Green groceries

Before she came to appreciate the benefits of organic foods, Barb Smith's sister used to tease her for making meals that included free-range chicken, organic corn and grass-fed pasture beef.

"She gave me a lot of trouble," Smith said, laughing. "But then she came around."

Now Smith and her sister, Andrea Wulfers, have dived into the increasingly popular world of organic food, opening an organic grocery store in Cape Girardeau. SEMO Organics opened in February in a small room in the back of Grace Cafe on Broadway.

"With Cape growing, we just thought there is room for another health-food store," Smith said, noting that hers is the second health-food store in town. "People are really starting to understand that this is good for you."

The store, open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is small, but the selection still seems extensive: There's organic flour, fruit juices, potato chips, canned tomatoes, chocolate syrup, you name it. Free-range chicken and beef are in a refrigerator.

"I think it's wonderful," said Amy Elfrink of Jackson, who was shopping there with her three children there last week. "Our family has a lot of health problems, so we try to eat right."

Suddenly, her daughter Allison chirps up: "And I haven't been to the doctor since."

The comment makes Smith smile, but it's one she can relate to. The roots for the store go back five years, when Smith's son, Josh, was diagnosed with several food and inhalant allergies.

"We thought, 'We have got to do something here,'" Smith said. "What we ate was the thing we could change, so we did."

Organic cereal is one of the products that can be purchased at SEMO Organics in Cape Girardeau or through its Web site.

Both sisters said they quickly learned that organic food is safer, more nutritious and often better tasting than non-organic food. Advocates also say organic production is better for the environment and kinder to animals.

The more Smith learned, the more she liked: Before October 2002, states followed varying rules for certifying and labeling organic products. But now all organic foods are grown and processed according to strict national standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

To meet these standards, organic crops must be produced without certain kinds of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering or ionizing radiation.

Organically raised animals must be given organic feed and kept free of growth hormones and antibiotics. Organic farm animals must have access to the outdoors, including pastureland for grazing.

As Smith's friends and family started eating the food, they liked it -- even her sister. Josh was required to take fewer medications, and his asthma cleared up. Soon, people were encouraging Smith and Wulfers to share their knowledge with others.

At first, they wanted to start an online delivery service. The Web site is up at www.semoorganics.com. They stored some of their product in the basement of Grace Cafe. But the cafe's customers were wandering downstairs to check out the organic products.

That's when Smith and Wulfers decided to try their hands at an organic grocery store. The sisters support local farms in addition to buying some of the products from wholesalers. Some major brands are getting on board. For example, Gold Medal makes an organic flour and Doritos makes chips.

"They realize there's a market for it," Smith said.

Both Smith and Wulfers realize a perception exists that organic food equates to bad-tasting food. They insist that's not the case.

"If you're going to spend extra money, the reward shouldn't just be that you're getting healthier, the food should taste good, too," she said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137