Ever wonder how much money is spent on organic food? It is way too much. Honestly, how much of a difference is there between organics and regularly grown food? Think about it this way: Most baby boomers we raised and fed non-organic food when chemicals such as pesticides and other fertilizers were mainstream. Personally, I think they turned out alright and I'm not seeing a third arm or an extra eyeball. In fact, they as a demographic generate the largest amount of revenue in the United States.
Here is another argument. I have talked to doctors, food scientist, and nutritionists here at Brigham Young University and every single one I talked to mentioned that they are happy that people in general are becoming more aware of what they eat, however, the fact that people are going out of their way for organics isn't worth the minimal incremental possibility of better health. Nothing has been conclusive to them.
How about the argument that it is "greener" to buy organic food compared to regularly grown food because of the growing process harming the environment. Well, unfortunately for that argument, organic foods are being transported on such a wide scale from local growers to different chains such as Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, and the likes that the carbon foot-print necessary to quickly ship those sensitive foods from one end of the country to the other.
Now, I am a healthy eater. I like to eat wisely and I'm not a penny pincher. But the exorbitant amounts of money spent on a slight non-conclusive improvement in nutrition through organic foods needs to stop. Regularly grown foods are good for you because of the natural properties of the food. As long as you aren't gorging down junk food you're ok.
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4 comments:
My thought on the matter: companies are SAVING money by not having to use pesticides and the like, so it's interesting that organic foods COST more than regular.
BUT - I have also heard that your land has to be pesticide-free for 3 years before they can sell organics. Is that why it cost more?
I'm pretty much anti-organic, but I'm curious on this point. Thanks, Kabe!
Coralie
I found out a few things about the organic certification and these are the rules:
--Avoidance of most synthetic chemical inputs (e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc), genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of sewage sludge.
--Use of farmland that has been free from chemicals for a number of years (often, three or more).
--Keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail).
--Maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products.
--Undergoing periodic on-site inspections.
In other words, the grower doesn't necessary have to avoid the use of all chemical use on their crops. (Wasn't that what we were avoiding? And who uses sewage sludge? Shouldn't that not be allowed in ANY food?) Other than that most of the certification is just legal ramifications and periodic inspection that in a bureaucratic system can easily be manipulated by a false sense of trust by the inspector in the company. Not a very convincing thing if you ask me.
I actually think it might just be better and sometimes cheaper just to buy from a local grower that you know does a good job and call it quits. There are plenty of farmers markets these days.
-Jorel Perez
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