Does buying organic food necessarily mean that it is both healthier and more ethical than non-organic food? How does food get the coveted 'organic' label, and how widely available is it?
A growing trend
Historically, organic food was once only available in small stores or farmers' markets. Now, organic foods are becoming much more widely available – organic food sales within the United States have enjoyed 17 to 20 percent growth for the past few years while sales of conventional food have grown at only about 2 to 3 percent a year. This large growth is predicted to continue, and many companies are jumping into the market.
Here in South Africa, Woolworths is stocking lots of organic products, Pick n Pay has an organic section and I am sure other supermarkets are carrying some organic products now as well. No longer is it just the health stores and farmers markets that carry organic produce.
And it is not just fresh produce – check out the supermarket aisles a bit more closely and you can find organic veggies in tins, as well as coffee and chocolate.
How does food get the 'Organic' label?
Organic food is produced according to certain legally regulated standards. For crops, it means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives. For animals, it means they were reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. Also, at all levels, organic food is produced without the use of genetically modified organisms.
To be certified organic, products must also be grown and manufactured in a manner that adheres to standards set by the country they are sold in.
Organic benefits
Defining the benefits of organic food has largely been left to word of mouth, occasional media coverage, and the promotional efforts of organic advocates. We need to evaluate these comparisons with care because neither conventional nor organic farming practices are uniform. But in general;
• Organic farms do not release synthetic pesticides into the environment - some of which have the potential to harm local wildlife.
• Organic farms are better than conventional farms at sustaining diverse ecosystems, i.e. populations of plants and insects, as well as animals.
• When calculated either per unit area or per unit of yield, organic farms use less energy and produce less waste, e.g. waste such as packaging materials for chemicals.
Supporters also claim that organically managed soil is of a higher quality and has better water retention. This may help increase yields for organic farms in drought years. Studies are also consistent in showing that organic farms are more energy efficient. Personally, I have found that changing my gardening to using organic compounds instead of harsh pesticides and chemical fertilisers has given me better looking and smelling soil – not necessarily better or bigger flower blooms – but better root systems for my plants which grow stronger each season.
Most conventionally grown food does contain pesticide residues – often multiple residues. In contrast, a study published in 2002 showed that organically grown foods consistently had about one-third as many residues as conventionally grown foods.
The dark side?
John Kent, Lecturer in Agricultural Protection, from the School of Agriculture at Charles Sturt University in Australia supports the idea that organically grown food is not as sustainable, arguing that while organically grown food certainly has its place in today's free market, the world population could not be fed with pesticide-free agriculture.
Critics claim that organic food is more expensive than conventional food and thus too highly priced to be affordable to persons on a lower income. Organic products typically cost 10% to 40% more than similar conventionally produced products. (But if more people want organic and choose organic when they can, surely the price of organic foods will become cheaper?)
There is evidence that organic farms are more sustainable and environmentally sound (as mentioned above), among other benefits. These claims, however, are subject to dispute and are not settled among scientists.
It can also be argued that soil benefits from organic agriculture have been demonstrated to be due to crop rotation, which is not an exclusively organic strategy.
For farm workers, there have been many studies on the health effects of pesticide exposure. Even when pesticides are used correctly, they still end up in the air and bodies of farm workers. Not good. While organic agriculture aims to keep pesticide use to a minimum, it is a common misconception that organic agriculture does not use pesticides.
Organic Meat
Chris Lamb, of the Meat and Livestock Commission in the UK, doubts that organic meat will ever dominate the market. "You couldn't turn over the whole of British production or consumption to being organic - it's unfeasible in terms of the amount of land available and the price." Nor does he see a day when producers and marketers set out to woo wavering vegetarians. "But if there is someone who is vegetarian for ethical reasons, the fact that there are now organic, outdoor-produced, farm shops that make the whole thing look more acceptable, that gives them an easier access point back."
My thoughts
His comments entirely miss the point for most ethically-minded vegetarians - a cruelty-free chicken is a well-treated live chicken, not an organic dead chicken. It might be more acceptable to think that your steak was once enjoying munching on nice green grass... and that chicken was not in a cage, injected with growth hormones, but picking at golden yellow corn, with the sun and sky overhead. For many people this assuages their conscience and in truth I would rather see farm animals enjoy a quality of life if only for the short time they are alive.
Organic meat is all very well. However, the stark reality is that eating meat is selfish in terms of exploitation of precious resources. It takes far more in terms of land, water, labour etc. to grow grain for raising animals than it does for organic crops directly made for human consumption. According to the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, livestock production is responsible for more climate change gasses than all the motor vehicles in the world. I know this is off the direct topic of organic but we need to look at the long-term sustainability of our planet.
A quick warning…
One thing to watch out for is companies claiming their products are organic but in reality they are not. Consider this... while USDA bureaucrats drag their feet on closing key loopholes in national organic standards, retailers, wholesalers and major “organic” brands are continuing to sell milk and dairy products labelled as "USDA Organic”, even though most or all of their milk is coming from factory farm feedlots where the animals have been brought in from conventional farms and are kept in intensive confinement, with little or no access to pasture.
So in closing, be very aware from where you are buying your ‘organic’ produce and remember...
Your choice, your responsibility.
Thanks to the following sites for info used in this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6295747.stm
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4756
http://veg.ca/content/view/133/111/
Disclaimer: Harmonious Living is written for and read by a community of individuals with strong and independent opinions. While the publishers of Harmonious Living are dedicated to providing a forum in which views can be openly expressed, those views do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.
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