 In cooking, the process of clarification entails straining out extraneous muck from liquids so that they might be pure, clear and ideal for consumption. With this series on food terminology and issues we're attempting to do the same. Organic: it's a word that gets bandied and bashed around a lot. Plenty of folks believe it's synonymous with "healthy," while others think it's just an excuse for companies to vacuum the last of the cash from your wallet. Politics aside, what does the term actually mean? For food to be United States Department of Agriculture Certified Organic and bear the accompanying seal, it must be grown and processed according to specific federal guidelines that include, among others considerations, soil quality, pest and weed control, and the use of additives. The operation must be approved by a government inspector and go through a certification process. Handlers and processors that work with the food before it reaches the market must be government certified as well. As with eggs, dairy and meat, produce can be produced organically without the farm having undergone the lengthy and fairly expensive process to be certified organic by the USDA's National Organic Program's inspectors. If a farm or business’ gross agricultural income from organic sales does not exceed $5,000 per year it doesn't need to be certified in order to sell, label, or represent products as organic, but it may not use the "Certified Organic" seal unless it's gone through the certification process. It's certainly possible (and increasingly popular) to garden organically at home. The USDA has assembled some handy tips for small-scale farming and home gardening use. Meat and dairy: Meat and dairy sold as "organic" must be from animals that have been raised under specific animal welfare guidelines, given no antibiotics or growth hormones, provided with access to the outdoors, and fed with 100 percent organic feed - no animal byproducts or genetically modified or "GMO" crops - produced on land that has been free from the use of toxic and persistent chemical pesticides and fertilizers for a minimum of three years. Farms must undergo USDA inspection and certification to bear the organic seal. A veterinarian may not withhold antibiotics in the case of illness, but rules for their use are very specific and the products, if sold, may not be labeled as organic. Eggs: For eggs to be labeled "organic," they must come from farms that meet the USDA's National Organic Standards and are routinely inspected to ensure compliance. Hens must be fed organic feed. The hens themselves must be maintained without hormones and other intrusive drugs and antibiotics may only be used in cases in cases of outbreak or disease. They're also kept in a cage-free environment and allowed access to the outdoors. Labeling: Meat marketed as "organic" must be 100 percent organic. Multi-ingredient products marketed with the USDA organic seal must contain 95 percent or more certified organic content. Read – Should you buy organic? Study complicates decision at CNN Health |
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Here is my question? What is the nutritional value of a fruit or vegetable that has been genetically manufactured. If you compared nutritional value of the Monsanto GMO seed to Non-GMO seeds, would the resulting fruit/veggie have more or less nutritional value? If scientist could give me that answer, I would feel better about what I buy and eat.
The conversation about Organic vs. Non Organic is focusing on the wrong thing. An individual may not eat enough pesticides on their produce to affect them and then again maybe they might get cancer or some neurological disease from those pesticides. What is known for certain is that massive amounts of fertilizers and pesticides are washing into our rivers and creating ocean dead zones. Scientists are finding evidence of pesticides throughout the food chain. Check out, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_zone_(ecology)out
All the more reason to buy organic!
The USDA and FDA have a history of letting things slide until people catch on. I don't trust either and feel organic is just a ploy to make more money while backhandedly admitting that most if not all of what we consume is genetically modified at this point. Alas, I still consume and we all will. They got us good!
I certainly agree that the FDA needs to stay the hell out of the farming industry! I don't trust that entity either, but then again, I don't trust any gigantic corporate arm of the government!
Let's remember as well that while all fruits and vegetables don't need to be purchased organic, lets think about other foods that should be that contain things that don't need to be in our families diets. Like MSG, high fructose corn syrup and in some foods there is also fructose corn syrup listed next, then sugar listed next, and food dyes. An organic brand like Annie's makes sure that this stuff is absent from their food and is makes it worth buying for my family. While I will never deprive my family of treats like ice cream or cake, I will more often then not look for the products that don't have these things in it and also look for produce like yogurts, milk, eggs and meats that are from farms that are not giving their animals growth hormones,, antibiotics and are only grass feeding their animals. I don't want to guess what is in my food. I guess I am paranoid but as a mother and wife, knowing that I am doing what I can to do what I can for my family is better than just sitting here bitching about who is right and who is wrong. Get off your butts and just realize that trying to make our food the most natural is best for our children today. Using natural sugar is better than using sweetners, using compost to help our gardens grow is better than using some form of fertilizer ( as a person who grows a garden), etc.
It's used to mean "without herbicides" or "without hormones", but who says these things are bad?
Anyone who relies on Monsanto for a living.
CNN wants to inform people who don't want to know about reality. classic.
I don't care how educated you may be. If you don't eat organic – especially the "dirty dozen" you are not thinking correctly. Pesticides don't know when to stop killing. Unfortunately, an education teaches to obey scientific research.
But that is bought and paid for.
when u compare organic cage free egg with regular egg in walmart, organic egg has more white portion.
Forget pesticides and "prohibited chemicals" This article is basically telling you that "Organic" is a loosely adhered to term.
The last organic item I purchased was by mistake. I made it home with organic Romaine lettuce and used eighty gallons of water
rinsing the flies out of a much anticipated Caesar sald. Take a look at all of the additives in everything else you eat.
Walk down you grocery aisle and read the ingredients in the most common "foods", I do because I have Diabetes.
There are a lot of items on the shelves that are not what they even say they are – read the labels on pre=packaged cheeses some are not even dairy.
And everything is artificially flavored , nothing comes plain anymore, try to find plain oatmeal. Careal – "Part of a healthy breakfast"?
Just read the labels folks, walk down the aisle and READ. Non-Organic produce is the least of our problems.
Plastic packaging touches a large percentage of the foods we eat, we microwave in plastic, drink hot drinks from styrofoam. Has anyone proven that his is actually safe?
And we are stupid -Do we need a label that says 'A good source of anti-oxidants'? How about "A good source of 3000% of your daily requirement of high fructose corn syrup"
Or "more Red Dye than the Rose Bowl"?
You are a fool if you believe everything conveyed to you through marketing.
There is no hippie commune making that organic cereal you love or those off-white eggs that set you apart from the rest of humanity. There is no "Aunt Lynne" making those organic black truffle and maple syrup rigatonis.
You would do best by buying food in its natural form and cooking it yourself so you alone know for certain what the additives are – Salt, Pepper, Garlic, and other flavors found in nature.
Not synthesised.
bass
thanks for learning
here is one I felt funny about but we all learn
styro foam is not foam cups
yes it is not good to drink 180-200 degree liquid in foam but it is not styro
styro is used in boats and for shipping things
GMO labelling is not allowed because it matters
they label GMO in Europe and no one buys GMO
Hence heavy lobbying to keep it that way
VA is trying or was earlier this year but we all know that song
and it wont matter who you vote for food wise
all the great financial powers donate equally to both sides
sorry
...I don't know where you live, but I live in a fairly small town in Michigan and none of the organic products I buy have ever had flies or other blemishes besides the same blemishes you'd find on other food. I also have no issue finding plain oatmeal. Buying local and certified organic non-prepackaged food is your best bet to stay away from the additives you're so afraid of. I'm not sure how you can be against organic, but then tell people to buy food in it's 'natural' form. Unless you grow it yourself, certified organic is a step above the other food in terms. Especially when it comes to animal products.
I just plain don't trust organic. Especially vegetables and fruit. I bought some organic carrots by mistake and after two weeks they turned black. What's that about? Why is the life expectancy in out country longer now and getting longer year after year. What was life expectancy 75 years ago when food intake was mostly organic? Doesn't that tell you something?
yes being pickled with preservative will make food last longer
and being on drugs will extend your life
but it is not quality
I am 39 and sad to see how many men/women my age are already not doing well
sure aging is normal but heart problems, skin disease, etc is not a 40 yr old thing
people are less healthy and yes less activity does affect this but so does diet
eating bad is too easy
and you are making a life long decision on carrots rotting?
alrighty then
:D
sorry arni but yes 2 weeks is normal for most things to rot
sincerely I thank you for making me smile before bed
Um, two week old carrots? Why were they in your fridge or pantry for so long? Quit buying vegetables in restaurant quantities and try to eat everything you buy before its a week old if you want fresh. Other wise pickling is an option.
There is little to no proven benefit of organic to nonorganic foods other than the likelyhood of getting a littlemore pesticide on your food, and as others have said all you need to do is wash it... even if you dont wash it the amount on your food is deemed safe by the USDA (of course that is a biased company signature fraught with greed :P)
A meta-analysis on organic vs nonorganic health benefits: "Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?A Systematic Review. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012; 157 (5): 348-366 "
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1355685
"there is not evidence.."
I am so tired of that unintelligent excuse
I believe our society deserves better than this
fact is "studys" are one dimensional in a multi dimensional world
its why you get a fix at the doctor for the obvious, not an investigation into the relevant systematic breakdown that led to a non singularity that is treated as a singularity
so "there is no evidence" is not a rubber stamp to common sense
if I eat a big mac meal at mc'ds and feel sick afterward becuase my liver is not clogged up like yours it is evidence to me
the mass public sickness at hand is the other evidence to me
sorry to jump on mc'ds, was not trying to single them out
most players sell ammonia beef which is why I eat 5 guys most times
cannot believe with all the documentaries, medical history of the public, and we still have energetic hatred towards the truth behind our diets and general health
am I the only person with sick family? sick coworkers? and a bad experience by myself and them included with our medical system??
no way
our food is bad
our medicine has tunnel vision for the benefit of profit
and seeing children having disease of digestions, disease of the brain, over weight, and on drugs is not acceptable I dont care what liars come on this chain and lie they are not right
my kids garden, eat and drink real milk, and get compliments almost once a week on their vitality, sharpness, and beauty
they love vegetables (and ice cream :P), planting, harvesting, cooking, because it is natural and they wont need pharma drugs for ADD, cholesterol (that we all need to fight off infection!), or allergies
not one vaccination and they run circles around most kids their age because they play all day long and eat good
so sorry that many many other kids will never know this reality of a healthy childhood because it is too inconvenient for their lame parents to question the way things are and do things other people frown upon
My great grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, brother, sisters have all eaten non-organic vegetables, meats, dairy, eggs all our lives. No disease or anything. Clean bills of health in good shape. My family farms we use chemicals to control weeds and pests. Fertilize using manure and Nitrogen on our corn and soybeans (not the nitrogen of course on soybeans). We have all lived on our family farm at some point in time that has nearly 2,000 head of cattle (non organic). We consumer only our raised beef that we feed with our own crops that are not organic. None of us have ever become ill or have had disease from eating these non-organic goods. My great grandfather lived until he was 95 dying of natural causes. I find it very hard to believe or be convinced that organic foods can be labeled to be soooo much better for you.
holy lie
great grandfather?
:D
you called yourself out the 1st sentence
synthetic chemicals were not even in existence until the early 1900's
My great-grandfather was born in 1912 and actively farmed until he was 78. That puts it at about 1990. Synthetic chemicals are anything from fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. I am pretty sure they were used.
man coparing any chemicals from the 20's to todays nightmare seeds is ludacris
as a farmer I am outraged that you dont understand the need for diversity in our crops – its like everyone gave up on common sense and said "all in" to monsanto's 1 strain ideals
not legit and not smart
Yeah, the chemicals back then were much worse and less tested. Remember DDT? And why are you bringing monoculture into this. It is a serious issue, but largely a different one.
Eric: I definitely agree with you on DDT. obviously. I am just stating that with the new research of chemicals, follow the labels and it'll be safe.
for the record I wasn't comparing any chemicals from the 20's. If anything they were worse.
you and cornfed are delighted with chemicals
I am not
20's 90's whatever
fact is the chemicals now are the worst because they require one strain to activate the modified dna in the seed you know gmo?
and they do go hand in hand – you cannot have one without the other and all the legal raping of our farmers?
cmon man!
When you find a way to meet the world's food demand then let us know. Its safe. Prove to me its not. There is a higher percentage of people who eat non-organic foods and live happy healthy lives than that of people who are strict organic consumers. I have nothing against people eating organic, but I do of people saying that EVERYTHING needs to be organic.
the simple logistical breakdown of food growth, delivery alone is enough for me to say it needs revising
but I just cant take you seriously when you ignore the one strain issue and are from a 4 generation farm
really you are fine with that?
or best drugs cant keep the common flu in line
so what happens when the common corn pest out smarts the GMO strain?
its just irresponsible to have one strain with so much responsibility to the country/world
and research the amount of people with diabetes these past 100 yrs
you will see – if you dont see then something may be very biased with your reasoning IMO
What's so hard to believe? My Great Grandfather was alive when I was a child. He died a month shy of being 100 years old.
My grandmother had many great grandchildren when she died 94 years of age.
please explain the general health of your so called synthetic using great grand fathers generation and todays disgustingly fat and diabetic by comparison
diabetes has exploded since so much mass produced synthetic corn was introduced into the daily diet and you are missing the point
playing one side or the other is not wise
it is not about sides it is about wisdom and the fact is fast food is cheap for a reason and that reason spills into the medical industry that is making a killing on 10yr olds having diabetes and turning that 10yr old drug users into a life long addict of the system
you are supporting a heartless greedy machine saying people are crazy when so many are sick nowadays
so tell us why so many people on pharma drugs now?
perhaps its the crap crops you are selling as legit?
