltrate our food supply, our rates of illness in children began to explode. Chemically treated, GMO food is extremely disruptive to a child’s growing system, and their developing digestive tracts do not know how to process food that has been turned into well, not food. Their guts (our digestive tracts too BTW) treat the food as a foreign invader and they start to have a reaction, whether it be an allergy or a rash or a nervous system attack. This is why gluten allergies are now so common. More on the Glyphosate disaster here. 

Currently, the only way to avoid eating food that has not been manipulated is by growing your own organic garden (we do!), or purchasing GMO-free, organic food, and/or shopping at local markets where you know your farmer. If you haven’t participated in local farm stands and co-ops (CSAs), we highly suggest you give it a try. We find it incredibly satisfying to work with local farmers who are growing food the right way (but haven’t invested in the cost of organic certification as of yet). The more of us who commit to purchasing food that is safely grown, the better the prices will be and the more farmers will value the authentic way of growing food. 

In order to be certified by the USDA, all organically grown food must be free of GMOs. We choose certified organic food because the USDA organic program certifies food to be organic only when the farmer has committed to growing practices that do not involve manipulation and excessive pesticides. It takes several years to become a certified organic farm, and the farms are regulated by inspectors who check to make sure the farmers are following organic procedures. 

Organic Krush has been the most incredible journey for all of us because as we built something to serve our families’ needs, we discovered that many communities wanted what we wanted: nourishing and delicious food that they could feel good about eating, both emotionally and physically.

Our wish for our guests is that they keep asking questions, demanding quality, and continue to discover their own food journey that makes themselves and their families feel amazing!

Here’s to spreading organic food, one community at a time!

Fran and Michelle