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Health Benefits Of Organic Food
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Published: September 5, 2006
Is there really any difference between organic food and "regular" food? Besides the price, that is?
This is a topic of hot debate among food lovers of all stripes. Organic food- food grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, sewage sludge, radiation or bioengineering- is so marketable that even the king of the box stores, Wal-Mart, is getting in on the action. Wal-Mart announced early in 2006 it would devote more shelf space to organic food.
Supporters say organic food is healthy. It increases nutrients and reduces the amount of dangerous chemicals a person might ingest eating conventionally-farmed foods.
They also say organic food is good for the environment. Harmful chemicals are not deposited into the water and soil to resurface in next year's food crop. Less is wasted in terms of energy and packaging materials for chemical fertilizers. Crops are rotated rather than grown in the same soil all the time.
An added bonus: though conventionally-farmed foods might look better and last longer, organic food often tastes better. Who hasn't bitten into a huge, luscious-looking strawberry and been disappointed by its Styrofoam-like texture and flavor?
Critics of organic food say organic farming is not insecticide-free. It permits the use of natural insecticides, like rotenone and inorganic copper, which can be dangerous to a person's health. Rotenone has been linked to Parkinson's disease. Copper can poison the soil because it is not biodegradable.
What's more, some claim organic farming is inefficient because it does not produce as much yield per acre as conventional-intensive farming. Less food results in higher food prices. Poorer people, therefore, are less able to afford organic food. If everything went organic, their health may suffer.
One reason people have become more interested in organic food is because they do not trust agribusiness claims about food safety. Public outcry in 1989 forced the U.S. Uniroyal Chemical Company to withdraw the chemical Alar from the market. Alar had been used to regulate apple growth and deepen fruit's color, but a study indicated it could produce tumors in mice.
Another example is the "mad cow disease" outbreaks in the late 1990s and early 2000s. "Mad cow disease," or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a brain-wasting disease. Cows catch it when they eat disease-tainted tissue from other animals. Such animal byproducts are often found in manufactured feed used in conventional farming. Organic food farming, by comparison, requires cows be fed grain and hay that are free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, as well as other animals.
Even if someone decides to "go organic," it is not always easy to tell what food is organic and what food is not. A safe bet is to look for a green-and-white circle label that says "USDA Organic" on an item. This means it meets the U.S. Department of Agriculture's production and handling guidelines for organic food and is at least 95 percent organic. (Unfortunately, use of the seal is still voluntary at this time.)
Another good idea is to check the labels of multi-ingredient items. A product less than 70 percent organic cannot use the word "organic" on the front of its package, under USDA guidelines.
Also, the words "natural" and "organic" are not interchangeable. In the U.S., only food meeting USDA guidelines for production and handling can legally call itself "organic food."
Organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Organic Consumers Union are aggressive when it comes to researching companies that promote themselves as organic food producers. Their Web sites carry lists of organic foods and products meeting their stringent standards.
Where can you find organic food? Retailers such as Whole Foods Markets and Wild Oats have built their reputations on the organic food they sell. Other food retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Albertson's, are giving more shelf space to organic food to meet public demand. Family farmers who sell at farmer's markets have traditionally been a reliable source for organic food. And there is nothing stopping the home gardener from turning a patch of earth into an organic food plot.
A basic primer on what the USDA requires of organic food can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/brochure.html.
Just because it is organic, however, does not necessarily mean it is free from surface dirt and bacteria. Wash produce when you get it home. Clean hands, utensils and kitchen surfaces thoroughly after handling raw foods like meat or eggs. Follow the same rules of good food hygiene as you would with any non-organic food. You can only enhance the flavor and value of your organic food, and protect your health, by doing so.
