Organic Food: Make an informed choice.
May 29th 2010 02:39
I hear a lot of parents preaching about how they only feed their kids "organic" and "natural" foods. I realize that it's a personal choice, but it's a little annoying when they act superior because of it. Not all do, obviously, but I've met some that act like they're better parents than me because of it.
Personally, I don't buy organic food for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, we have enough expenses without doubling our grocery bill. Organic food generally costs far more than non-organic, and groceries take a big enough bite out of our paychecks already. Plus there's no concrete evidence that organic food has more nutritional value than non-organic.
A lot of people are under the impression that organic food is better for you because they don't use chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers. This is just straight-up wrong. Organic farmers use “organic” pesticides. Many of them are as bad or worse for the environment as synthetic fertilizers. One organic pesticide is Rotenone. Know what else Rotenone is used for? Killing fish. Just because a chemical is organic doesn't mean it's safe. Read this article by a grad student at Berkeley to learn more about organic pesticides. The fertilizers are safer than the pesticides, though generally not nearly as efficient or cost-effective as synthetic fertilizers.
If you're dead-set on buying organic, there are two things you should watch out for. First, if you're buying organic to support family farms, great. I'm all for supporting family farms. I grew up on one. But make sure you know where the food you're buying is coming from. Dean Foods, a huge corporation, sells the most organic milk in the US through their Horizon Organic label. Also, quite a bit of organic food sold in the US comes from China. Check out this article in the New York Sun for more info on that. So it's hard to know if you're actually supporting family farms by buying organic. Plus, regulations are quite a bit looser in China. Who knows what could end up in your "organic" food? And second, watch out for the label “Natural”. Natural doesn't mean organic. “Certified Organic” food at least has regulations governing what kind of food can carry that label-”Natural” isn't regulated and can be pretty much anything the companies say it is. Foods that companies label as “Natural” aren't necessarily healthier or safer than other foods.
But then again, neither are foods labeled “Organic.” Like any choice, you should research this one before making it.
Personally, I don't buy organic food for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, we have enough expenses without doubling our grocery bill. Organic food generally costs far more than non-organic, and groceries take a big enough bite out of our paychecks already. Plus there's no concrete evidence that organic food has more nutritional value than non-organic.
A lot of people are under the impression that organic food is better for you because they don't use chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers. This is just straight-up wrong. Organic farmers use “organic” pesticides. Many of them are as bad or worse for the environment as synthetic fertilizers. One organic pesticide is Rotenone. Know what else Rotenone is used for? Killing fish. Just because a chemical is organic doesn't mean it's safe. Read this article by a grad student at Berkeley to learn more about organic pesticides. The fertilizers are safer than the pesticides, though generally not nearly as efficient or cost-effective as synthetic fertilizers.
If you're dead-set on buying organic, there are two things you should watch out for. First, if you're buying organic to support family farms, great. I'm all for supporting family farms. I grew up on one. But make sure you know where the food you're buying is coming from. Dean Foods, a huge corporation, sells the most organic milk in the US through their Horizon Organic label. Also, quite a bit of organic food sold in the US comes from China. Check out this article in the New York Sun for more info on that. So it's hard to know if you're actually supporting family farms by buying organic. Plus, regulations are quite a bit looser in China. Who knows what could end up in your "organic" food? And second, watch out for the label “Natural”. Natural doesn't mean organic. “Certified Organic” food at least has regulations governing what kind of food can carry that label-”Natural” isn't regulated and can be pretty much anything the companies say it is. Foods that companies label as “Natural” aren't necessarily healthier or safer than other foods.
But then again, neither are foods labeled “Organic.” Like any choice, you should research this one before making it.
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