Kids often think that food comes in packages and the source of food is the grocery store. The food industry is a massive collection of farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers who often choose profit over food quality. Crops are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides and foods are enhanced with additives, fillers, and dyes. The chemicals used in the process of getting the food to the store make their way into the land, water, and air as well as the people who eat the food. Kids that grow an organic patio veggie garden know that the source of food is the seed from which the plants grow. Organic crops are not grown with synthetic pesticides, synthetic or sewage sludge-based fertilizers, genetically engineered seeds, nor irradiated to kill bacteria. Farmers markets are a great source of local organic foods. Overly processed foods are not the healthiest choice even if they are organic. A fresh organic apple is healthier than organic junk food that has been processed, stored and transported. More and more doctors are practicing preventive medicine and encouraging their patients to eat whole organic food to prevent and cure many diseases. By purchasing organic products, parents can use their purchasing power to vote in favor of the organic approach to farming. Kids can find the source of food by growing their own organic garden almost anywhere, in a school garden, a community garden, or on the patio or roof.
