Organic Food : A Popular Trend Among Americans

Organic foods are no longer only found in health food stores; they have become a mainstay in our supermarkets. Today’s consumers are faced with the decision of whether or not it is worth the cost to buy organic. To determine the answer to this question one will need to determine if it has been scientifically determined that consumption organic food products are more beneficial to one’s health.

Traits of organic food can also be misconstrued in the sense of the ingredients and how it is different from the way processed food is produced. “In reality, certified organics have lower levels of chemical residue, Roethal argues, which is positive for consumers, farm workers and the land itself, but organic growing practices have no impact on how many nutrients, calories or grams of fat are in anyone's favorite foods”(SFGate). As mentioned previously in the quote, often times organic food can benefits one’s health because of the little amount in which chemicals and calories are in the substance. The concern about organic food is that it is substantially more expensive than non-organic food. However,“Organic food sales are increasing by double digits annually, and more than 80 percent of parents reported buying organic food for their families last year”, according to Batch. With the high-price of organic food, this could also be a reason on why people tend to lean more towards the less healthier items, all because of the low cost. Even though there are different and confusing standards on what organic really is, the ideal description would typically be foods that do not have the same producing process as non-organic food.

When considering differences between organic and conventional foods often the first thing people comment on is the nutritional value. Organic foods have grown in popularity due to the perception that they are better nutritionally. Barbara Hey (2009), health reporter and author of the article, “A Different Health Debate: Conventional versus Organic Food” and Smith-Spangier, Crystal, et al. (2012), emphasize that the benefits of organic foods and farming are important to society. That organic food can help protect what’s most valuable to people, their health. They suggest that eating a healthy diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants is a good investment in preventative care. Jeff Gillman (2008) agrees and states, “ …preventing disease is much more cost effective than treating disease. Organic foods can play a vital role in keeping people healthy” (139).

Organic foods are those which are grown without hormones, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. Organic farming does have its advantages. It conserves water and soil resources, recycles animal waste, releases fewer chemicals, improves soil fertility, promotes diversity of crops, and protects farm workers, livestock, and wildlife from potentially harmful pesticides (AG). Are organic foods safer than conventional foods though? After all, they do claim to be better for consumers, which is a tactic to be avoided (Pollan). Not only can organic foods be contaminated with bacteria and synthetic pesticides, they are also more expensive than

Long time ago, the idea of organic food was something ridiculous, nobody cared. But after proved the nutritional benefits and better taste of organic food, many farmers become interest in grown organic food. The article Beyond Organic by Eliot Coleman said that “Now that the food-buying public has become enthusiastic about organically grown foods, the food industry wants to take over.”

When consumers say organic foods are the best for you because markets tell you that there are healthier for you, makes me wonder, do these people really formulate the process that goes into the organic food business. That is what Steven Shapin, author of “What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic?” debated in the book They Say, I Say. The purpose of his article is to inform people that are maybe interested in converting from non-organic foods to a healthier lifestyle, what the process is to acquire organic foods. Also he wanted to expose how much money it takes to keep foods legitimately fresh. He did this because he wants the readers to understand how much these organic companies emphasize to keeping through foods organic, which is not

The history of organic foods is controversial. When consumers hear the term "organic", many expect foods that are treated with fewer or no "bad chemicals", foods that are more nutritious, or "natural", and those that are less processed or may entail closer care and attention to crops and livestock. However, this is a long list of expectations that are difficult to meet, so the question is actually whether or not the certification process and benefits are worth the hassle. When it comes to health, there is no difference between organic and conventional produce. Both offer the same nutrient benefits. While choosing to eat fresh produce is better for your health than processed food, choosing organic does not lead to any additional benefits. This

Video “ Infact: Organic Food Myths” by Brian Dunning (DATE). Dunning two main points are: what is organic and is it healthier. According to Dunning what makes food organic is how it is farmed. Organic farming rejects modern agriculture development. To my surprise I found out that organic products are grown with fertilizer and pesticides, just as nonorganic products. The word organic is use as a marking tool to get individual to buy their products. Dunning also bring up that yes you may find a few study that says organic is healthier, but there are more study that show their no different. Each individual has the choice to believe what we want. Education is key knowing more about organic food is beneficial so am not fouled into spending

Technology has influenced the availability and selection of foods today compared to foods in the past. Organic Food have become popular in the United States.Many people have switch to organic food, because it's a lot healthier to eat. With most things there is always a catch, this one is that it cost twice as much to buy and get less.But nevertheless demand for organic food is growing so fast that consumer demand is outstripping some domestic supplies.The United States now spends more than $1 billion a year to import organic food, according to the USDA, and the ratio of imported to exported products is now about 8 to 1. About 10,000 American farmers have made the transition to organic food production on about 2.3 million acres of land. American

In addition, lots of people say that organic food isnt really better than conventionally food. Some prople might say the organic food

“There is a growing body of literature on consumers’ purchasing and consumption of organic foods. We examine the literature in three areas: profile of organic food consumers; major factors affecting purchase and consumption of organic foods; and barriers to organic purchase and consumption.” V. Aslihan Nasir and Fahri Karakaya (2014) researched the underlying motives of why people purchase organic food. They found that most “consumers believe that the nutritional

Organic versus non-organic foods are always being debated to whether they are worth the extra cost. This seems to be an easy question, at first, but begs a more in-depth analysis to come to a conclusion. Organic definitions can vary by government, company and even individuals. Many people have their own ideas of what organic means. My personal definition, before this research assignment, was that organic products were grown with no pesticides, chemical additives, or preservatives and grown in a humane way. Meaning that if it said 100% organic, that is what was meant. This however, is not the case when it comes to the government’s definition of organic, according to T. A. Niewold who wrote, “Organic More Healthy; Green Shoots in a

In 1980, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) took an interest in organic farming, publishing a report titled Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming. As organic foods have been growing rapidly in the last 20 years there has been a lot of talking about whether or not organic foods are healthy. As people today have been eating a lot more of organic foods they are having arguments stating that organic food is not what they say on the labels. Although people think that organic food is not what the farmers say it is, it still helps people with their health and provides a healthier lifestyle. In order to maintain the apparent understanding of organic food buying behaviors of consumers, it can be helpful to examine the effect of

When hearing the term organic one of the first things that typically pops into people’s heads is the word healthy, yet, in comparison to regular foods, organic foods essentially aren’t all that much healthier. For example, “Stanford University concluded… fruits and vegetables labeled organic are, on average no more nutritious than their cheaper counterparts” (Cohen). Even though organic foods are grown on fields free from fertilizers, they still contain a similar number of nutritious ingredients. This effectively demonstrates as to why people should restrain from purchasing organic foods. Regular foods allow for people to get all essential nutrients, therefore there is no need to purchase organic options. Not only do organic and regular foods typically share equal

The department of the United States government that is responsible for programming anything related to food, agriculture and nutrition (USDA) defines organic as “food produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.