I think you are missing the point. 10 year old kids are not overweight and diabetic due to eating fruits and vegetables that have used synthetic chemicals. Fast foods yes I agree with you are a cause of this. Fast foods are not bad for you because they use beef or grains that have been exposed to chemicals, its merely the fat and sodium content. Another roll in this is exercise. The evolution of technology (computer and video games) have pulled kids away from being healthy by exercise and fresh air. If you find me anything that says yes diabetes is caused by eating non-organic foods then I will agree with you. Also, stanford did a study finding that organic foods are no more nutritious for you than non-organic foods. I am saying that the attacks that all non-organic food is bad are bogus. If the levels of chemical are followed and the labeled rates are followed it is proven that they are no different nutrition wise to organic foods.
my bad (last one)
diabetes was not a measuring stick – apologies
throw in ADD, digestive disorders, bipolar, cancer!, on and on
yes yes disease has always been around but not at these levels and definitely not with our children
the food can be better
people do not cook enough
we need to be more active, like tending a garden, or even sport etc is fine
but a lack of these items does not excuse the clogged livers and kidneys of this synthetic society that is getting no help from the once reliable family doctor
Well, a sample of 15 or 30 people is certainly conclusive.
Comment was supposed to go under Cornfeds previous comment.
The only difference is that organic makes your wallet lighter.
Want to make sure your produce is pesticide-free? Here's a tip for you: WASH IT! (Do people really need to be told this nowadays?)
And you are too stupid? Tthat a simple wash will remove all of the chemicals used on it. It's in the cells of the produce.....washing the outside will not remove the chemicals.
Pesticides get into the food, not just on it. Wash that out.
Sometimes, non-organic vegetables make my rectum hurt.
You sure it isn't the rapist next door?
You are not a nice person.
I need some anusol.
Lay off the chiles, senior. Or is it the toristas?
Proper use of chemicals grow healthier, more nutritious plants. Plants have to fight off insects and poor soil conditions by diverting energy to those activities. Get rid to the insects and provide some plant food and the plant grows better.
where do people come up with this stuff?
eco system
it is basic science
plants are more than mass fruit / vegetable production
real food is a system at work, not an isolation
the soil is a main part of this system
you deplete the quality of the soils (chemicals, natural pest controls) and the quality of the product diminishes
show me a synthetic compound that is better than a natural thing by: showing how that synthetic encourages all parts of the system to function to its fullest and in doing so compliment the other parts of that eco system
pests are natural and there are natural ways to deal with them
growing fat shiny tasteless produce/vegetables may be good enough for the unwise and voluntary oblivious, but they are not good enough for anyone's body
the amount of young sick people is staggering, disgusting and this finger pointing politic's game is just shameful
people are not well and many of them have zero knowledge of the true basic food groups let alone how the body metabolizes vital nutrients/minerals/vitamins/etc through its natural rhythms which can only e accomplished long term with natural fuel – not synthetic garbage
once your doctors and school systems stop getting away with lying to you for the corporate profits this wont be a secret or unpopular
synthetic chemicals are our generation's tobacco
how many decades did it take to take down tobacco?
well take down is more like government witch hunt that turned into billions of dollars paid to the government not the victims of lies and it is still legal because that kind of tax base is never deleted from any greedy society like ours
The reason for all the sick people is the Diet people choose to eat.
the old adage ' You are what you eat' comes back again to haunt us. Sugar snacks deep fried and covered in more sugar with a sugar dipping sauce are commonplace in Every major supermarket in America, with few exceptions ( yes, there are a few without these).
Couple the poor choice in Diet with the trend of a more sedentary lifestyle(Gaming consoles galore, PC games, Social Networking websites, Etc.) and it's no small wonder why the waistlines balloon.
With increasing waistlines, people's bodies suffer in nearly every aspect. If you don't believe that, Just ask your Doctor what consequences would likely come about from loading on an additional 50lb.
Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, and Heart Disease for starters. Along with each of those diseases carries its own consequences, then add on the side effects from the Medications to treat these diseases you acquired and you can begin to see how the situation Snowballs.
The real problem is not where the food we eat comes from or how it's grown, it's the choices of what we eat that are the big deal.
I must just have more taste buds than others
just ate some amazing heirloom tomato's from our garden with warm ground lamb and cucumber sauce
all natural, no preservatives, no synthetics
next thing your gonna tell us is green tea at the store is real green tea, not the shake garbage they peddle to the unassuming
or hows about "extra virgin" olive oil is all "extra virgin" and not just cheap pomace the industry sells as the real deal
there is an entire world out there to discover
put some pharma grade oil in your water and try an ondamed treatment once in a while
:D
peace
I hate to break it to you, but I come from a largely agricultural area and most of the children of farmers at my highschool say organic is just a way of making a product cost more, that there are still pesticides present in the soil from previous crops grown there. I personally will always buy as chemical free as I can, but to get the best produce/meat, you have to live near the people who produce it, and buy it from them.
Perhaps, but I bet their rectums don't hurt like mine does.
Anything with carbon in it.
The start of this was a publication of a study of studies on organic vs conventional produce. What I thought was sorely lacking was the impact of pesticides on human health. Until that is done we'll get studies that say organic is not much better. BTW, what's killing the bees anyway?
Duh.
Once, a bee stung me in the rectum.
Organic does not mean free from genetic engineering. As little regulation that there is of the term organic, still less exists of Genetic Motification.
The USDA Organic Rule states that "The use of genetically engineered organisms and their products are prohibited in any form or at any stage in organic production, processing or handling." Now, I see some big problems with the USDA standards, especially for small farmers, and am quite happy to purchase produce from "no spray" farmers that I get to know. But, if it has the USDA label, it's not GMO. There's a reason it's nearly impossible to find certified organic canola–the GMO crops pollinated the others, now they're all GMO.
Organic does mean non-GMO (among other things). There is more regulation and oversight of genetically modified food and crops than any other food source.
To my way of thinking, there is no way you can compare an organic apple to a gross, plastic, waxy, non-organic apple-and come away saying there is no difference between organic and non-organic. The organic is so much better there is no question.
Doctors get a kick out of that line of thinking...it's mass marketing to a gullible target audience. Typically the same audience that believes vaccines are associated with autism-spectrum disorders (which has never been demonstrated). Goofy, gullible target.
look up Stanford Universities study on organic foods being no more nutritious than non-organic.
I eat alot of greens and buy them in the organic section. Same with broccoli, or I buy organic frozen, potatoes, peppers, and celery. I buy a half an organic beef every 6 months. I buy cage free eggs and hutterite chickens. Apples also have to be organic. Otherwise, I dont care.
Prop 37 in California would require that companies disclose information about genetically modified food or ingredients. Monsanto, DuPont, BASF, Bayer CropScience, and Dow Agro Sciences have donated a combined 12.4 million dollars to defeat the measure. If the data that GMO is safe is so solid, what are they afraid of? It just smells like big tobacco to me.
They are against Prop 37 because it is a meaningless scare tactic. Do some research and see who is sponsoring this legislation.
What I think would be interesting is to see all the chemicals (synthetic and non-synthetic) that every plant is exposed to during its lifetime. Comparing the three primary agricultural practices in the US – organic, conventional, GM – I guarantee you that GM crops use fewer chemicals. Personally I prefer GM corn because I know that farmer applied much less pesticide and herbicide, and in fewer applications, than other types of farming practices.
I don't know why but something tells me you are anti-vaccine as well. If I am wrong I apologize for lumping you with those loonies. I just tend to see the same hunch-based, paranoid arguments that aren't centered on well-conceived scientific trials, but more on propaganda and voodoo.
nerdygirl, do some research of your own and you'll find out that farmers have been using more pesticides on GMO plants since the advent of GMOs; not only that, bugs and plants in turn become resistant to pesticides and herbicides so either Monsanto et al formulate newer, more potent ones, or when they can't, they mix the existing ones. Because of the increased need for pesticides and herbicides it actually costs more to grow an acre of corn now than it did a few decades ago.
As a geneticist I understand the process of making GMOs and personally I would not touch the stuff if my food was labeled as such. Most people I explain the process to don't like the sound of it, I think the problem is the general public just does not truly understand what GMO food really is. And some just do not care.
Geneticist or molecular biologist?
So if you use soap or soybean oil (both of which are labeled by OMRI as organic) are you going to flip out because you are ingesting "pesticides". The general public has no clue what these compounds really do (or don't do) to humans. As a professional in the industry I will attest to the fact that these are not harmless chemicals, but they are not causing all of the birth defects that these unqualified laypeople claim. I have had exposure to a variety of compounds over the last 28 years and given a clean bill of health by my doctor. I have my blood monitored twice a year, once in the growing season and once in the off season.
There is a thing called "science" and another called "evidence" and it seems these days all it takes is for someone to lobby Washington by saying "I walked past a bottle of pesticide and now I have cancer". Good scientific studies call for meta-analysis, the review of many studies over a long period of time, with an objective look at the method of each study
The above statements about autism and birth defects have no scientific grounds. And there is NO compelling evidence that GMO crops have any health effects on humans. It has not been proven in any double blind randomized study. It's like me saying "Everytime I visit California there is an earthquake, so I must be causing the earthquakes" Even Rachel Carson's research methods have been debunked.
Yes I would love to grow HIGH QUALITY affordable crops without the aid of chemicals but the losses are high without their use. Finally, I will ask the above readers "Have you ever grown a commercial crop of anything??" If you don't like what's going into your food then grow your own.......and see how much you can produce.
Which is why GM is the way to go. Fewer types of chemicals, and fewer applications of chemicals.
One thing that I keep seeing left out of these articles about organic food is the fact that we have a huge dead zone all around the mouth of the Mississippi River. This is caused by fertilizer and pesticide runoff from farms located all up and down the Mississippi and along any rivers that drain into it. Monsanto and other huge companies have convinced us that we can feed the world using their products. What they don't tell you is that its a short term proposal. As these chemicals slowly find their way into the food chain they will cause havoc with all living things. Its already happening. Its just too hard to point at any specific thing. Its the same thing with fracking and coal. They keep doing it for the short term profit because they know you can't trace all the cancer to their specific product.
Monsanto, and other ag biotech companies, develop crops that use FEWER chemicals, not more.
If a corn plant is engineered to naturally withstand a particular pest, then the farmer doesn't have to dump chemicals on that plant to kill that pest.
If a corn plant is engineered to be tolerant to a particular class of herbicide, then the farmer only has to use 1 or 2 herbicides, and fewer times, than the 5-6 he'd have to use otherwise.
Why are people more willing to believe hysterical conspiracy theories rather than facts?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_zone_(ecology)
What a pantload, just an "article" paid for by factory farms, part of the new "post truth era" we are beginning to experience. Oh yes please, I want the produce sprayed with petro chemicals, mmmmmmm good. Rubes only believe this stew.
Hi there! I'm the writer and I assure you there was no one bankrolling this. These are the facts, presented as plainly as possible, taking no sides. This is what "organic" technically means. When we all have a common language, we can start to have an informed conversation. Not sure where you're seeing the bias.
Here's a novel idea for you: Wash your produce before you eat it. Problem solved.
You're welcome.
at the molecular level, doesn't organic just mean there is carbon somewhere in the molecular composition of the food?
Organic = robbery :))
Organic = true cost of food
No. Organic only = the "true cost of food" if you're not willing to do anything to protect the food. If you have half a brain, and use technology to your advantage, you'll grow healthier, more robust crops, and lose less.
I'm an attorney in Seattle where organic foods are very popular. When the topic came up once with some clients of mine who own farms North of Seattle, they said "oh yeah, organics, those are the ones we spray at night."
I'm pretty sure they were just joking....
You know they were not kidding.
I buy a great deal of organic foods hoping that they have less of the bad stuff. I don't believe they're free of all the bad stuff...Sad, but true.
There are plenty of USDA approved "organic pesticides". And some of them are pretty nasty as Larry will attest.
I work in the produce department at a large supermarket chain. We sell some organic produce. I can believe some of it is certified by government regulations when it's coming from sources like US or Canada and quite a few other countries...but I have to admit, many customers laugh when they see a sticker on organic produce that says "certified organic by the Columbians". "How do you expect me to believe that when they are one of the biggest producers of illegal drugs!" Good point. Same goes for organic bananas certified by drug cartel supporters.
I always choose organic for what ISN'T in it, such as pesticides, herbicides, GMO's, additives, glazes, waxes. The exponential rise in cancer rates doesn't lie and it would be foolish to continue to knowingly ingest carcinogens.
Well, if you eat red meat or cook meat in a fry pan or barBque then you are eating a ton of carcinogens anyway. Organics fruits and veggies along with antioxidants are the latest biggest money making hoax !!!
Hoax? Prove it.
What does he have to prove? Just walk into a store and see how many foods have "antioxidants" or "superfood" typed on them! It is a money making scam.
Actually the the "exponential rise in cancer rates" are because we are an older population. People are now living longer and giving birth to less children. Because more older people have cancer than younger people the total incidence of cancer is higher today. However, the age adjusted cancer mortality incidence has actually gone down.
What exponential rise?
I was quoting Tara. I don't think the increase in cancer incidence or mortality is "exponential," but I haven't examined that claim. My point is that the higher cancer incidence today is because a higher percentage of our population is elderly. Age adjusted cancer rates have actually decreased for most cancers.
Actually, buying organic food does not mean you will not be exposed to pesticides. Foods labeled organic in the US are allowed to be treated with a range of "natural" pesticides. Here are a few: rotenone (works by attacking the nervous system, causes parkinson disease like symptoms in rats and is toxic to fish), pyrethrins (also attacks works by attacking the nervous system) and SPINOSAD spinosad (activates insects nervous system causing loss of muscle control).
