Is eating fish really good for you? Are kampong chickens free-range birds? Lisa-Ann Lee asks if we really know what we’re putting into our mouths.
Meat
You think: Whatever looks fresh.  
What you should know: These days, there’s more to choosing meat than selecting the right cut. Cruel farming practices and the use of growth hormones and antibiotics to speed up the animals’ growth process have made it difficult not to consider the implications of buying factory-farmed meat.
To eat or not to eat?: For most people, price is often a deterrent to buying sustainably reared meat. However, the butchers we spoke to say that it isn’t much more expensive than the intensively farmed variety. Andre Huber of Huber’s Butchery estimates that their Australian organic beef is “about 10 percent more expensive than the regular grass-fed variety.” Kellie Webster of The Butcher suggests that budget conscious customers can also choose a cheaper cut of meat and find out from the butcher how best to prepare and cook it to make it taste as best as possible.
Seafood
You think: Fish is a healthier alternative to meat.
What you should know: A lot of what is available in supermarkets are raised in farms these days and poorly managed fish farms have done more harm than good, cramming thousands of fish into pens and turning them into a breeding ground for parasites and diseases. One of the most prominent examples of this is the farmed salmon industry. Studies have shown that not only do farmed salmon have higher levels of toxin, they are also rife with diseases and sea lice.  
To eat or not to eat?: Advocates of aquaculture say that not all fish farms are poorly managed and that they do serve a purpose. Says Chef Christopher Millar (Coast and Roast at One Rochester), “The world’s fish supplies are low and net catches (the most common form of wild fishing) is very damaging to the eco system, collecting all sorts of fish varieties and damaging delicate corals.” He recommends local barramundi farm (www.barramundiasia.com) which “is superior to local sea bass, and is available at Sheng Siong supermarkets.”
Organic Products
You think: Organic produce is healthier than non-organic ones.
What you should know: This may not necessarily be true. Two separate studies conducted by the UK’s Food Standards Agency and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that organic vegetables, dairy products and eggs are not more nutritious than non-organic ones.
To eat or not to eat?: Understandably, the studies have come under fire from proponents of the organic movement. Advocates say that the benefits of eating organic extend beyond nutritional benefits. Says Wendy Wallace, an organic dairy farmer and director of Organic Dairy Farmers Australia: “Consumers who choose organic receive the added assurance of consuming products that are free from pesticides, chemicals, additives, hormones, GMO, and antibiotics, with the added bonus of organic farming systems that are sensitive to the environment and animals.”
Chicken
You think: Kampong chickens are free-range.
What you should know: The term “kampong chicken” (in Singapore at least) refers to the breed of the fowl. In the interest of preventing bird flu, chickens that are imported into Singapore are raised in biosecure farms (meaning they are not allowed to roam about freely). And yes, this applies to the kami sakura chicken1 as well.
To eat or not to eat?: Well, kampong chicken is supposed to be leaner, and therefore healthier, than the conventional breed.
kami sakura1 ... what?
No, this doesn’t have anything to do with cherry blossoms. Sakura chicken is basically a fancy name for kampong chicken bred without antibiotics or hormones using Japanese farming techniques.
Tea and coffee
You think: I’ll buy whatever’s on offer.
What you should know: Most of the world’s tea and coffee are grown in third world countries and the farmers there are among the poorest in the world. Fairtrade is a collective that aims to ensure these farmers are paid a fair market price for their goods.
To buy or not to buy?: Critics question how much of the proceeds from Fairtrade sales actually benefit the growers. With a range of MNCs slapping their products with “Fairtrade” labels, the question is: Is it altruism or marketing? The debate continues, but consider this: Tea growers in these countries earn less than US$2 (S$2.80) a day. However flawed it may be, why not give the Fairtrade system a go?