Sources:
www.time.com/time/insidebiz/article/0,9171,11010 30714-%20463083,00.html (July 14, 2003 issue)
www.ams.usda.gov/nop
www.organicconsumers.org\
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/mar2 006/nf20060329_6971.htm (March 29, 2006 issue)
http://www.organicfood.co.uk, http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/indepth.food/organic/hea lthful.groceries/index.html, http://en.wikipedia.org
This is a topic of hot debate among food lovers of all stripes. Organic food- food grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, sewage sludge, radiation or bioengineering- is so marketable that even the king of the box stores, Wal-Mart, is getting in on the action. Wal-Mart announced early in 2006 it would devote more shelf space to organic food.
Supporters say organic food is healthy. It increases nutrients and reduces the amount of dangerous chemicals a person might ingest eating conventionally-farmed foods.
They also say organic food is good for the environment. Harmful chemicals are not deposited into the water and soil to resurface in next year's food crop. Less is wasted in terms of energy and packaging materials for chemical fertilizers. Crops are rotated rather than grown in the same soil all the time.
An added bonus: though conventionally-farmed foods might look better and last longer, organic food often tastes better. Who hasn't bitten into a huge, luscious-looking strawberry and been disappointed by its Styrofoam-like texture and flavor?
Critics of organic food say organic farming is not insecticide-free. It permits the use of natural insecticides, like rotenone and inorganic copper, which can be dangerous to a person's health. Rotenone has been linked to Parkinson's disease. Copper can poison the soil because it is not biodegradable.
What's more, some claim organic farming is inefficient because it does not produce as much yield per acre as conventional-intensive farming. Less food results in higher food prices. Poorer people, therefore, are less able to afford organic food. If everything went organic, their health may suffer.
One reason people have become more interested in organic food is because they do not trust agribusiness claims about food safety. Public outcry in 1989 forced the U.S. Uniroyal Chemical Company to withdraw the chemical Alar from the market. Alar had been used to regulate apple growth and deepen fruit's color, but a study indicated it could produce tumors in mice.
Another example is the "mad cow disease" outbreaks in the late 1990s and early 2000s. "Mad cow disease," or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a brain-wasting disease. Cows catch it when they eat disease-tainted tissue from other animals. Such animal byproducts are often found in manufactured feed used in conventional farming. Organic food farming, by comparison, requires cows be fed grain and hay that are free of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, as well as other animals.
Even if someone decides to "go organic," it is not always easy to tell what food is organic and what food is not. A safe bet is to look for a green-and-white circle label that says "USDA Organic" on an item. This means it meets the U.S. Department of Agriculture's production and handling guidelines for organic food and is at least 95 percent organic. (Unfortunately, use of the seal is still voluntary at this time.)
Another good idea is to check the labels of multi-ingredient items. A product less than 70 percent organic cannot use the word "organic" on the front of its package, under USDA guidelines.
Also, the words "natural" and "organic" are not interchangeable. In the U.S., only food meeting USDA guidelines for production and handling can legally call itself "organic food."
Organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Organic Consumers Union are aggressive when it comes to researching companies that promote themselves as organic food producers. Their Web sites carry lists of organic foods and products meeting their stringent standards.
Where can you find organic food? Retailers such as Whole Foods Markets and Wild Oats have built their reputations on the organic food they sell. Other food retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Albertson's, are giving more shelf space to organic food to meet public demand. Family farmers who sell at farmer's markets have traditionally been a reliable source for organic food. And there is nothing stopping the home gardener from turning a patch of earth into an organic food plot.
A basic primer on what the USDA requires of organic food can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/brochure.html.
Just because it is organic, however, does not necessarily mean it is free from surface dirt and bacteria. Wash produce when you get it home. Clean hands, utensils and kitchen surfaces thoroughly after handling raw foods like meat or eggs. Follow the same rules of good food hygiene as you would with any non-organic food. You can only enhance the flavor and value of your organic food, and protect your health, by doing so.
Sources:
www.time.com/time/insidebiz/article/0,9171,11010 30714-%20463083,00.html (July 14, 2003 issue)
www.ams.usda.gov/nop
www.organicconsumers.org\
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/mar2 006/nf20060329_6971.htm (March 29, 2006 issue)
http://www.organicfood.co.uk, http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/indepth.food/organic/hea lthful.groceries/index.html, http://en.wikipedia.org
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