Also, the study in Annals of Internal Medicine looked at a number of studies that measured pesticide residue on conventional an organic foods. I looked up the cited studies and found that they were measuring synthetic pesticides (i.e. ones not approved for organic farming in the US) they
...did not look for the presence of organic approved pesticides.
Thanks for adding rational facts to the discussion. You are right.
I saw an article somewhere discussing the "evil" components of McDonalds food additives, and every single one of those "evil" ingredients (like tocopherol acetate, cochineal derivatives) would also be considered "organic" as they are naturally derived. You and I know those things as vitamins and natural food dyes. Just depends on how an author wants to slant your emotions.
Let's attack the idea of organics! Let's pretend the rise in birth defects and autism are not up and that they have been linked to overexposure to pesticides used in agriculture. Let's dismiss all our knowledge of science and argue about the etymology of a word because the news media wants to whip us in a frenzy making us either for or against the word organic even though it doesn't reflect what the modern use of the word is which is Pesticide Free, Hormone Free, Genetically Modified Free. Let's just argue about the word definition and toss aside all the things that it stands for because people in the United states of America are generally idiots.
Let's ignore the change in older couples who are having children past 35 at which point the change of birth defects sky rockets. Or the fact there has been no study that has concluded that pesticides in food are a risk for women who are with child.
Also let's just ignore modern pesticides that require far less spraying and break down quickly after use.
Instead let's just make up a few new words to describe produce so we can charge higher prices for it by marketing as better for people, when there has been no study to confirm this.
Better than Organic, buy directly from your local farmers. Then you know exactly what is going on (should you choose to look).
I work and live on a farm and it is amazing how difficult it is to get the public to buy direct.
Don't fall for these Lies they are posting the true definition of organic is and thing that contains Carbon AND Hydrogen Atoms......
I think that we're poisoning ourselves with all the chemicals we ingest from breathing, touching,eating, and limiting our exposure is common sense.
Q:What does "organic" really mean?
A:No taste and costs too much.
You must be buying your organics from wal-mart
My wife and I follow the dirty dozen when it comes to organic (http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214). We will get other foods that are not on the list when we can, and always buy organic/free range meats (beef, chicken, etc).
This article brought to you by the Monsanto Corporation.....
I wish you could "like" comments on here. My thoughts exactly!
CNN should make it clear when they are selling out so that the dummies don't regurgitate this garbage. The news is often quoted in arguments and persuasive arguments, and the news is just giving fodder to the lies and propaganda of the Agriculture lobbyist. If I was a teacher I would no longer accept anything printed in the media, and really solely on Scientific Journals. The News is a joke and the media has no shame about printing misleading lies.
I only buy organic food, because food with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen wouldn't really work. Now learn the meaning of words and stop correcting actual science terms with BS.
I only buy organic food, because food with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen wouldn't really work. Now learn the meaning of words and stop confusing actual science terms with BS.
I need to start actually proofreading things before I post...
Not sure the editors did their homework on the definition of "organic". The list of approved chemicals for organic production does include some synthetics. See the list form The Organic Materials Review Institute at: http://www.omri.org/sites/default/files/opl_pdf/crops_category.pdf
I buy as much organic as I can. By buying local organic I support my farmer down the road and in the next county, and it helps keep my money closer to home. I don't need to spend money to help some other countrys farmers.
I don't blindly buy "certified"organic. I buy locally produced fresh produce when available, organic if possible. I buy locally produced, grass fed, truly pastured meat, egg and dairy products, and bypass the meat section in the local supermarket all together. Actually, I don't trust much that comes out of a chain supermarket. But then, I'm in the business of growing local, organic (not "certified") meat, fruit and vegetables, so I probably know more about where my food is actually coming from (and how a chicken becomes "meat") than the average consumer. If we could all dig in the dirt a little bit for our dinner, we'd all have better appreciation for real, whole, food.
You forgot that it just plain and simplely taste better. Fresher is better
It's not just the potential effects of chemical pesticides and fertilizers on the human body, but also on the ecology (via run-off, ground water contamination, etc.).
I just don't get the anti-organic trolls. Who are the organic eaters hurting by perfering USDA certified organic food stuffs? I mean, other than the bottom line of the large, corporate, inorganic growers. I've not seen a valid argument for why people shouldn't eat organic, other than people's ignorant, foolish opinions.
As for the quality of the food stuff, I'm not a scientist or nutritionist, so I can't attest to the chemical differences between organic or inorganic foods. I do know that I have eaten organic vegitables, eggs, meats and dairy and that when placed side by side, I almost always taste a difference in the flavor and perfer organic to inorganic(especially meat eggs and milk!). Once again, personal opinion.
True, maybe it is not possible to feed the world on organic, but that's because we are breeding with the intelligence and planning of rabbits and could use a little less population and more control. I am in the healthcare field and do know there are valid concerns about antibiotics in meat products and their effectiveness of antibiotics on bacterial infections like MRSA. And the effects of the growth hormones in our food stuffs on the growth cycles on our children (there is strong evidence that children are hitting puberty younger and it is highly probable that this can be linked to the chemicals in our food.) Not to mention the number of known carcinogins that get pushed thru the FDA as pesticides, synthetic fertalizers, sweeteners, additives, preservatives, artificail flavoring and colors all thanks to the chemical lobbies. And the stranglehold that the corn lobby has on food (corn products in everything) and the beef lobby trying to crush alternatives to their unhealthy products (like lamb.)
As to the arguements that try to somehow relate eating organic to world hunger issues? That is a relative of the school of logic that says that eating all your peas somehow helps starving children in India. It's a bucket that holds no water.
But it is the right of every American has the right to ignore all this and continue to eat their highly processed, crap. Likewise, it is every American's right to eat organic, if it makes them feel better to do so. But any arguements that people shouldn't eat organic is just so much manuer.
I've really only seen 1 or 2 anti-organic comments on here.
About the only draw-back I could see would be less availability of produce selection to areas of the country that aren't good for growing crops. Organic foods rot more quickly, so the open highway shipping wouldn't be a good option. That's great for people living in areas that have plenty of local farms, but not so great for a decent percentage of the country.
Of course, if you can, I fully support buying locally and seasonally!
Good response- people should look at living and eating better in all they do! If you can WHY wouldnt you- the facts are there- just like not eating lots of fatty food of any origin.
The b.s. of the government qualifications of "organic" is that it is not truly organic. It is still allowed to have chemicals smothered all over it. We have a big garden at my house and we use other, cost effective remedies that keep the pugs away. We also compost to build up the soil. It is absolutely asinine that something can be called organic but is not truly organic.
You realize that there are some chemicals that are allowed on organic, but never in the same quantities as conventional produce, which are sprayed liberally and without any regard to the environment. And there are plenty of organic products with NO pesticide use whatsoever. Conventional and organic don't even compare when one compares the use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides on both.
It must be hard to keep the pugs away. They'll eat anything.
organic poop taste so scrumdidlyumpshush is my mouth
I try to buy organic only. But, I do buy non-organic if 1) it's just not available in organic AND 2) the data shows that the pesticide loading on the non-organic is fairly comparable to the organic variety.
Clearly from all the anti-organic and pro-hormone, pro-deadly chemical comments here, Monsanto and the other chemical companies have and are doing a superb marketing job in convincing the masses that any chemical laden food is just fine, that eating clean food is only for freaks, and that we have no right to know what is truly in our food. Additionally, the 'research' done about organic foods was and is financed by those same companies, so why would they wish to find the truth? Let's not forget that the pandemic of cancers and harsh diseases has risen in tandem with the increase in the amounts of synthetics in "food", as well as the level of GMO that has and is infesting ( yes, infesting ) the pathetic "food" supply. People, please do try to think for yourselves instead of blindly believing what the talking heads tell you; that, indeed, is where you will find the truth. Let's not forget that in the pre-chemical days, there were much less instances of cancer and food-causing disease, when people grew their own. Wakey, wakey.
In general I'm all for organic food. But we need to be careful in placing blame on the rising cancer and allergy rates.
There have been an incredibly large number of changes in society since "people grew their own" food. We currently have no proof that the use of certain pesticides, etc is the cause. Is it a possibility? Yes. So lets get those studies going so we can find the causes.
I buy nothing but conventional. I don't hold anything against organic farmers, but I do disagree when people slam conventional and proclaim that organic is so much better. Here is a study from one of the top medical schools in the world that finds there is virtually no difference between organic and conventional.
http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/september/organic.html
If you're simply talking about nutrition, yes. They are virtually the same. But this study didn't look into possible effects of trace pesticides in humans. That's a whole different study. People who buy organic are hoping their food doesn't have the chemicals in it.
I know we don't have difinitive proof that the trace chemicals found in conventional produce have bad effects on us. But it stands up to the "makes sense" test for me.
There are studies that show a direct link between the pesticides in our food and birth defects, autism, and other health problems in our country. If you want to read a more well thought out argument Doc Sam says a mouthful. There are serious issues this article is ignoring. But American news media doesn't have a strong point of presenting fact.
That study is dubious at best. Your choice your body.
Do you know why people buy organic. BECAUSE THEY CAN. people don't buy organic for their higher nutritious value but to avoid the pesticides and what ever other chemicals associated with normally grown fruit and vegetables.
And people wonder why their kids are 200lb behemoths by the age of 10.
It's called SUGAR and lack of EXERCISE. It has nothing to do with organically versus commercially grown produce.
Blueberries, Broccoli, Spinach for me are organic. Stuff like Corn where you remove the husk, not that big a deal to me.
Just make sure Carl that it is not a GMO product. Most corn unfortunately is now grown that way. The PLU code that has to be displayed will start with a 9 if it's organic, an 8 if it is genetically modified, and a 3 or 4 if conventionally grown.
I've read that broccoli does not require a lot of pesticides to grow, so not a food that buying organic makes a big difference
CNN CENSORSHIP!!! Interestingly, I posted a very factual comment to organically grown produce (having over 40-yrs experience growing crops, testing, researching, trials, etc.) with no profanity and slamming no one person, yet CNN appears to have censored it from the comments herein. I will state that my comments spoke of the "organic" fallacy, i.e., one not based on sound science. Maybe CNN felt it to factual. Shame on CNN.
The auto filter catches lots of letter combinations. Stringing together parts of two words can result in a "bad word". That's probably what happened.
If 50,000 flies eat excrement, it must be good!
All kidding aside, if organic products weren't selling well, articles like this would never be written.
Snuggies and beanie babies once sold well, doesn't mean it's anything but a fad. Organic food is a fad born of ignorance and fear.
What do you care what other people eat? Really?
People eat Snuggies and Beanie Babies? Seriously, people are much more concerned about health than toys. I don't think it's a fad. I think it's a long term trend.
Fads don't generally last years and years. But I'm guessing you're the type that doesn't mind eating food laced with compounds found in anti-freeze, so it doesn't really matter. You're just hearing more about organic stuff because more people are realizing it isn't a bad thing.
I buy what I can afford. However there is no direct proof that organic is 100 times better then non. You'd need to study people raised on organic vs those that weren't from the time they were born until they die and gather the data from that study. Otherwise anything is total speculation and guess work.
They say get exercise eat healthy. Well seems that there are young healthy athlete's dropping dead who do just that. And the funny thing is is that those types of deaths are happening more often now then before organic healthy eating.
A bit off, actually. There is proof, widespread, that rats and other animals raised on non-organic, GMO vs. not specifically, that develop kidney lesions, blood issues, tumors, and generally become infertile.
So no, there is no "proof" that GMO/pesticide-laced foods are harmful to humans because, well, we are the experiment in motion.
Jonny did that happen in 100% of the cases studied? No it didn't so really proves nothing. Did they study rats on organic only diets and did those rats develope kidney lesions, blood issues, tumors, and generally become infertile? If one rat in that study developed something even minor it shows a flaw in that way of thinking.
Again as I said, there are healthy kids out there, regular exercise, eating habits that are just collapsing on the field
So you think that organic farming methods could be linked to athletes dieing? Interesting. Could it be related to the head trauma and exhaustion/dehydration from running in full pads in the middle of summer? C'mon man, you're better than this!
and I have seen more recall and Ecoli toxicities out of non-organic farms then organic .. the more drugs u use the more resistant microbes u have to in the system which are that more dangerous .. and yeah if you are one of those who believe that u shd without washing food stuff then dont blame on organic food products ..Organic is healthy and natural is tasty thats the fact .. unless u r too much into chemicals n drugs that u have lost the taste for it
English please.
U can shut up please .. we are not here for ur english class ..
However, we aren't here to read comments by someone who can't take the time to spell out you.
You know as much about organic food as you do puctuation. Do a google search, you are over 10 times more likely to get ecoli from organic as non organic. Also organic does not mean no pesticides, only no synthetic pesticides. If you think natural pesticides won't hurt eat a big spoonful of sulphur or phosphorus!! Non organic produce grown in the United States is the safest food source in the world by far!!
Results of this survey are very skewed. Clearly most people reading about organics are organic fans. I work in the produce department for a large supermarket chain. Less than 5% of our sales are organic. It has the highest throw away percentage too because we have to provide selection, but sales are low. and it is very susceptible to mold because it is not treated with anti-fungus. Most common reasons customers tell me they don't buy it is that it's too expensive and it looks less appealing than regular produce. Apples have more blemishes for example.
Correct. Organic food is a fad, one born out of fear mongering and ignorance.
Just like Republicans and Tea party .. Lol ..
