China And Claiming Them As Theirs ( 335 )

What has been brought to light in recent years is the effects of these chemicals on the body’s immune response. By introducing these toxic chemicals into the body, the potency of the immune system is compromised. More commonly than not, the body’s magnificent defense system will kick in and destroy foreign invaders but all it can take is an overwhelming amount of chemicals to slow or even shut down the body’s response systems. A large amount of these types of chemicals introduced into the body at one time would be considered acute toxicity and could even cause death. Additionally, a small amount of these poisonous substances brought into the body over a long period would be considered chronic toxicity and can have detrimental effects on the body’s natural response (Hoernschemeyer 55-57). This information is startling enough to want to make a change from conventionally grown food to pesticide-free organic

According to Pollan, the reality of organic food chain is largely inaccurately reported. “Today it takes between 7 and 10 calories of fossil fuel energy to deliver one calorie of food to an American plate " (Pollan 238). For example, although supermarket produce and goods may have the label of organic, it has been shipped all around the country in vehicles powered by fossil fuels. Many literary critics focus their reports on some small and non-representative organic farms which follow the organic ideal, while making the public believe such is the reality of all the farms producing organic food. Also, Pollan argues that USDA must be responsible for the degradation of the organic food chain by setting weak standards on the definition of organic. For example, the USDA rules that dairy cows must have access to pasture, but such a standard is so vague that many organic farms only keep a tiny and nominal pasture in order to label their products as organic. Also, the large companies operate in industrializedabel their product as organic as long as they meet the vague standards set up by the USDA but such industrial organic food does not resemble what organic originally means. Although small farms often come closer to the ideal and are even more productive acre-for-acre than their large-scale

With the organic industry booming and up until recently showing an annual growth rate of 20% it has been necessary for the federal government to step in and regulate the previously self regulated industry. Initially, regulation of this industry was implemented by private nonprofit organizations and some state governments as a way to put an end to consumer fraud and to ensure the integrity of organic food. This

Some research studies show that these chemicals are also the cause of birth defects in children. With the increase in the use of these chemicals, there will be an increase in birth defects. According to research done by the University of California, pregnant mothers who live within a mile away from crops that are sprayed with pesticides are more likely to develop autism in their babies. If the use of pesticides continues to grow, one day the human race with completely diminish.

As a part of the American Marketing Service (AMS), the NOP was founded in 1939 and strives to develop “national standards for organically-produced agricultural products” (“National”). Their mission is to ensure goods with an organic seal are controlled and distributed as uniformly as possible, and they take every complaint with a heavy hand to keep irregularities to a minimum. In 1990, the USDA was instructed to “establish uniform national standards for organic food and farming, fixing the definition of a word that had always meant different things to different people” (Pollan 154). Since then the term organic has been manipulated and distorted by large companies in order to push their products to as big a market as possible, leaving consumers dazed and confused about the actual standards of the foods they were purchasing. Often times, the true meaning of the extravagant or misleading words on the packaging is hard to translate for the average consumer-organic being no different. The seal that dawns certified organic products provides no insight into the qualifications needed in order to receive that stamp nor is the USDA very forthcoming about the actual meaning of the word organic. Any retailer can slap an “organic” label on their product so long as “at least 95% of the farm-grown ingredients are organic and you sell direct to customers in

The general public sees any type of organic food as being produced “straight out of a backyard garden” or “right off of the family farm”. But is it really freshly picked tomatoes right out of Grandma Mae’s garden or chicken breast from a local farm? If the food purchased is from Whole Foods or the organic section at Walmart, then that probably is not the case. Large organic farms are what usually supply Whole Foods and other larger chain stores that have organics. They are not what people initially think of when imagining the typical organic farm. They usually think of a small plot of land with an old farmhouse, chicken coops, a red barn, and a large pasture of grass. Even though there are still organic farms like that,

Almost all baby food is being treated with chemicals, causing an infant, being far less developed, defenseless against all pesticides.

When people shop for food and they read labels that says, “USDA Certified organic,” they would assume, depending on the product, the meat was raised in the most humane way possible, the vegetables didn't have any pesticides or antibiotics used on it, and no chemicals were used in the process of making the food. But what if that certified organic food, isn't really organic and is just an imitation for big companies to use to get people to spend their money? Not to mention there is significant loopholes in certifying a food that is organic and those big companies can lobby the USDA to favor their methods of farming. From animals that are said to be “cage free” but never see sunlight, to companies using monoculture instead of polyculture, which

It is also shown that pesticides are partly responsible for the rising cancer rates and birth defects among children (“Pesticides”).

When the majority of people buy organic food, most have at least some expectation that the product they are buying is healthier—or more importantly, containing less pesticides—than the conventional food they may buy for much cheaper. Contrary to popular belief, most organic foods do in fact contain pesticides and have no added health benefits compared to conventional foods. The main culprit of hiding these facts from the public is the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with their questionable regulations of organic foods grown in the United States and being imported from other countries. The USDA has become extremely lax with their rules as to what makes an organic food organic; however, with the cooperation of the USDA and countries

(Trewavas, 2001, p.409). This evidence shows that the use of the synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, is beneficial from a food safety point of view, as they decrease the possibility of getting ill from the consumption of this food. Therefore, conventionally grown food is safer than organically grown food, which does not use these chemicals.

Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Since before we were civilized, people have always valued food highly. This is because there’s an instinctual understanding that good food means good health. The most basic demand from any person is to eat enough to be healthy. Some people are more focused on health, so they’re more inclined to see investing in healthy food as an opportunity to invest in themselves. In either case, everyone has some constant demand for nourishing food in order to stay well. In the modern world, food can be a way to increase personal wellness by fortifying the consumer’s health. This is a major factor in the debate of whether to eat organic or inorganic food. Inorganic food is anything that has a genetically modified organism included, that has pesticides applied to it, or has hormones or antibiotics in it, in the case of livestock. Although organic food typically costs more per unit than inorganic, it is usually healthier and simpler to process. However, establishing a farm that is certified organic is not a simple process. Common sense has it that the inorganic food industry has the stronger mass production capabilities. Some of the practices that go along with mass production are what define inorganic practice, such as the use of pesticides. I know many people tend to be unsure if an organic food business could even sustain itself, much less prosper. However, consider the advantage of an organic food product that

The secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman, once said “The organic label is a marketing tool it is not a statement about food safety. Nor is ‘organic’ a value judgment about nutrition or quality.” While the greatest feature for stores is to have their very own marketing gimmick, the gimmick being their products are non-genetically modified. Many experiments and tests have been conducted over genetically modified organisms and the answer they keep coming up with is “there is no good evidence that genetic modified itself causes foods to become unhealthy or toxic”, according to Authority of Nutrition. This statement alone takes the marketing gimmicks used against GMO foods down a peg. For years humans have eaten genetically modified foods and have

When one goes to a grocery store today and compares it to one 20 years ago, they will notice a significant difference. One can find organic food in almost every store that sells food. Organic food has become increasingly more popular over the past few years due to a variety of considerations. Quality, convenience and price are a few examples of those considerations. The increase in demand and popularity results in varying opinions as to implications and facts about organic food. Viewpoints for and against organic food are emphasized throughout the essay because of the affect organic food has on consumers, businesses and farmers (Hsieh).

One of the author’s large arguments is that organic food products have now become mainstream enough that everyone knows what an organic product means, which has inevitably made organic less than organic set out to be. With the government’s organic certification process, they have corrupted the organic movement. I both agree and disagree with the author’s