Several students have been surprised recently to find new additions to their Usdan fare: insects, such as caterpillars and grasshoppers. According to Bon Appetit, organic produce runs a higher risk of being infested with insects. Once or twice a week, Bon Appetit uses organic produce from a local farm called Starlight Gardens, which does not utilize pesticides that would ideally kill insects before they can get to a student’s salad.
The students who had this unfortunate experience were clearly justified to complain to Bon Appetit. It is important that the company be aware of these mishaps so that it may try to correct them, which it is already trying to do by implementing more thorough washing procedures of produce.
With this in mind, however, we commend Bon Appetit for serving organic produce, albeit a few times a week and sometimes with bugs. The fact that the produce of Starlight Gardens and other organic farms was not sprayed with pesticides make it healthier for students to consume and decreases the amount of chemicals going into our bodies. Moreover, Bon Appetit’s commitment to serving organic produce translates to financial support for sustainable, organic, local farms like Starlight Gardens that may struggle to compete with big suppliers. Organic produce is beneficial both for students and for local farms committed to the environment, and so we laud Bon Appetit’s efforts.
While it is obviously important for Bon Appetit to ensure that organic produce is bug-free and clean, if students are so committed to the lofty goals of sustainable agriculture, they must be willing to accept the practical constraints. These may unfortunately include the possibility of finding an insect in one’s food—cleaning efforts should certainly be stepped up, but at the same time, students must acknowledge that this is a potential consequence of sustainable agriculture.
Leave a Reply