Correct
The "less appealing" look is a catch 22 that many people don't think about in this debate. So many people have grown up eating the big, juicy, shiny red apples that have benefitted from synthetic chemicals and wax coats and they don't realize that going organic will often result in just as healthy (or moreso) but slightly less "bling-y" fruit. We waste so much food, it's sad.
I am chemically sensitive and if I eat any produce containing chemicals I become ill. One day I ate a handful of cherries that my mother thought were organic. Shortly thereafter I became sick with a chemical sensitivity reaction. She then remembered that she didn't buy organic cherries. My body can definitely tell the difference. If I eat tuna I get sick esp. since I had all the silver amalgams in my teeth removed and replaced with composites. Then I went on a detoxification program to removed heavy metals from my body. I can't eat any fish except wild salmon now because my body reacts to the mercury in them.
Organic foods are not chemical free. They are grown in areas with other farms, where pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers are used in abundance. The wind, water, and ground all transfer these chemicals many miles from where the farms are. A study showed a 30% decrease in chemicals, but if it was truly organic it would be 100%.
Shawn I – What's your point? So organic foods have 30% less chemicals than non-organic? That's still 30% better. Plus, if we got rid of the non-organic farming methods wouldn't that just leave us with 100% less chemicals?
Plus, there are significant studies that show wild fish have superior health benefits to us. Many farm raised fish are fed all sorts of crazy things like ground up chicken feathers and this unnatural diet changes the structure of the fish. Plus, they don't swim like a fresh water fish and that too changes their structure.
It's just as important that we feed our food well as it is that we feed ourselves well!!
Also, it shows either the ignorance you have or that you are a hypochondriac as wild salmon contains three times the mercury levels as farm raised salmon.
Well if you knew anything about "Certified Organic" you would know that the government requires ground and water samples. If there is runoff from nearby "non-organic" farms then it will show up during the certification process. Also, it doesn't help anyone to just spew off numbers without providing any evidence.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004346&acct=nopgeninfo
Already added the links to my other comments, feel free to go look them up. The articles were posted on cnn.com
I worked directly with farmers both organic and conventional for 29 years in three Northeastern states. It is not true that the government does the inspections, at least where I wasfor the past 25 years. It is done by private non-profits and paid firms to certify based on USDA standards. Mostly the concern is use of pesticides and non-organic fertilizers. it's really a pretty loose inspection process, it's more a result of the honor system than strict inspection. The grower fills out a report in the beginning of the growing season, an application, which describes what the grower intends to do to meet the requirements. The inspector reviews the application, later during the season the inspecter goes out to the farm announced, looks around at what's stored on the farm etc. After a couple inspections throughout the three year process the inspector will certify the farm if all is well. Not everything is looked at though,for instance, organic growers are not required to have nutrient management plans describing their nutrient applications. In effect they can be over applying nutrients and still be certified organic. This is interesting to me because the conventional dairy farm in the State I last worked is required to have a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan which is reviewed annually by the State. I would have to say that these conventional dairy farms are under more stringent regulation than the organic growers. To be honest, I've been out to some organic dairies that were such environmental eyesores I would not want to drink their milk. Just because it's an organic farm does not always mean it's a completely environmentally friendly farm. Some things are scrutinized others things go overlooked.
That's why the organic label is a scam. It's an honor system, in a world without honor.
Alan, you're absolutely right. I work in the agriculture industry in Illinois with experience in both the non- and for-profit sectors, including working for a major seed company, and I can promise you that the idea that organic anything is healthier is simply baloney. Comsumers need to be more savvy about agriculture in general, which is not entirely their fault - the industry hasn't done a great job in the past in regards to communicating with the public. Still, it's important for people not to believe everything they read on the subject of "organic", and unfortunately I think that's what's happening.
Alan, this is very interesting because my family has been in the DAIRY industry for GENERATIONS. You are 100% INCORRECT in what you list. 100% INCORRECT, I will repeat it again. This leads me to believe you know nothing about ANY of the topics you are listing.
I buy organic produce and meats whenever I can. I try to buy Organic Milk and Eggs too, when my store has them in stock and as long as they aren't 2x the price of the non-organic products (which, let's be honest, is sometimes true). Produce is usually much more expensive where I live and in the summer I hit up the local farmer's markets on the weekend and my own garden like no tomorrow. Organic food does typically taste better, mostly because it has to be picked at the right point in the ripening process. Face it, when you pick a tomato early, yes... it will turn red, but its going to taste like red paper. And organic beef, which is usually grass fed since now they have to let them out to pasture, tastes much better. Its got a deeper flavor, and makes any dish 10x better than its factory farm equivalent. Same with Chicken, pork, eggs, milk. Its worth the higher price to me. I don't make many leftovers and try not to waste anything so in the end its not much more expensive than throwing 40% of the food you make away like most of us in this culture do.
Overindulgence is the real problem here in this country. There is no reason to make 5 pounds of something when your family will only eat 2 or 3. Don't make a bunch extra for those "I may want more later" when you know you won't and no one else will. Its wasteful and shameful with so many going hungry.
Try organic! Or as my grandparents called it "food"!!!
Farmers have been using man made fertilizers for over a hundred years.
And we all discovered how good DDT was. Ignorance is bliss I guess?
And do we use it anymore? Life is a health risk.
We DID eat organic, ALL of us, up until about 100-150 years ago. At the time, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years. NOW, life expectancies are close to 80.
You go ahead and eat organic if you want to, I'll eat better, safer, healthier AND CHEAPER with the non-organic foods, thanks!
You appear to be one neuron short of a synapse.
HA! That's the dumbest thing I've ever read. We live longer because of modern health care, regular cleanliness, housing, etc. It's not because we're eating apples and tomatoes that are the size of our heads!
I don't think that things like Doritos, Hostess Snack Cakes, and Stoffer's dinners are actually helping anyone live that long. It's a little frightening to me that you can make a chip taste like Baby Back Ribs... or a cheeseburger. Sounds like its been sprayed with cancer to me.
Organic means next to nothing. It's a lot of money for little gain. Anyone that was foolish enough to think the organic label magically made food contain more vitamins and minerals deserved to be bilked from their money. The world cannot support organic food consumption of everyone on the planet, and its simply not a viable solution to long term problems.
It sure can. Small to medium organic farms produce more per acre than large scale industrial farms.
That's news to me, Primal. Everything I've read says lower yield (less produce per acre) is one of the main reasons organic foods cost more. And conversely, why non-organic growers use the fertilizers they do.
Extremely incorrect. The yields are smaller for organic farms, period. The average is 25% less yield. http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/26/world/organic-food-yield/index.html
I wrote a paper a few years ago about this very subject. Organic farming cannot feed the world.
yields are low if and only if you are producing same crop again and again .. The trick with natural recovery of soil is that you will have to rotate the crop .. Pulses before cereals .. and legumes ..There are enough real valid doumentaries out there to state the same .. they are even on Netflix .. I know people will say we dont believe this .. but then How come you believe everything hashed out by the Food and agriculture Industry .. They are the ones who always promote bigger crops with everything .. but the yields may be more but are much more expensive when u compare the cost of raising them.. And Organic does not make every nutrients available it makes then available in a healthy way not with a good serving of Chemicals along side the nutrients .. I would rather have less production then the polluted yields .. lot more expenses when u fall sick later in ur life
Again, incorrect. Yields are low as losses are due to insect loss, combined with less effective fertlizers.
There is no point in arguing if only answer u have is no with a blank statement abt insects .. Look at people and kids around you and tell me that in past decade we have much increased number of metabolic diseases and more allergies in kids then ever before .. it takes time for this things to show up .. but If u dont want to eat right ur choice .. I know for sure I am not wrong .. neither are u in eating non organic its just ur choice
Link is not valid, could you give the right link so that we can understand based on what you have come to this conclusion?
The link is working perfectly fine for me.
There has been zero link between alergies and organic/non organic foods. Zero. However, there HAS been links to the overuse of antibiotic soaps and sterelizing environments of kids plus pollution that leads to allergies.
I see. But even dumber are those who think that vitamins and minerals have ANYTHING to do with the word organic.
It's like you are saying people who think cars run better on cornmeal are dumb.
It never was about vitamins and minerals. It was ALWAYS about trying to get industrial famers to stop using TONS of insecticides every year which end up in our rivers and lakes. It ALWAYS was about finding ways to farm that are not destructive to the rest of the environment. It ALWAYS was about keeping genetically modified crops from cross-pollinating NON-Genectically modified food crops. (you know so you're not FORCED to buy roundup to get your plants to survive)
Yea, Some people are too dumb to actually learn about something before spouting craap about it.
The other article that was just here on CNN, stated that a study showed that the only change between organic and non organic food is a 30% decrease in pesticides, and not a change in nutrition. http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/04/is-organic-food-more-nutritious-and-healthier-than-conventional-varieties/?iid=hl-main-lede&hpt=hp_bn16
Try to actually educate yourself about recent news before attacking, thanks.
Shawn Really thats ur argument ? have u ready what Really is being sad above ur statement ? read again and then reply
Like he said, it's not about nutrition but about quality
a 30% decrease in use of pesticides is huge from where i ( and a lot of growwing # of people buying organic ) stand
and it's just plain tastier to eat organic produce, just give it a try !
Unfortunately, USDA & FDA does not require small organic farmers to have any sort of food safety program. Larger industrial egg producers must have a program and be audited annually by FDA to assure they are not positive for Salmonella which is carried by wild birds and household pets. While small local farms are heart warming, they avoid some regulatory restrictions placed on the larger operations. So, be careful and fully cook the food. Just think, cantelopes, lettuce, eggs and other foods were reported contaminated this past year.
David – you are accurate in your comment about required safety protocols, but incorrect in your final conclusions.
Yes – big companies have to fulfill more rigorous safety checks – but its because they produce more, and therefore can harm more people at one fell swoop. Its a simple case of STATISTICS and PROBABILITIES – the more you sell, the higher the probability you will have a problem in your supply chain.
Local and small farmers (a) are usually more hands on, so inherently take more care since they also eat what they produce themselves, (b) sell to local communities where their reputations matter more, and any mistakes can be fatal to their long term livelihoods whereas the big guys can lobby, or settle out of court using their deep pockets, (c) small farmers sell very little, so IF someone should fall sick, the likelihood of it becoming a problem that affects a lot of people is very low (statistics & probability).
Again, I don't dispute that there needs to be more oversight of small producers too, but the "capitalist" system of market based checks and balances applies to small producers as much as it applies to big companies.
It is IRONIC that big companies who HATE government controls and oversight, should invoke the lack of government oversight and controls on small businesses so as to crush free enterprise and the competitive threat posed by the small guy. I find that hilarious and pathetic at the same time. It will NEVER be economically viable to scrutinize small producers to the same extent as the bigger ones – the answer can't be to shut down small producers – that would be INSANE.
Food for thought: Most of the people on this thread who are anti-organic, conspiracy theorists, I must ask? Have you seen first hand where your non-organic food comes from. Literally in the warehouse/lab/slaugher house? And compared? Call it whatever you want, organic in this instance. It is about having a set of STANDARDS for our food supply and demanding transparency from the monopolized food companies (oops I mean Chemical Companies). At the end of the day can everyone agree that if food is PROPERLY LABELED, then we as consumers, can make the choice of which we want to spend our hard earned money on? Why should companies be allowed to call things natural or organic with no set of standards behind it? Protecting the word "organic" as it relates to our food supply is so important. Fighting over definitions, whats the right way vs wrong way to grow food, and calling each other hippies hardly addresses the real issue. We have the right to walk in to any grocery store Walmart OR Whole Foods and know that the labeling is honest and truthful. After that point, it is our individual decision on what we want to purchase. That should be the number one concern – remember the times before Nutrition Labels were required? This is another opportunity and turning point for us to demand to know what we are eating no matter where it comes from. If you are in California I strongly urge you to vote in November for your food to be required to be properly labeled. Then if at that point you choose the non-organic route, that is your prerogative!
Yes, I have seen where the food comes from.
I have grown and harvested too many crops to count.
I have raised too many animals to name them all.
So yes, I know exactly where my food comes from and how it is made. The organic methods that farmers are being forced to use make me sick. The waste of food due to disease and spoilage that organic methods generate is sickening.
So, the question is, do you know where your food comes from? Not the wearhouse/lab/slaughter house, head out of town and look for the tell tale tractor and make yourself useful and pitch in a hand! You might just learn something.
"The organic methods that farmers are being forced to use make me sick."
No one anywhere is FORCING anyone to use organic farming methods.
Yea, and some people are just sick. in the head.
When a farmer can't find a buyer for their produce because it doesn't carry an "organic" sticker, yes they are being forced to at least say they are using organic methods. In most cases I know of big farmers who are certified use a test field which gets audited, the other 90% of their farm they use the good old methods that have worked for decades. So the organic certified food you are eating may not be certified, well at least 90% of it.
Does any of this make the food better? Please find me a study that says it does. You won't by the way, every study done on the composition of organic vs non-organic grown food shows no significant difference. Worse yet, the differences they do show favor the non-organic food (tends to have more vitamins and minerals).
I'll also tell you a little story about farming in San Francisco. People living in the city growing crops on their roof tops to sell at farmers markets often don't buy fertilizer. Why should they, they end up using human waste mixed with dirt to create good soil. I know because I've seen the process first hand, but if you doubt me ask your local grower on your next visit to the market. Personally, I'd rather have chemicals that break down after a few week than have food grown in human feces.
