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The Official Whole Foods Market® Blog

Raising Kids on Organic Food

By Rebecca Joerres, October 20, 2013 | More posts by Rebecca Joerres

At Whole Foods Market, we get a lot of questions about organics. And not surprisingly, a good majority of those questions come from parents with young kids. Why should parents care about organics for their kids? Well, to start with – eating organic food is one of the easiest ways to avoid GMOs.

Plus, organic foods are grown in environmentally friendly ways without toxic persistent pesticides. So, what does that mean for you and your kids? Less chemical residue on your food!

Three Ways to Get Kids Excited About Organic Food

  1. Look for the organic seal.     When grocery shopping, have your kids look for produce and other items that are labeled “organic.” If the produce has stickers, kids can look for numbers that start with “9” like organic bananas: “94011.” It’ll turn every shopping trip into a discovery mission!
  2. Share an earth-friendly farming story. Kids love a good story. So tell them about how organic farming emphasizes the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality and keep the planet healthy. For lots of details on this topic, check out New Good Food.
  3. Take them on a farm tour. Don’t have an organic farm in your area? Make it a plan for your next family vacation! There are a ton of urban farms popping up in cities all over, too. Take some time to research your options.

Finding organic food is easy when you know what to look for. From produce to meat to the dairy aisle to packaged foods -- look for items marked “organic” with the USDA organic seal.

You can easily stock up on everything from peanut butter to applesauce to cereal and all the kids’ favorite snacks (like animal-shaped crackers) for when you’re on the go.

And shaping healthy habits when kids are young will help set them up for a lifetime of healthy eating. Need more inspiration? Check out fun kids’ activities, the Awesome Eats app and more from Whole Kids Foundation®. Play is the way to shape healthy habits!

Whole Kids Foundation is supported by a number of great organic suppliers, like Suja Organic Juice, Olivia’s Organics, and Organic Valley.

What are some of your kids’ favorite organic snacks?