You've probably heard the arguments for shopping for organic food: It's healthier for you because there are no pesticides or additives, which also makes it a better choice for the environment.

You've also heard the case for eating local: Your supporting farmers and artisans that live close to you and reducing the environmental impact of your food because it doesn't have to be shipped from a distant location.

However what if choosing food that is both organic and locally-produced isn't possible because it's simply not available where you live? Are you better of going with the chemical-free organic option or opting for what was grown practically in your backyard? Simply put: are you better off eating a locally-grown tomato that has been sprayed with pesticides or eating an organic one that was trucked in from California to your local grocery store halfway across the country?

Below we take a look at some of the information and common questions surround both options.

Organic - The Basics
It used to be that the word organic applied mainly to the fresh produce, however take a close look at your store shelves and you're bound to see numerous products carrying the organic label, even processed foods like cookies and chips. Generally the standards and practices for food certified organic follow these basic principles:

- Artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides are limited and alternative farming techniques such as crop rotation are used as natural pest control.

- Generally modified crops are forbidden.

- Organic food must be certified as such by an appropriate organization in accordance with standards set out by a governing body in charge (the USDA in the U.S, Food Standards Agency in the UK and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Canada).

Despite the strict regulations surrounding organically grown food, organizations such as the Food Standards Agency have said there is not enough definitive evidence proving organic food is healthier or safer than that which is grown using organic techniques.

Local (aka, conventionally grown) - The Basics
The fundamental difference between locally-grown, non-organic produce is of course, the long-debated controversy of the use of pesticides. If society was to believe everything the organic proponents said about the use of chemicals to grow food, everyone would live in perpetual fear of developing a severe form of cancer the moment a conventional apple entered the mouth.

However, while the speculation rages about the effects of pesticides on humans, it remains just that - speculation. Whether you believe it to be true or not, the fact remains that no conclusive evidence (none that has reached the public anyway) proves pesticides increase the occurrences of cancer in humans.

While the growth of the organic industry is indisputable, the "eat local" movement is rapidly picking up steam. The trend has grown so much that it has inspired the term "locovores" to describe the hardcore followers of the practice of purchasing locally-grown food. One of the major appeals of purchasing such food is the benefit is has on the local economy due to the support it provides to local farmers. Resources such as LocalHarvest.org are committed to connecting consumers with local farmers and markets.

Is organic really healthier for consumers?
If you simply looked at the lack of chemicals used in organic food, you may automatically think less. However such is the case with most issues, there is a flip-side to the story. Organically-grown produce uses untreated manure which can carry E.coli bacteria, which can be very dangerous (and fatal) and an even more detrimental health risk than pesticides.

Another point of interest is the fact that the USDA points out that a product bearing the organization's seal of approval is not necessarily safer, but rather the confirmation of a method of production.

Is one option more healthy for the environment than the other?
Once again, organic food is typically given the advantage in this category due to a lack of pesticides which are considered destructive to the earth. Some experts disagree with this theory.

There is no scientifically accepted evidence that organic foods are better for the environment. Organic production allows natural pesticides, which can be toxic to humans and wildlife," says Alan McHughen, Ph.D., professor of botany and plant sciences at the University of California, Riverside.

John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods Market, believes the environmental issue is "a wash." While the conventional produce may have been grown using pesticides, the food miles attached to the organic variety have enough food miles attached that the two basically cancel each other out.

It also used to be the case that organic produce was produce on smaller farms and used more sustainable techniques when grown and harvested. However with the organic trend growing from $1 billion to approximately $20 billion from 1990 to 2007, and an estimated $23 billion for 2008, it's no big shock to learn that many farmers have started to use bigger-picture, not-so-earth-conscious industrial techniques to farm, as well as long-distance shipping to distribute the goods.

Does one taste better than the other?
This seems to be a toss-up. Organic food doesn't contain chemicals, which some say changes the taste of produce. However once that produce is placed on a truck and shipped thousands of miles, it is often not in the freshest state by the time it hits your store shelves.

Conventional produce may contain pesticides, but it shouldn't have to travel nearly the distance before finally reaching you. This means produce is often fresher, which many feel makes it taste better. If purchased from somewhere like a farmers' market, you may even get some produce that was just picked the morning it is bought.

In the end, taste seems to be the deciding factor for many since the environmental choice between the two has been deemed nearly irrelevant.

This may not seem to provide one definitive answer as to which option you're better off choosing, but then again, that wasn't really the point in presenting this information. We aren't  here to make this decision for anyone, but simply point out that the issue may not be as black-and-white as it is often presented. The decision may not even be the same for one consumer all of the time. If faced with the option of buying a regular apple versus an organic one, both grown and shipped from California, the decision may be as easy one. The same example with one conventional apple grown locally and an organic one trucked to your supermarket, and suddenly the choice may not be so easy, though it is undoubtedly a personal one.

Tell us which one you are more likely to opt for if you have to choose?

» Time