This law in California is nothing more than trying to get a ban against large industrial growers from using the certified organic label. In the end it will do nothing, they will just find a loop hole in the law and be packaging the product with the new label and pocketing the profit while the small farmers will have a hard time of keeping up the new regulations. In the end small farmers will say to heck with the effort and find ways around it themselves or just stop growing organic.
Again, people try farming for a while before you put your two cents in. Things are as clear cut as you might think.
There is an extreme amount of waste in organic farming for sure.
If you really want to know where your food comes from, then have the farmer write the whole story down and attach it as a label to the food.
Ie, where he got the seed, what the soil conditions were, what fertilizers he used, where the water came from and how it was treated, how insects and other pest were dealt with, what harvest methods were used, if it was treated afterwards, how it was processed, what the store did to present the food. Of course you wouldn't read any of that would you? But if it had a nice Organic sticker on it, you would buy it wouldn't you?
To me, organic means "contains carbon", nothing more, which is humorous when I see it on bottle of "pure water"!
All the organic items I buy were featured on the Eatocracy "dirty list," which were items most likely to have traces of pesticides at the market. I regularly eat (3 or more times per week) over half the items that were published on that list, so I decided to pay the little extra for those particular fruits/vegetables.
Protein = chemical
Water=chemical
Cholesterol = chemical
Caffeine = chemical
Starch (from vegetables) = chemical
Sugar = chemical
Vitamins = chemical
Minerals = chemical
Fat = chemical
Boy we hate chemicals in our food don't we!
None of those are petroleum based.
Epic Fail!
Wow you are bright! Did you graduate middle school?
Says some punk posting form his mommas basement.
LMAO!!!!!
You missed the SYNTHETIC part. Glad you consider yourself so educated.
I think they mean synthetic or man-made chemicals. Everything you listed occurs naturally.
Wow – Mike you are a genius. Even Humans are "chemical" – does that make them fit to eat? There are good and bad chemicals – natural and synthetic ones, those that are easy to digest and those that are difficult to digest, those that interfere with your DNA and those that don't.
You should be asked to do community service like cleaning up rivers and lakes near chemical factories – you will gain a better appreciation for different kinds of chemicals.
Heck, in that case, I fully recommend that you drink a whole bottle of Round-Up pesticide.
I mean after all, it's just a chemical.
This is the best reply, to these monsanto trolls. I bet you wont be hearing from him.
I think the whole organic versus non-organic debate is of secondary concern. The primary concern and the important point to make is that people need to eat better. They need to eat more fish, fruits, veggies, and plant-based foods and less processed foods. If we started eating more of these types of foods, whether organic or not, we would be a much healthier society.
I'll buy organic whenever I can. I remember putting on the suit, and the "gas mask" so I could ride on the tractor with my dad to spray the back 40 with pesticides. However I do remember picking the apples, rubbing them on my shirt, then eating them. Not now, no way.
And do you also remember learning to swim? A little water is good for you. You need it to live. But too much water improperly applied will kill you.
Citrus fruit gets its name from the citric acid they contain. Concentrated citric acid, however, is dangerous. It can burn your lungs if inhaled and can even be fatal if inhaled. It can blind you if it gets in you eyes. It can cause serious blistering of the skin. My point is that even something which is natural and good can be dangerous if high concentrations.
Obviously. But the point is that as industry moves forward and we create and introduce unnatural aspects into our environment, we do not know the long term effects of these things. It is a repeated pattern that something is initially thought to be of benefit turns out to produce very unhealthy results (birth defects, cancers, etc.).
and somethings build up over time in the physiology, resulting in a higher level of concentration.
ORChuck – I don't get your point. We need water to live but too much can kill you is not the same as spraying crops with poisons. Maybe consuming a little bit of the poisons won't have a serious affect on us but it doesn't mean that we can't live without the poisons. Why can't we just have no poisons? Sure the crops will suffer but it's not like we need to produce the amounts of crops that we currently produce. We probably waste a quarter of what is produced anyways...
While we wring our hands about whether or not OUR food is "certified organic," or "free-range," or, "cruelty free," or "sustainably produced," or "locally-produce," or "artisanal," there are many people - the majority of people - in this world whose food worry is simply whether or not they will have any for dinner tonight... much less tomorrow. Until we solve that, it is cruel and selfish for us to fret and whine about the tiny details of our food.
People, just eat the abundant food we have and thank God that we have it.
Outright nonsense. Every person should worry about the tiny details whenever they can. Food is THE single most important aspect of health, period.
I cannot care about every living person, however I can care about myself and my family and friends. If we all did that, we would all be fine.
Keep watching out for number 1 Primal. That is so thoughtful of you. We should all be so selfish.
It isn't selfish in any possible way. Sorry you can't see that. You certainly are not going to look out for me better than I can, and you know it.
this in no way diminishes concern and actions to improve life for others as well. It is just one step to improve your own personal health. If only we could choose what air to breath!!!
I'm not thanking god for twinkees and the many other products that 'we' eat that have zero nutritional value. Yes it is nice to have access to food but we should still make sure it is good food for us to keep us healthy. And I agree take care of yourself first and you can do that by eating well. If you can/want to help others that is great too.
Wanting food to be produced in a manner that is the best for us has nothing to do with poverty and hunger in other parts of the world (oh yeah, and in the US where we have a huge population of hungry poor people). Having an abundance of food that could lead to high levels of asthma, cancer, allergies, etc is not a good thing. Why can't we have an abundance of food that is produced the right way? Or, we could always just produce less and waste less... Just a thought.
Are you trying to say that you are ok with the food abundantly laced with poision as long as it is dirt cheap. The cost of organic is not high because it requires more inputs. It is high because the small scale farmer cannot affort to get his food certified by the Food Nazies in the govt. The laws are written by the big 3 agri corps who have the FDA in their pockets. If you have some time just google joel salatin and watch or read what he has to say. you will know what is being hidden from people like you who are willing to close their eyes and led like sheep.
Always thought that Organic meant we substituted pesticides for bug poop,
Eating foods without unwanted chemicals and animal dna is my personal choice ( I feel better and enjoy the flavor; more ;whether the reason is biological or physiological doesn't really matter as much as that result). . . as such I grow my own or budget to buy what I want. .. If you enjoy drinking chemicals or touting your faith in companies like Monsanto then feel free; thanks to Obama you will now be chipping in for your own future health care and no longer freeloading and adding on to my health premiums. . . enjoy!
> If you enjoy drinking chemicals
Everything is a chemical, even water. Chemistry fail.
Jeremiah Chemicals are always chemicals .. the difference is Synthetic or Natural .. Instead of failing others on Chemistry plz do check on ur own credentials in chemistry .. U r not slurping on H and oxygen to get the water .. u r not drinking Citric acid to get the lemonade .. u r drinking natural chemicals with lots of other things in it which u have no clue about .. U dont want to eat organic ur choice dont try to dissapprove by giving the wrong answers.. I get these answers from religious freaks .. who always tell me the science has not proven enuf to deny that nature is not created by god .. Just becoz science do not have all the answers does not mean God provided us with any answers .. u r ur own god take care if ur self .. or u can ask for other guy to do it for u .. watever
Agree !
I am Agreeing with Eric ... I also have a reverse osmosis water system .. eating organic for 25 years .. I can not eat any other food .. the non-organic is just plain 'ol FAKE food. Ps. have not been sick .. not even a slight cold .. in 25 years !! Better for you .. better for the environment .. and better for the animals. Go TOTAL ORGANIC
It means you are about to get ripped off and pay 20% more compared to the same "non-organic" option.
To hell with scientific evidence! More poisons and more chemicals = bigger foods that never rot = bigger people who never die. It's just so simple!!
organic means carbon based. this other stuff is marketing.
Right on!!!!
They've defined "organic " in the story. It may not be chemically correct term, but it gives a clear meaning to what is organic.
It's merely a catch phrase to get people to feel as if they are doing a good job. You know....like "going green". It ALL costs more and you reap very little - if anything at all - from the effort. You know, like shouting "storm" and people rush out to get supplies.
grass fed beef is supposed to be much healthier than the antibiotic pumped up corn fed kind. I believe many studies have shown this so it isn't just a feel good thing
Grass fed beef isn't necessarily organic though.
Let's just destroy the earth and inject pesticides directly in to our blood stream! There's no proof that this won't make us healthier and happier. It's just those damn hippies and their socialist agendas who make it so difficult on us!
Environmentally friendly lawn tips: A misconception is that trees cause lawns to suffer, but is much easier to maintain a green lawn under the shade of trees. Treeless lawns that receive direct sun all day are more likely to dry, turn brown, become infested with insects and weeds, and demand more chemicals. In addition, the tree debris that accumulates during the spring and summer is a great form of organic fertilizer when ground up by the mower, another reason to never use the mower bag. Trees can make the soil acidic, but this is resolved by spreading lime, which has many benefits. Lime is natural ground up rocks containing many essential gardening minerals, so applying lime is synonymous to people taking vitamins. Lime also helps aerate the lawn, retains moisture, and is a mild and safe insect repellant that does not seem to bother beneficial insects. A common misconception is that lime “burns” grass, but this is false – misuse of lawn herbicides, excessive direct sun, and lack of water creates brown turf.
Environmentally friendly lawn tips: Increasing the average lawn height a few inches by adjusting the wheels or mowing less often can have profound positive impacts. Taller grass helps the soil retain moisture and reduces drying out and browning. In addition, the taller grass has more surface area to absorb sunlight, increasing photosynthesis and reducing the need for fertilizer. Taller grass also strengthens the roots and blocks sun from weeds, therefore reducing the need for herbicides.
Agree with Organically ... I have not used any chemicals on my lawn in 25 years .. and it is as green and healthy as any one else is on the block .. if not healthier !
Valerie: Please tell me how you are able to maintain your lawn without chemicals. I would like to do the same....Thanks.
Environmentally friendly lawn tips: The best food for any lawn is the grass clippings, so it never makes sense to hang the bag on the back of the mower. Mowers made in the last decade pulverize clippings and weed seeds directly into the lawn, and there is no better fertilizer available in stores. In addition, the moisture contained in the clippings is forced back into the lawn, reducing drying and browning. This process does not increase thatch as is commonly believed. Think of mowing as also providing food and water to the turf roots.
OK please...the list of options is laughably biased towards "organic" product.
How about "I'm not so stupid as to ever believe there's the slightest validity at all in "organic" produce?"
You're right. I'm sure the extra chemicals and other unnatural and inhumane methods used to produce our food will make us extra strong and smart without the need to even exercise or read! Boooo organic, I only trust big corporations with my food!
Eating foods without unwanted chemicals and animal dna is my personal choice ( I feel better and enjoy the flavors; more whether the reason is biological or physiological doesn't really matter as much as that result). . . as such I grow my own or budget to buy what I want. .. If you enjoy drinking chemicals or touting your faith in companies like Monsanto then feel free; thanks to Obama you will now be chipping in for your own future health care and no longer freeloading and adding on to my health premiums. . . enjoy!
Eric: I'm sorry to bust your bubble but unless you live in a remote isolated region you're eating and drinking lots of "chemicals" (in fact, plain water is a chemical too, and every molecule in everything on Earth is a chemical), but errors aside, the water you use for watering your own crop is filled with chemicals (chlorine, fluoride, etc), well water is full of earth-sipped chemical products accumulated over the years, and even rain water is packed with all sorts of chemicals and heavy metals. All of them toxic of course. Your soil is full of chemical downfall from air pollution, and the air itself is contaminated. You're just eating a little less chemicals, but still... your body is full of unwanted chems, even eating your own crop. Just take a sample to a good lab and have it analyzed, you'll be striken by truth. Organic is a bit better, just that... a tiny tiny bit.
I buy only organic because I do not want the residual herbacides (especially Roundup) and pestacides. Beef and lamb, not fed organically, gives you all the hormones and antibiotics you desire !
Jimmie, too bad that roundup has one of the shortest soil half-life of any of the modern herbicides and no detectable residue at harvest. Simple bacteria eat it within a few days, which is why is has such poor staying power as an herbicide. So, factually, your herbicide comment is not only misspelled but also wrong. If you are like most organic people, it has more to do with your anti-corporate, anti-Monsanto philosophy than any facts.
Now, there is good, sound scientific evidence that removing antibiotics from animal feed would be safer for the human population. However, that has more to do with the dangers of overuse (i.e. we are way overusing antibiotics as a society) and nothing to do with their danger to you as a consumer. You see, if the antibiotics harmed you, when then they probably wouldn't make the cattle grow faster and healthier which is why they are used.
Personally, I avoid organic produce because of the increased risk of E.coli in something fertilized with manure and their reliance on older, more toxic chemistry for pest control (look up the allowable insecticides before you blast me).
Luke the comment gave to Jimmie about round up applies to u.. it is wrong.. Antibiotics in meat is harmful i am Doc and i am seeing it first hand .. People who eat more meat with ANtibiotics get low levels in there system all the time .. and so microbes develop resistance overtime. Which leads to resistance un HUmans and animals . they make cattles grow faster and healthier is a myth... Cattles who come to slaughter are always carrying so many antibiotics as they are increasingly becoming resistance to all the products on market ..so I would say to all the corporations (i m sure u believe that i am anti-coporate by now) stop dumping stuff in food chain which is not part of the food .. we will soon have more kids with allergies and resistance to lot drugs in the near future .. How can we be so selfish to serve only our needs and not think abt future .. once u grew older u will see the what difference food habits make.
