Let’s Talk About Organic Food

Organic foods are foods produced, grown, or farmed in accordance with standards set by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s National Organic Standards Board. In general, organic foods must be produced without the use of sewer-sludge, human waste, or synthetically produced fertilizers; growth hormones, antibiotics, artificial pesticides, or irradiation. This class of food also cannot be genetically modified or engineered.

Because of these restrictions, organic farmers use a variety of techniques to replace conventional farming methods. These techniques range from using predatory insects, such as lady bugs, as pest control, and manual weeding instead of herbicides, to using natural fertilizers instead of synthetic ones.

The Benefits of Going Organic

Proponents of organic farming and organic foods assign many benefits to the organic process. From a production standpoint, advocates claim that this type of farming releases fewer pollutants and harmful chemicals into the environment, fits in with and supports a diverse natural ecosystem, and operates with better energy efficiency.

Food enthusiasts also tout the benefits of going organic. According to them, organics not only contain less pesticides, hormones, and other harmful and unnatural substances, but may also taste better and provide more nutritional value than their non-organic counterparts.

The Debate

Though many people heartily agree with the organic revolution, not everyone is entirely happy with the idea. Critics of the movement say that, at best, organic foods have few benefits over conventionally produced foods, and at worst, organic foods may actually be a bad idea altogether.

To begin with, opponents of the organic movement point out that there are no conclusive results to justify the majority of claims made by organic proponents. This is not entirely unjustified; for virtually every study confirming the benefits of organic foods, another study appears to contradict it.

Two other factors concern organic food opponents. The first is price – organic foods can cost anywhere from 10-50% more than conventionally grown foods, partly due to the way in which organic foods must be grown. This is related to the second factor – yield. Some studies suggest that the yields from organic farms may be anywhere from 20-50% less than those of conventional farms. Less yield means less supply and higher prices. Some critics allege that organic farming is far too inefficient to feed the world’s population, even if the area of farmland was drastically increased, cutting into natural environments.

Conclusion

Whether the organic food proponents or opponents are correct remains to be seen. Few people, however, will dispute that organic food contains significantly lower amounts of pesticides and chemicals. Though the exact effects of these substances is also unclear, consumers can make their own judgments on the subject.

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Joseph Devine