In this well-reasearched, food journalist and former professional chef Cindy Burke seeks to answer that question by delving into the politics behind the certified organic label and by defining terms, such as organic, local, sustainable and grass-fed.

The 256-page book tells you how to choose the healthiest, safest, most earth-friendly food, as you make your way through the supermarket, your local farmers’ market, or your natural-foods store.

“Organic food can be so expensive and difficult to find that I always wondered if I was spending my money wisely. I decided to become informed, really informed, about the options — organic, conventional, local, sustainable — so that I could choose the healthiest, safest food available.”

Highlights include:

• Making sense of the choices presented by organic, local, sustainable, minimally treated, grass-fed, and cage-free foods
• Reducing your exposure to pesticides
• Saving money by knowing the foods you want to eat only if they’re organic and the foods that are pesticide-free even when they are non-organic
• Protecting your child’s health from pesticides
• An at-a-glance shopper’s guide to more than 100 foods

"Local food is more delicious, true. But buying it does more than fill our bellies," Burke said to The New York Times, "It keeps us connected. Technology, the mass media, long commutes and the never-ending pressure to earn more money keeps us separate from our neighbors and families, she said.

And these days, people are so mobile that they don’t necessarily live in the place where they grew up. “Eating locally ties us to a place,” she said. “It give us roots in the local community where we live. It makes us think about other people, and how we’re connected. It puts us in touch with a life force we can’t find anywhere else.”