"Antibiotics in meat is harmful i am Doc and i am seeing it first hand"
No you aren't. Unless you are a 'Doc' in Haiti, or perhaps Uganda.
Well Fred .. I dont think I need to talk to u abt anything fruitful.. but just FYI i dont think people in Uganda and Haiti have Feedlots .. hell they dont get beef everyday and I am sure they eat much more healthy just by chance that there is not much to eat .. and abt my qualifications i dont have to defend myself against dumbs .. so watever u say
I hope the writers of this article are in communication with the writers of "Should you buy organic? Study complicates decision." I think this article may clarify some of the points made in the "Should you buy organic..." article.
the uninformed sheeple with their heads in the sand never cease to amaze me. organic is better, better for humans, animals and the planet.
How and why? Certainly you don't expect us to believe such sweeping statements just because you said them.
OK, if you say so. You sound credible..you guy on the internet with just a first name and no other credentials.
People who think ORGANIC food is foolish, or those who want to become educated about Organic Food, should watch..
Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution
Organic means it has carbon in it. So your tire is organic and so is your pencil.
carbon dioxide has carbon...diamonds, for example, are pure carbon in crystalline form... carbon atoms simply form the backbone of most organic molecules...
next
The misuse of the word "organic" is, indeed, very unfortunate.
There is a reason that now 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 2 men, will develop Cancer in their lifetime! Why do you think that is? Ingestion of pesticides, chemicals, polluted air/water, etc. Pay a bit more now for organic, or pay a lot more later when the inevitable cancer comes!
I say the same thing almost every day. The problem is with humans, most people only think of short term benefits and do not think in long term benefits.. People want NOW.. NOW... and do not want to wait.
Fast food might be cheap short term, but in the long run the damage it causes your body will cost a lot more... People spend more money on their clothing, electronic gadgets, cars and houses, then they would ever on healthy food.
More people are diagnosed with cancer not because of the food we eat now, but because medical science has advanced enough to identify it even in trace amounts. Its like the revolution the microscope spawned, the microbes were always there, but until we saw them we did nothing about it. Once we knew we found ways to treat the food and kill off the microbes.
It sickens me to see people throw away good food when so much of the world can't get enough because it's not "100% pure nature". If you want organic food, grow it yourself, once you realize how difficult it is to grow and keep yourself feed then you can lecture farmers on how they should grow food.
People forget that the quality of food has improved substantially. People use to live to a rip old age of 40 about 100 years ago, now not living to less than 80 is seen as tragic. We have better more nutritious food now than we have ever had in history!
Look people I understand we now have an abundance of food in this country and you feel bad for that fact. If it makes you feel better that you are eating organic food to justify your coffee indulgence, go ahead, but you are only fooling yourself.
From a farmer who grows their own food and cattle.
Do you have any evidence to support that charge?
"Wake up" points out one good reason. Besides identification, another reason more people die of cancer now is because they live longer. When life expectancy was 40 there were a lot less cases of cancer. Cancer can affect young people, but disproportionally if affects older people.
Do you know what cancer is? It is your own cells that are growing out of control. That's it, rapid cell growth. This growth is triggered by improper sequencing of the genes from cell splitting.
It's like copying the novel "War and Peace", one character at a time. The first few times may be perfect, but a million or so times later you are bound to make a mistake or two. Once a mistake is made it just keeps getting copied, and additional mistake get made. Most of the time these mistakes do nothing, however every once in a while something really bad happens.
Most people don't understand probability, cancer is not a random chance, it is a random permutation. With random chance your odds don't chance every time an event occurs (think dice rolls), but with permutation the odds do change (think russian roulette).
So yes, cancer is found more in older people but not because the old are eating bad food.
Yes, I agree. Older means greater odds of cancer happening just because of the chance of mutation. Also, as you get older your genetic material is deteriorating in your cells.
I was at a hippy market recently (farmers market) and saw a hippy trying to sell a woman in a wheelchair a single head of organic cauliflower for $8. I kid you not. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough food stamps to pay for it. $8 for a head of cauliflower???? GET REAL! Organic is just a license to steal from doped up hippies.
No one said you need to eat organic food. What people do is their business and none of yours. If you want to eat tasteless vegetables and beef that is jacked up on steroids, you have that right.
OK, Janos, spoiled rich kid...
Mr. Mittens likes to assume things huh? The funny thing is you probably make a lot more money then me, unless your a full time student like myself. The difference between you and I is I think long term and you think short term. I spend more money on food, then I would on clothing or anything else. Go drive your expensive car, live in your nice house and I'll continue to spend more of my money on better quality food. Investing in my body and mental health is more important to me than having the newest iPhone or latest gadgets.
The funny thing about people like yourself is your spend $200 a month on cellular bill, but complain because an organic bottle of juice costs $4.25. Keep drinking your $1.99 SUNNY'D made with 0% juice.
Eating less but healthy is the key. Less eating, less sleeping and less talking are not only beneficial for the body but also for the soul.
People in the past didn't have this deluge of processed and unnatural foods, they lived simple lives, were content with little food and didn't have so much desire and greed for material wealth. They were healthier and happier than us for a reason.
So how do you explain the ever increasing longevity of humans in westernized countries?
Actually ever increasing logevity is a myth. People used to live for centuries in the days of yore. We all know that Noah lived for more than 950 years! Even people during the time of Jesus used to live for over a century. We may have slightly increased longevity by a couple of years in the past century or so but the overall trend is actually a decrease in longevity.
Ah yes. A troll. I've heard of your kind...
Clean water, due to better sanitation practices and improved medical care.
completely wrong
Eating less and less stress, yes... However, your wrong on the sleep part. The human body has to have a good amount of rest, this is how the body gets back into balance and how we re-energize ourselves.
"People in the past didn't have this deluge of processed and unnatural foods, they lived simple lives, were content with little food and didn't have so much desire and greed for material wealth."
And they died by age 30 anyway so the rest mattered little to them.
There's no proof that people died by age 30 in older days, unless due to war, famine etc. This even happens today in places like Asia and Africa, so not much has changed. Infact I'd argue that due to the havoc we've wreaked on our environment and natural resources and due to unsurmountable greed shown by the Industrialized countries, the scale of human suffering has incresed many folds. Western masses may not be aware of it or choose to remain ignorant but, famines, natural disasters, wars have killed unimaginable amount of people in the past century. I'm not saying that all technology or advancement is bad, but there has to be a moral, ethical and religious limit to human consumption and greed. You know there's something wrong when people are dying of hunger at one end of the globe while at the other end people are dying of over eating!
Here is the REAL definition of Organic. It has nothing to do with pesticides, etc. ALL fruits/vegetables are organic, whether grown with or without pesticides. Wake up people, they're charging more for nothing!
or·gan·ic
[awr-gan-ik] Show IPA
adjective
1.
noting or pertaining to a class of chemical compounds that formerly comprised only those existing in or derived from plants or animals, but that now includes all other compounds of carbon.
2.
characteristic of, pertaining to, or derived from living organisms: organic remains found in rocks.
3.
of or pertaining to an organ or the organs of an animal, plant, or fungus.
4.
of, pertaining to, or affecting living tissue: organic pathology.
5.
Psychology . caused by neurochemical, neuroendocrinologic, structural, or other physical impairment or change: organic disorder. Compare functional
And here are the REAL requirements from the USDA to receive the expensive organic label
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=ORGANIC_CERTIFICATIO
In Europe we label "organic" products as ecological. It is self explanatory.-no harmful chemicals used. Not sure where Americans came up to call eco food "organic". We are all organic
In Italy they label the products "Biologico" or Biological. Well even a glow in the dark cat is biological, so that's nonsensical either.
Most pesticides are, in fact, organic chemicals.
Of course there are plenty of things that can be used in organic farming that are nasty. Natural doesn't necessarily mean safe. Look up rotenone.
Rotenone causes Parkinson's disease in lab rats...
And it can be used in organic food because it is readily extracted from plants.
post a link to where USDA allows it in organic products please. I'd like to find out what organic companies use it. Thanks!
CNN doesn't like direct links. But go to Wikipedia, look up Rotenone, and you'll find
Rotenone is classified by the USDA National Organic Program as a nonsynthetic and was allowed to be used to grow organic produce until 2005, when it was added to the list of prohibited substances due to concerns about its safety. However, it has since been reapproved.[16]
That footnote goes to a .gov site.
I never really bought organic before but now that you've said "Organic produce is grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering..." I think I will have to! Thanks a lot CNN!!
Everyone who has a computer has no excuse not to education themselves about organic food and anything else for that matter. You can learn a lot, you just need to look and research.
Coming from a farming family I can positively state that organic farming method is poor use of the land. Unless a farm is large enough to properly rotate crops the method is extremely wasteful.
"Certified organic," is just the latest western/first-world affectation. While so much of the world goes without any food, we wring our hands about whether or not OUR food is "certified organic," or "free-range," or "sustainably produced," or "locally-produce," or "artisanal."
People, just eat it and thank God that you have it.
If 'organic' means natural, then why the high price? Are we paying manufacturers to do nothing? I compared eggs the other day in the supermarket. The brown eggs, supposedly from 'free range' chickens cost almost a dollar more a dozen. Why, when there is almost NO overhead in their production?
Because cage fee and organic are sufficiently more costly to produce. they aren't doing less- you plant some lettuce and do nothing and, guess what? Your lettuce will be invaded by pests and weeds and won't be worth selling. So they use organic techniques, like certain bugs, using manure, etc, etc. Cage free and free range chickens need more space and you have loss because of disease and aggression and (with free range) predators.
In most cases there's a bit more work to produce organic food. It's just the chemical pesticides are swapped for natural ones or manual work. This is generally less efficient than the chemical version so additional time and product will usually need to be used. Then in general, there are lower yields using this method. Less fruit with more work equals a higher price.
Free range chicken requires more space, and thus has a real estate higher cost. A lot of other organic food has higher costs because things like paid labor are used instead of inexpensive chemicals. I pull weeds in my yard by hand. That takes some time on the weekends. RoundUp would be cheaper.
Susan, natural has no meaning what so ever when describing food products. Saying something is natural, is like stating animals defecate. This is something animals do. Growing green beans in the ground, is natural, apples grow from trees, is natural... but it is the process that they put these foods in is what is not natural. The USDA has no definition for natural. Anyone can put NATURAL on a product and uneducated and uninformed consumers are the ones who are suckered to believe that because a product states that it is natural, it makes it better for them. It means nothing...
Natural eggs, so they say, come from chicken houses that house millions of chickens that live in cages for their entire life and live in masses of feces and they never see the day. They have no purpose, other than to lay eggs... They are slaves to laying eggs for consumers. Just google factory chicken farming. That is your NATURAL chicken... there is nothing natural about that... We consumers are believed to thinking chickens live on a farm like they did in the 50's, they walk around, eat worms and get to roam the plantation... Chicken farming is nothing like this... Unless, you buy chickens, eggs, etc... from local farms and you know exactly where those eggs come from and how the chickens are treated... Unless you do this, you have no idea how your eggs or chickens were produced before you serve them to your family... This is the reality. The next time your in your food store and see this beautiful picture of a FARM on the box... it means nothing.. Of course, many consumers buy it.. thinking... it came from a farm, not a factory.
Organic products are more expensive because crop yields are lower. I've actually found that i cannot eat non organic products after a while if i switch to organic because the non organic stuff has a chemical taste to it. Raisins are a good example of that. The chemical taste are the pesticides & herbicides.
Also, not all organic products are that much more expensive. You need to shop around. I shop 5 different places for my groceries, sometimes 6 or 7 to get the best for the lowest price.
I don't understand why so many people trumpet complaints with no relevant facts. I guess it's easier than being a responsible shopper.
organic consistently costs double. Cold truth. Occasionally more or less but double is average. So what. Games for the wealthy, the haves. It's unsustainable at global scale. No nutritional benefit, little evid3nce of health affects. Looots of evidence that eating processed junk food and getting fat is bad for you. When people get their weight down, we can talk about organic.
Pesticides and herbicides are poisons designed to kill living things. Are we living things? I thought so. One poison filled apple might not harm us (except if you're Snow White), but if all you food is laden with poison- well you're in trouble. We are not be any means rich people, but we choose not eat poisons. We grow our own veggies, and shop in season in a local organic farm store or local farmers' market. We eat organic eggs and wild caught fish. We eat a very liItle meat, but organically raised if we do. We try to avoid GMO junk too. The american public are being used as Guinea pigs to test their Frankenstein foods. Watch out for yourself and your family. Corporations are only interested in money- not us and our health.
You must be then very healthy eating organic. What is your blood pressure? Mine is 60-120, and bpm is 40-45 at rest. I buy food at Safeway, 99Ranch, Walmart, Target, Winco...
Do you have any evidence, not words, of benefits of eating organic? One time we have tried to taste the difference between organic and generic apples. People with eyes tied tasted each type multiple times, the guess rate was ~50%, ie, random coincidence. Normal English: I can get the same 50% guess rate by simply flipping a coin and not trying those apples.
All the claims that organic tastes differently are biased at best, it's called placebo effect.
And this, ladies and gents, is why basic science education is sorely needed in this country.
The trace amounts herbicides and pesticides are not toxic to you- you have to consume a certain amount of a toxin for it to threaten your health. We have no evidence that trace amounts of these chemicals do anything to humans. The only documented danger is to farmers and framing communities who inhale the stuff.
