Organic foods may be better for you, but no more sustainable than locally grown food produced through mass agricultural methods. A study by the University of Alberta showed that the "food miles" traveled and their associated CO2 emissions for organic food equals the environmental benefits of avoiding pesticides and other farming techniques that involve fossil fuels.

Food miles are defined as the distance that food travels from the field to the grocery store. The study found that the environmental cost of greenhouse gas (CO2) emitted to transport 20 tonnes of organically grown produce was comparable to that of bringing the same amount of conventional fruit and vegetables to market.

We pay a price for eating healthy if it requires shipping plantains from Brazil or avocados from Costa Rica instead of locally produced offerings. The same goes for eating foods that travel great distances because they are out of season locally.

Organic eating has the chance to revitalize the small local farm as people will pay more, especially when they consider the sustainability of their purchases.