Madyson Forseth English 1 Cherif Correa 1st Draft Exploratory Essay My family and my grandmother have become very familiar with gardening because we’ve had years of experience. Every year my dad helps my grandma till her garden to get ready for the season of growing vegetables. I love being able to step outside of my back door and have a garden right in front of me. It’s awesome being able to grow our own vegetables and pick them when they are ripe. Ever since my dad started planting our own garden I have become curious to know what it means to be considered organic? Why are organic foods more expensive than non-organic foods? These are just a few questions I thought of when thinking about organic foods. I thought it would be interesting …show more content…
What makes something organic and why do they have the name organic? According to the article, “Can you dig it?” organic means “naturally intended” (Lisa, Truesdale). Organic products are expensive and must get certified to be labeled organic by the USDA. This article also gives lots of support on reasons why people should have an organic garden because it can help them and the environment by using natural fertilizers instead of using hazardous fertilizers—like using coffee grounds. Having your own organic garden, you often have more control over the earth than you think. You are also helping your own health and the planet when going organic. I found it interesting when the author said, “When growing your own goods, you’re reducing your carbon footprint, instead of getting in your car and driving to the store for food and ingredients that may have been shipped in from across the world” (Can dig it? By Lisa Truesdale). When you grow your own garden you have the ability to pick your own vegetables in the garden; in which you have more control of the choice of food you consume. The food grown in your own garden is a lot of the time fresher than most grocery stores and healthier for themselves and their family. Organically grown vegetables contain 20-40% more antioxidants than non-organic vegetables. Organic gardening helps the environment and the creatures living in it. Organisms such as
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.
Over the last few years, awareness of organic food has risen. Due to this, the demand for organic food is a factor which is influencing the farmers to switch to use this technique, and it is being sold in specialty stores and conventional supermarkets. Organic products contain numerous marketing claims that it is healthier, it offers more value, and the farming is more environmentally friendly than traditional foods, so, how does one determine if organic is the way to go? Some argue that there is evidence that supports and demonstrates why organic foods and farming are better overall, while others insist that conventional foods and agriculture can offer the same benefits as going organic. There is no right or wrong answer. Within this
Sales of organic food have risen steadily over the past couple of years, reaching nearly $30 billion in 2011, or 4.2% of all U.S. food and beverage sales, (Adams). Many people believe that organic foods are ultimately the better choice when it comes to health due to the absence of pesticides and hormones. But other people—especially those whose food budgets may be more defined—wonder if organic food is really worth the inflated price tag. Despite the price, Organic foods are worth producing and consuming rather than conventional foods due to the immense benefits they provide.
A growing number of consumers favor organic foods, claiming that it tastes better and is healthier. Why organic? Organic foods grown naturally in well-balanced soils, ripened by the sun are healthier and tastier than products with synthetic chemicals and growth hormones.
According to The Atlantic Magazine, organic means, “Organic means crops are grown without artificial pesticides, fertilizers, GMOs(genetically modified organisms), irradiation, or sewage sludge, and animals raised without hormones or antibiotics”(The Atlantic, Defining Organic: The Difference Between Sustainable and Local). The industrial organic food chain does not use harmful chemicals such as pesticides or herbicides. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan says, “Organic farming rules do not allow chemical weed killers, so Greenway has to use other methods to fight weeds”(Pollan 140). The fields are watered to get any weed seeds to grow before the plants are to be grown. Then, the farmers uses a tractor to plow the weeds. The farmers do this several times. Later, the farmers use propane torches to burn any remaining weeds. “The result of all this hard work is fields that look just as clean as if chemical weed killers had been used"(Pollan 140). When Michael Pollan says this, he is explaining that, because they plow the fields and do not use toxic chemicals, there are no harmful chemicals which can seep into the food and water supply and poison the consumers. Also, industrial organic farmers are changing. They are drifting away from the industrial way of only growing one or two crops per farm and are slowly starting to grow many crops per farm. “"The efforts of organic farmers to
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
Organic - means food that is grown or produced in certain USDA guidelines. Organic does not mean that food is better and contains more nutrients such as ice cream can be organic and still contains a lot of fat.
There are many food groups that can be divided between non-organic and organic foods the two that will be discussed today are meats and vegetables or fruits. Organic meats are any animals that aren't fed modified food. This means that animals such as cows, pigs, and even chickens are given food like grass and hay. This in order to be considered organic the animals must be able to live and walk among outdoors(Robinson, Segal 4). The food for the animals is also treated with natural methods to prevent diseases(Robinson, Segal 4). The main reason that people steer away from organic is the price compared to non-organic is more. In fact, the organic meat can cost more than 70% more than non-organic meats(Marks 14).
Many people have heard about organic foods, however, not everyone understands the facts, benefits, or how it is grown. Organic food ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones. In “Organic Food: Healthier for You and the Planet” Collin Dunn discusses organic food using some statistics, pictures, and his personal opinion to better inform people who eat organic foods why it is better to eat and how it is better for the planet. However, Lawrence Robinson, Jeanne Sega, and Robert Segal discuss organic food in:
First off, organic foods are defined as being grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizers or heavy metals, which are thought to influence the interaction of bioactive chemicals and metabolites present during the growth process (Bernacchia, Preti, & Vinci 2016). Consequently, produce that is grown under normal, unaltered conditions is assumed to cultivate additional substances that benefit our health as compared to inorganic produce (Bernacchia et al.,
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
Although organic foods are found in nearly every grocery store, the average person is unable to differentiate between organic and non-organic food products. Many consumers purchase organic products in the hopes of gaining positive health benefits. (Chhabra, Kolli, et al “Organically Grown Food Provides”) “The current demand for organic foods outstrips the domestic supply, causing retailers in the United States to import $2 billion worth of organic foods annually.” (Crandall, Seideman, et al. ”Organic poultry: Consumer perceptions”) In this paper, I want to define what it means for food to be organically produced, while also exploring the requirements necessary to deem a product ‘Organic”.
Although organic production reflects similar cost structure with conventional production in terms of growing, harvesting, transportation and storage; total costs are higher in organic production due to more labour and management intensive process in order to adapt these strict regulations. This causes organic foods become more expensive than conventional foods. However, even more expensive, global demand for organic foods has been growing substantially over the last decades. There are several different reasons behind this rapid increase in consumer demand for organic foods. Food safety concerns linked to
In the 1930s, the average American ate around 97 pounds of meat in one year (Daniel 575). Now, the average American consumes about 270 pounds of meat per year (Barclay). Not only has this increased by almost 200 percent, but it really is not safe to eat this much meat in general. Although the meat industry provides the comfort of All-Natural and Premium Ingredients used in their products, it does not cover up what is truly inside of the meat they sell. The meat, however, is not the only current food related problem in the U.S. Traditionally raised fruits, vegetables, and animal products may contain pesticides, growth hormones, and antibiotics that can be harmful or even terminal to the body. In recent years, organic and non-GMO foods have been introduced to the food product consumer in hopes to turn away from the regular products. These organic and non-GMO foods are just a way for some portions of the food industry to help guide the consumer back to the way the food industry used to be. Therefore, the non-GMO and organic foods must help boost your immune system and well-being.
The word Organic can be defined in multiple ways but what the word basically means that the product is derived from living matter. Organic farming produces organic food. The goal is to encourage soil and water conservation, reduce pollution, and constrain conventional methods to fertilize and control weeds. According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration “The term "organic" is not defined by law or regulations FDA enforces.”