Pen, a couple of important points. All fruits and vegetables contain "natural carcinogens" (poisons) thanks to evolution, heck there are even trace amounts of "natural" radiation from the soil in your food. The vast majority of organic farming has been bought out by these giant corporations (what does that say about the original organic farmers eh?) and, unlike what you suggest, most corporations want to be viable in the long term, so their customers dying is not particularly in their self interest (there are some exceptions). In terms of GMO, it has been around since the 1980's and there is not a record of anyone dying from it unlike from some natural foods (E-coli, unpasteurized milk). In fact if you don't want pesticides in yoru food you should be supporting GMO. Keep in mind that with "poison" it is the dosage that counts.
There is no nutritional benefit to eating organic. Infact one could reasonably argue that eating organic is more dangerous – lack of anti-fungicides to avoid spoilage in grains, enterobacterial contamination from "organic" sewage fertilizers instead of defined sterile chemical K-P-N fertilizers, or lack of irradiation to reduce overall microbial counts etc.
The two more important considerations might be to 1) shop for locally sourced products –> overall lower transportation costs, and 2) taste since produce from small organic farms is typically harvested ripe and not coated.
That's the craziest thing I've read so far. Yeah, I guess they are the same nutritionally, except for some things like grass fed beef. But the avoidance of chemicals in your diet is enough for me!
It is not "chemicals" per se that are bad, it depends on the molecular structure just like Arsenic and Mercury. Just like scientists in the lab, nature also mixed elements together which can be poisonous (heck Sodium and water together can explode!). This chemicals are always evil mentality is plain silly.
I buy organic, and I don't really care about the cost. But that doesn't mean I won't buy inorganic food if there is something that I want but is unavailable from an organic producer. I didn't see "Prefers Organic, but not a Snob" as an option.
The ONLY thing "organic" means is 3-5 times the price. The rest is just marketing nonsense to dupe rich hippies. And it works.
No doubt to tear away money from the hard working American hippies and to disperse it to the lazy hippies with no jobs. Want a job? Vote for us and see what happens!
Organic products are more expensive because crop yields are lower. I've actually found that i cannot eat non organic products after a while if i switch to organic because the non organic stuff has a chemical taste to it. Raisins are a good example of that. The chemical taste are the pesticides & herbicides.
Guess what Andy? You're a hypochondriac!
Paulz, you smoke too much dope. Your comments are spacey and unclear as a result.
Keep eating your factory produced food. Enjoy!
Why would you want to eat foods that are sprayed with poisons and/or genetically modified or eat meat from animals that have been fed diets so unnatural that we have to slaughter them or they'll die from what they are eating? Why would you consider people who pay more for organic foods to be "hippies" or somehow misinformed? I don't buy everything organic because I don't have access to only organic options but I would if I could. Why wouldn't I? Sure it's a little bit more expensive but the alternative should disgust you. To me it just seems idiotic to defend the people who produce food that could have negative side affects to our well-being due to the manner in which it is grown, harvested, packaged, etc. It makes me angry and frustrated that we even have to have this conversation of organic vs. non-organic. I wish I didn't have to worry about the foods I consume or the millions of other products that are mass produced by methods that are hazardous to our health and the health of the planet. It's scary to me that you don't...
Pity that "organic" also means expensive. A 5lb bag of organic potatoes is twice the cost of non-organic. Two organic zucchinis cost 4x the non-organic.
My understanding regarding the price difference is that conventional farming (and GMO crops) recieve government subsidies and organic farming does not. Also, to be labelled organic, the farmers have to pay quite a bit of money just to be stamped organic.
Its actually mostly related to decreased crop yield (GMO crops are genetically modified to grow bigger, faster and and more prolifically) and the increased labor required to grow them. This doesn't mean that 100% of the price increase is reflected 100% by the increased cost and decreased output. Factory organic farming is gaining traction and actually making the requirements for "Certified Organic" less stringent so there is certainly an increased profit margin with organic foods.
The best choice? Local. (Or local organic if you live in California)
Let me education you. Non-organic food does not last long, which is why it cost more to produce. If you were a grocery store and you sold organic apples, they went bad in 3 days after receiving them, vs non-organic apples that lasted 10 days, would you charge more for the organic apples? of course, because organic apples that you did not sell, you would have to trash...
The reason why so many people have allergies is because of the chemicals added to food. Just another thing to think about. Why all of a sudden do we have so many people allergic to GLUTEN? it is "natural" it is a protein in wheat, rye and barley. All of a sudden, millions of people have allergies because of it. Why were people okay in the mid 1900's? but not now? Simply put, chemicals and HMO's. Why is it that if these same people eat wheat, rye and barley in European countries where they have been using the same old grains that their four-fathers used a long time ago and not have any allergic reactions to them? because they have not been modified nor are they produced with chemicals.
Why do we continue to keep damaging our food supply and trying to create stuff another way? Profits....
It's amazing how many people believe in myths about organic labels. I like that one: an organic is not a GMO. Yeah, right. Fact is, 100% of our food is GMO. Some foods didn't even existed before human, we have created them through a process called "selection".
Have you ever seen a wild apple? I have, it's smaller than a cherry and tastes like a wood full of acid. The same story with every other domesticated fruit and vegy. Meat is either GMO or selected, 100%. Organic is just a label tag, that's it. True, some organic might have lower levels of fertilizers than generic, but none are clean, every one was grown using one of pesticides, fertilizer, drugs, etc. Most types of animal food are forbidden for sale without proper immunization, drug treatment.
There is one type of truly organic food you can buy though – non-farm sea products.
p.s.
I work at the national lab, organic chemistry, we have probed many food samples for "organicity". Chemists don't waste money on organic label tag, ask them.
Ah, I would say there is a big difference between selective breeding and putting frog dna into a potato plant so it turns things around and eats any bugs that land on it. There is alot to be said for growing food that tastes good versus food that is pest resistant or has a longer shelf life. There's a certain throwing the baby out with the bathwater aspect to thinking of food in terms of money.
It's hard to imagine someone who claims he works in a lab would need the obvious pointed out to him, that would be disturbing.
Actually, there is absolutely NO difference between selective breeding and putting frog dna into a potato from your stomach point of view. None of those frog or potato dna, none of any dna make it through our intestines into the blood stream. Stomach acids break apart anything breakable into amino-acids, sugar, and fats, and our body pushes out the rest. I'm not talking about vitamins and inorganic salts and micro elements.
For example, snake poison (protein based) is not a poison if you inject it into your burger and eat it. We have verified it on rats, many many times. But it can kill a rat if simply put on skin or directly in the blood stream, bypassing great protective mechanisms of the vertebrate digestive system. Do NOT try it at home though, you may have wounds in your mouth, then the poison will work.
@Andy
There is a difference and here it is: before GMOs, allergies in children were few and far between. I believe the number is a 270% rise in food allergies since the introduction of GMOs. These allergies are the body's way of reacting to a foreign protein that it doesn't recognize or sees as a threat. Not only have allergies rates risen but so too have cancer rates.
Nature has made it impossible for different species of life – whether it be animal, plant, insects or fish, to interbreed. It's only by man's destructive hand that frog dna can be mixed in with the genes of a tomato plant.
I'm with Andy on this one, genes are genes and fact is we share 97% of ours with mice and we look nothing like them. That being said, selective breeding is similar to genetic modification because you the end result is getting desired genes (like the ones you'd find from a sweet apple) into the next generation of cultivars. Genetic modification does this by specifically targeting known genes while selective breeding does this by genetic crossing.
I, for one, buy mostly organic because it does involve somewhat more responsible farming practices and does avoid synthetic pesticides, herbicides and other compounds (such as the overuse of ABx and hormones). I could care less if there was a salmon gene in my tomato because I often eat salmon and tomatoes. I often eat them together and my body processes both of them just fine.
@Kianasmum, while I agree that allergies and cancer rates are on the rise, you can't state that GMOs are to blame. All you have there is a correlation. Not cause and effect. You could also say that allergies have been on the rise since cell phones went wild. You could say cancer has been on the rise since Rams football moved back to St. Louis.
That's why we need to continue research and isolate causes.
Kianasmum, care to cite your sources?
Something from a top tier peer reviewed journal might be good.
Finally, a beacon of intelligence
I can answer the headline question: Organic means the company that makes it wants to sell it for more than it is worth, so they slap "organic" on the label.
Typical uneducated consumer who probably buys HMO food thinking its safe.
Sustainable food choices aren't just about organic labeling, though. If I had to choose between organic apple juice shipped in a plastic bottle from 3000 miles away or conventional apple juice in a glass jar from the orchard an hour away, I would choose the latter. If the choice is between cheap, conventional avocados from South America at the grocery store, or more expensive avocados from the no-spray guys trying to get their start at the farmer's market, I'd choose the latter. And finally, since I personally believe that government corn subsidies are harmful to the big picture of human and economic health, I prefer to avoid unnecessary corn products, and nothing with HFCS can be labeled as organic, so in that regard, the label can simplify choices.
I really don't understand why people get so angry about people's personal food choices.
Just a point of clarificaiton here.... .some people may think that "organic" means "natural". Not necessarily...
"Organically grown" animals likely have been fed cord and soy feeds, not according to what they would normally eat if they were left to forage on their own. Corn and soy based animal feeds (even organic ones) do not have the nutritional value of grass, etc
Also, "access to outdoors" means only that. Typically this "access" is a small door to an outside holding pen that, for the most part, the animals avoid using anyway. Just because the access was supplied, doesn' t mean the animal ever went outdoors!
Bull. "Organic" means that a substance contains carbon, the basic element of life (as we know it, anyway),nothing more, nothing less. All the crap above was created by the industry to sell something. And none of it makes the slightest bit of difference to what you are actually consuming, only what you pay for it, and how hard the people who sold it to you are laughing at your gullibility.
Well now all the chemical co.'s are trying to bash the Organic industry because proposition 37 is coming around the corner. This article was fair. The lying MSM has put such a spin on healthy organic foods in the last few day's due to the funding of the chemical food companies. No GMO's, no pesticides, no herbicides, no antibiotics. Get the word out.
Well said. This latest attack upon organic food stinks of pesticides, additives and profits for chemo-agri business. I'm NOT surprised that the media gives it attention. Should we believe columns written by those who are paid by media who are in turn sponsored by chemical firms?
but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...
I've been buying organic fruit and veggies for years from the same people at my local farmers market. I juice so the pesticide issue is my main concern. I have never heard of anyone buying it because it's more nutritious. There is a taste difference though. For example, regular apples are larger juicier with a waxy coating, the taste is bland and the waxy coating feels gross to chew on. Organic apples are smaller but they have a better flavor and it's enjoyable to eat.
Organic apple don't sell on this planet. The are tiny tini green acidic cherry-like, besides your stomach is unable to digest them anyway.
What in the world are you blathering on about? I read your comment above. Walk in to any store in the US apples are not tiny green and cherry like. Apples like the picture above is what most people imagine when we are discussing apples. Organic means less pesticides and a more natural process. Again the article above discusses that. Consumers are trying to get away from all the chemicals.
So the local farm that I buy that sells organic apples, are really selling me FAKE organic apples, is that correct sir?
You do realize it is illegal to sell products that are non-organic and to label them as being such? Also, there are over 7,000 different kinds of apples in the world. Not just the tinny ones you are referring to, also known as crab apples. Of course they are acid, which is why people rarely eat them.. they are mostly used for Jams or just to look at... nothing more, nothing less.. Mr. Andy.
Lila -you make a good point about the taste. I have justed harvesting my own fruit, which I call "low spray", perhaps a handful of times for the most critical issues (most commercial orchards spray 12-14 times/yr). My apples, pears, peaches, etc, have thick intensely fragrant skins pock-marked with all sorts of bizzareness. Also, as someone else mentioned, they are smaller (but chewier) that conventional. Why? When plants don't evolve to rely on so many pesticide inputs, they make thicker skins to defend themselves, which ironically, is where much of the nutrition, and consequently, flavor is. Also, most orchards today are irrigated, which makes larger, but less flavorful fruit b/c the sugars get diluted. Most people are totally ignorant of nature and how their food comes to be. IF more people did not expect unblemished fruit and accepted it for how nature happens w/o too much human intervention, we'd all be better off.
I completely agree on the issue of people expecting blemish free produce. It's sad how much good food is thrown away at stores because it's got some small mark on it and noone will buy it.
USDA organic and Organic are not the same. You can not have Seedless grapes and call that Organic. That is wrong wrong wrong. The grape seeds contain the anti cancer agent known as flavonoids. IT is a abomination to call that organic. A rotten shame
Exactly, if most people knew the difference... After all, what is natural about something that does not have a seed? Seedless fruits are engineered. Something consumers still don't seem to understand yet. Fruits are suppose to have seeds.
Organic and natural do not necessarily mean safe. Rattlesnake venom is naturally occurring. So are insecticidal toxins in some chrysanthemum plants, which make pesticides used by organic farmers (these pesticides are simply pressed from the flowers, bottled, and then sprayed on plants). The effects of these natural pesticides on humans are not tested as well as the effects of modern synthetic pesticides. "Tested" does not necessarily mean harmless, but all foods contain substances that might be considered harmful.
I favor organic meats and diary, not because they have been proven to be more safe, but because the animals are arguably treated better.
Many people who have never worked in agriculture wonder why chemicals are used on food crops. Many types of crops will not even produce a harvest without requiring tremendous expense if we attempt to raise them without chemicals, because disease and insects to so much damage. I'm not talking about simple caterpillar holes–the whole crop can be destroyed. Organic approaches can work to defend crops, but they can be expensive and they are not necessarily safer, in spite of what the organic foods market might tell you.
