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With the Holiday season just weeks away, it’s time to talk turkey. Traditionally, the holiday meal has been an excuse to heap loads of calories and fatty foods on our plates. Today’s hosts are looking for healthier, leaner options. Organic turkey is the perfect solution.
According to a study by Rosalie Cunningham of Alberta Agriculture, more Canadians are choosing certified organic food because they believe that organic food is safer and healthier.
Foods labeled “certified organic” guarantee that the food has been raised and fed without hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, animal byproducts, or petrochemical fertilizers.
Guidelines specific to poultry rearing ensure that the birds are treated and transported humanely and fed certified organic feed. Turkeys must be able to stretch their limbs and have access to fresh air. More space means less opportunity for disease to spread. In organic poultry production, regular practices like overcrowding, debeaking, and declawing are prohibited.
Not only are the turkeys healthier, but advocates for organics say that so are the humans who eat them. Pesticide and antibiotic residues in conventional poultry are alleged to cause everything from allergies to cancer to obesity. One thing is for sure-eating healthier turkeys means making healthier food choices.
Rising Demand
Ron Hamilton of Sunworks Farm, a family-owned certified organic farm in Alberta, says that customers come to them not only for health reasons, but because their turkeys taste better. He says that organic turkeys are better value pound for pound because there is no added water. Sunworks sells 1,400 certified organic turkeys at farmers’ markets in Calgary and Edmonton during the holiday season. They prefer customers to book their birds in advance if possible. In keeping with the demand for smaller birds, Hamilton says that their turkeys average about 15 to 16 pounds.
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Though organic farmers use no chemical inputs, organic feed and humane poultry operations can be expensive. It may cost a little more to “go organic” but your dollars go to support local family-owned farms and organic agriculture in Canada. The certified organic label is the only guarantee that the bird has been raised, processed, and transported to organic standards.
Deb Ouellet, product manager of Vancouver’s Capers Community Markets, says that there has been a steady increase in demand for organic turkeys since Capers started carrying them 14 years ago. They sell about 1,000 fresh turkeys during the holiday season and has a turkey hotline where customers can pre-order fresh turkeys for pick-up.
Capers’ turkeys are provided by a family-owned farm in the Fraser Valley. Especially in the light of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, more commonly known as Mad Cow Disease) and avian flu, consumers want the peace of mind that organic products offer.
Organic turkeys take less time to cook than conventional turkeys, as there are no bulking agents or added water, so check your bird carefully with a meat thermometer while roasting. Fill the roasting tin with organic accord squash, potatoes, and onions, accompany your meal with organic wine, and you have a sumptuous but easy-to-prepare holiday feast.
If turkey is too large for your family needs, many of the same farmers and suppliers have organic chicken or ham, which can be just as festive when roasted. No matter what your organic food choice for the holidays, you can be rest assured that your guests and family will be satisfied with a good meal and feel slightly smug for feasting so healthy.
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