I am going to provide you with some ideas and then let YOU decide.
But first, in one of the articles I found it mentions that eating organic is somewhat of a red herring...meaning that if our nation switch 100% to organic...it really wouldn't change our obesity problem. Eating organic is such a small piece of the pie.
Idea #1: What is organic?
Organic by USDA regulations is: generally free of synthetic substances; contains no antibiotics and hormones; has not been irradiated or fertilized with sewage sludge; was raised without the use of most conventional pesticides; and contains no genetically modified ingredients.
Idea #2: Is it healthier?
Organic tomatoes were found to have nearly twice the level of two compounds, quercetin and kaempferol, as traditionally grown tomatoes. These compounds, part of a group called flavonoids, which are just a subclass of antioxidants, have been linked to a reduction in heart disease risk, so higher levels in food would seem to be a good thing.
but referring back to the point I first made: Most Americans do NOT get the amount of fruits and veggies needed to sustain a healthy diet in the first place. Organic is just a drop in the ocean.
Traditionally grown fruits and vegetables are quite healthful, and there's plenty of research to prove it.
In a study, it found that for 10 out of the 13 nutrient categories analysed between organic and traditional, there were no significant differences between production methods in nutrient content.
Idea #3: Is it worth it?
If you want to pay higher prices for organic foods based on their perceived health and nutrition benefits, you're welcome to it. They certainly know their framing, since the global organic food market was estimated in 2007 to be worth nearly $40 billion...and 25% of organic food comes from big business and not your local farm.
Also, when you shop for traditional food, it's more likely to last longer in your fridge.
Idea #4: Is it better for the environment?
THAT ALL DEPENDS!
Hell ya it's better for the environment considering the amount of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer that go into the production of traditional food. It's extensive and harmful to our environment and bodies if signification amounts are ingested.
HOWEVER
Is organic really better for the environment when its carbon foot print is big? Lets say you live in Maine...if the food coming from California is organic...is travel pollution more or less harmful than traditional food production?
There is this one wonderful example of how fish "farming" can be revolutionized in Spain. It is a completely 100% sustainable farm. It will make you wonder why we don't see more of this.
And finally Idea #5: Is it the future of food?
It might be a piece of it but, no; organic farming is not sustainable for the mass production of food. Our resources are getting smaller each day, and so the more that we can produce per acre of land the better!
My father is a huge proponent of organic foods, as he is under the impression that all the pesticides the value of organic vs non-organic food for a number of reasons, which you covered in your post. The biggest one for me was always cost; was it really worth it to spend sometimes as much as three times for the organic vs its counterpart? While I do believe that eating organic foods likely has some benefit, the amount has got to negligible. I have this strange inkling that the introduction of organic foods was a ploy by food producers to create an extremely profitable line of products...
ReplyDeleteI think organic started out in the right direction, but considering over 40% of organic food is from some of the biggest food producers in the United States..it definitely can have an impact on big profits.
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