The resion why indrustrialy produced food with chemicals are cheaper is due to goverment subsidies. if goverment dont give subsidies to indrustrial food, but put tax on them becasue they are making people sick and give subsidies to organic food, organic food would be way cheaper.
They can still use pesticides in organic farming, so long as they are labeled "synthetic" – which oftentimes means the pesticides they do use are even more harmful for you.
Oh, and about the fact they taste better? It's all in your head, it's been shown time and time again. It's kinda like how a $100 bottle of wine "tastes better," but in a taste test, no one can tell the difference. It's all snake oil, I'll hold onto my money thank you.
*NOT labeled "synthetic"
Yes, an organic diet is recommended unless you are a silicon-based life form!
People are just stupid with how they abuse the word "organic". "Organic" means it was derived from carbon molecules. Just about ALL food is "organic" unless it's made out of plastic (and even many of them are carbon-derived).
Yes, an "organic" diet is recommended unless you are a silicon-based lifeform!
Yes, yes....if you want to look at the first definition of 'organic' in Webster's that's what you get. But in the context of this article we're using the definition of how one achieves a label of "organically grown" produce. You might need to read down to definition 4 or 5 on this one.
Try eating a diet of plastic and see how that goes for you....i'm an Organic chemist by the way...serioulsy... and I do eat organic food. I'm not particularly fond of eating pesticides and antibiotics in a constant low dose that is ubiquitous in the common US food supply. We just don't know enough about the long term exposure to these types of things..maybe they are fine...I don't have a peer reviewed study that proves its bad for human health but sometimes things just make sense.
The Organic movement is the first step in the right direction. Ideally, the next step would be for a grass-fed, pastured movement of the same scale. Organic alone does not automatically mean, healthy, happy, grass-fed animal. It means that an animal may not be fed or housed well enough to maintain its health, and when it does get sick, it will not get treated. Then this animal will go to slaughter, and we will eat an untreated, sick animal. As a great lover of chicken, beef, and bacon, (not to mention animals in general) I am not on board.
When you ask a preschooler what a cow eats, they will tell you grass, not grain, corn or soy. (Would you feed a tiger cereal, and expect it to stay healthy? No, hey, that would be ridiculous! Silly person. But wait, would you feed a cow tootsie rolls with the wrapper on, and eat what becomes of it? This one sounds familiar....)
The label "vegetarian-fed" also gets tossed around more frequently now, as it reminds us of the word vegetable. These ruminants and fowl are not getting vegetables, but they also aren't eating animal parts, feces or plastics in their feed. Hooray! They are getting grains instead, and as a whole I would eat these guys over their organic counter parts, (and eat organic over conventional).
Pastured is a word to look for instead. This means that the animals literally live on a pasture. Who knew?? In some cases, they also may have their pasture supplemented with grain, but are able to eat grass if they choose to. After all, don't animals, human included, eat what they are put in front of them? But our delicious bovine friends evolved to eat grass! Our fowl friends want to eat grass and bugs and berries and worms as well. And who are we to deprive them of that?
Lastly, it is important to chose meats and dairy from reputable small farms. Not only does it help increase economic gain for your farming community, you are much more likely to be eating a healthy animal. Animals that are eating animal by-product, cramped in cages and sick as dogs, and on top of that are not getting treated for their diseases (ORGANIC!) are not healthy to be eating! Eat local meat, vegetables and dairy from a source (hint:farm) you KNOW (my guess is not the local Higgly Piggly) in which the animals are fed and treated humanely. Research the food you eat.
n the end, eat the healthiest food you can. It will save you hundreds of not thousands on medical bills down the road. Insulin and statins are expensive guys! Have a delicious (healthfully raised) steak instead.
I TOTALLY agree with you. I have been diagnosed as a diabetic for 17 years. I met my wife 7 years ago and started eating organic foods. Since then I have been off medicine and my blood sugars, cholesterol l and hemoglobin levels are normal.
Organic foods such as meat and fruit have totally changed my life and have kept me alive. I am sure I would be dead by now!
PUH-RAISE THE LORD!!! And did you throw away your crutches, too?
Really. And your evidence, based on peer-reviewed scientific studies of the issue is...?
I was really disturbed to hear the evening news give a spin of the Stanford report with the focus that organic has the same nutrition as nonorganic. That's not the point, folks! Obviously, big agriculture is behind this news story, and it's everywhere today. Organic, according to the report, DOES have less pesticides. THAT'S the point! Organic meat is raised sustainably. THAT'S the point! Organic foods are not genetically modified. THAT'S the point! But we all know what the average consumer is going to hear and take away. Food is food. WRONG! As long as big ag keeps pushing irresponsible animal husbandry (including antibiotic use; feeding of foreign substances; denial of fresh air and exercise and thus increased exposure to human-harmful bacteria; and inhumane treatment of animals), genetically modified (corporate patten owned) foods, and fresh products exposed to pesticides, then Americans are going to continue to suffer from food-related health problems. And that's not even mentioning HFCS and food processing.
Yeah, I do not understand the "no more nutritious than..." spin. Anyone that eats organic knows this already. I also find it interesting that it is never mentioned that some heirloom produce does have higher concentrations of nutrients.
To be fair, the point of that study was specifically nutrition. That's the variable they were looking at. A study looking at the different effects of organic vs non-organic foods on humans is a completely different thing.
You need to blame the media for presenting it inaccurately. Not the farmers who don't grow organic.
Start with an organ.......
Further down on this same webpage... an article on the aforementioned Stanford study.
http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/04/is-organic-food-more-nutritious-and-healthier-than-conventional-varieties/?iid=hl-main-lede&hpt=hp_bn16
Given that the primary health issue of organic IS avoiding toxic pesticides , I was a bit saddened to see that Stanford of all places did a nutrition study saying "No Nutritional Benefit" And then treating the Toxic Pesticides as an ancillary insignificant issue . . .
" Eating organic food will not make you healthier, according to researchers at Stanford University, although it could cut your exposure to pesticides "
ALTHO ? Geeeez , spend a ton of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to send your kid to go to an upscale school and they MISS the simple primary point ?
Guess the prof's are Not all they are cooked up to be either , letting This pass !
k
I think you misread the article because that's not exactly what it said. It didn't note the exposure to pesticides as an ancillary issue. It qualified its statement about the equivalent level of nutrition in conventional vs. organic food by stating that eating organic foods reduces your exposure to pesticides. The correct quote is as follows:
"They did not find strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or carry fewer health risks than conventional alternatives, though consumption of organic foods can reduce the risk of pesticide exposure."
Mary, the researchers didn't miss the point. They were studying the nutrition levels in organic vs non-organic produce. This study found that the nutrient levels were relatively unchanged.
I'm sure ingesting the trace pesticides in conventionally grown produce has some negative effect, but it apparently doesn't change the nutrients in the food. Studying the effects of pesticides from consumed food in humans is a whole different study.
You don't have to have uppity taste buds to notice that organic fruits and veggies taste significantly better.
Many taste tests prove otherwise.
For smaller farms to make it organic all they need is print that it is on a piece of paper/plastic
If they want to stay competitive with the conventional farms, organic farmers must raise and grow a bunch of, special, genetically modified breeds that's more resistant to pests and diseases and can also maintain a good yield. In other words, if you want to stay away from the wonders of science and labs, you're better off foraging for next meal. But if you want to be more environmentally friendly, go with organics.
The heart of organic is all about sustainability and elimination of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Unfortunately there's always loopholes and people taking advantage of it. Is all organic truly organic, of course not, but it's a step in the right direction.
What's better than "organic" is the use of GMO crops that don't need fertilizer or pesticides and use less water. The principle is exactly the same: leave the land and water intact and use no poisons but GMO crops are gigantically higher yielding and can be more drought tolerant. In a world with an ever-increasing population of humans and an increasing taste for meat, GMOs are the only way to feed everyone and avoid poisoning ourselves, the land and the water.
GMO crops contain one or more extra proteins from nature that have been knocked into their genome. This is what allows GMO corn to fix its own nitrogen, repel the corn borer pest and be drought tolerant. GMO crops are a NO BRAINER but once again, a few people have successfully used scare tactics so effective, people won't even read up and educate themselves on what GMOs really are. GMOs are the answer to the rising human population and sustainable farming methods. High yield + low environmental impact = sustainable farming. Look it up.
GMOs and the companies that create them are also creating monocultures in our fields. GMOs might be resistant to pest and disease, but as nature goes, they are by no means immune. What happens when something comes along that wipes out the monoculture?
you are way off the mark, my friend.
I love the sustainability argument. For the life of me, I do not know how scientist can find one molecule of DDT in a glass of milk and can not honestly tell you whether organic is more nutritious. Something smell kind of funny.
Look, here is how it goes for good eating and general health...
1 – Avoid the big 3...Sugar, Salt and Bread (including pastas, whole wheat..whatever might be bread)
2 – Eat many smaller meals during the day and include veggies and fruits as much as possible.
3 – Lots of water...bears saying again, lots of water.
4 – Get off your butt, away from the TV and computer, and get SOME kind of exercise.
It's pretty simple and we all know this is true. There are other stuff but if you are RESPONSIBLE and honest with yourself it just doesn't matter if organic or not, just use your stinkin common sense.
Yes, those are good tips but has NOTHING to do with Organics. None of those things will prevent the ingestion of Growth Hormones, Antibiotics, Pesticides, Herbicides, or food grown from land that allows sewer sludge.
A healthy diet and exercise are good but how healthy is the diet?
Now, there is one heck of a start. We kind of know all of those suggestion work.
And cheese. Avoid cheese like the plague. Cheese is the enemy!
We need to remember what "organic" means for the farmers who do not have to come in contact with toxic chemicals on daily basis, for the environment that does not get contaminated by chemical runoffs and for the pollinators that do not get killed or mutated by pesticides. We all pay for our food one way or another; as the cost of the food itself, as health care costs for farm workers, the cost to clean up water supply, to fund scientific programs to help the pollinators stay healthy, etc. Everything is connected on this planet. We can't just pursue the "cheapest" or most profitable options without understand the impact on everything else because it will come back to harm us, our children and their children.
Organic fields suffer an abnormally high crop failure rate. They produce significantly lower crop yields. We are living in a world with 7 billion people. Sure, organic is good, and it is a wonderful privilege. But it is only a privilege. The moment that famine hits, it will be taken away. We'd love to live ina world where everything is organic. But we have to feed the species. Thank your liver for it's wonderful cleansing abilities. And don't be too let down when you wake up in 20 years and find that organic production outside of your yard has become illegal in commercial operations in the age of famine.
Growing your own veggies is the best thing anyone can do. It will save you so much money and you don't have to worry about ingesting any poision. Why waste money on organic food when you can grow it yourself? Makes no sense to me.
Meg, you don't keep a garden. People with gardens in the 'burbs or rural areas are constantly at war with deer, skunks, oppossums, racoons and loads of nematode pests that also think your organic produce is tasty. Giant, sturdy fences can keep out the larger critters but the nematodes and other insect pests are beastly to keep down without pesticides. Sure, you can try spraying down your plants with diluted soap and such but you will have to apply nearly every day and what's that doing to your soil?
The human population exploded at about the time synthetic fertilizer, pesticides and high-yielding variety crops came on the scene. Look up India as an excellent case study because that was recent (1970s) and good data exist. India is now poisoned and many wells have run dry trying to keep up this kind of production. GMOs are also India's answer to feeding a high population with the need to stop using poisons.
Once you get that fence up around your garden to keep out the deer, put three or four chickens in there. (Bring them in at night, of course, and make sure there's water for them.) There go your creepy-crawlies, with no fuss, no muss. Heck, my chickens even eat black widow spiders and turn them into eggs and fertilizer. Quite a magic trick.
Organic means not using pesticides and chemicals while growing food products, interesting that the reporter used a picture of a bright red apple, the greatest recipient of pesticides and chemicals. The theory is consumers will not buy apples that look natural ( blemishes, dark spots, and not bright red). Sorry for being helpful
Look I washed my apple. OK now its organic and cost 1/3 of the whole foods apple. A fool born every minute..
You're the fool if you think the pesticides are only on the skin of the apple.
They design those cides to be lethal to those tiny invertebrates that attack the crops so you and I could inject small amounts of it and come out alive. Though I'm not suggesting that stomach pain and diarrhea are all that pleasant so next time, just peel the skin off of fruits and cook your vegetables.
Not necessarily true. I can wash a an Apple non organic and feel itchy in my throat and gums when eating the skin or even if pealing it. I noticed this to be true with other fruits and veggies after washing. I also notice that I do not have this reaction from "Organic" or home grown veggies/fruits... food for thought.
1/3 of the cost... How much are you saving, 20 cents? You're the fool ingesting pesticides to save a few cents.
This is rather inaccurate: "Organic produce is grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge" etc. In the United States, there is a list of chemicals that are cannot be used on certified organic foods. If the chemical is not on the prohibited list, it may be used and still be called organic. You just need to trust that the farmer follows the spirit of the regulations instead of 'to the letter' rules.
There is something to be said about fewer preservatives and chemicals in food, but I don't go out of my way to buy organic produce or foods. People think that organic foods are necessarily healthier, which is just plain wrong.
It means "Overpay for this sucker"
Archer – Daniels and Cargill will one day bring you organic Soylent Green ... nom nom
It's an excuse to charge more. Nothing more.
Reblogged this on and commented:
Thank you for breaking it down...
It's that long-awaited release after ... oh, my bad. Carry on.