The Controversy: The History Of Organic Foods

Food is a necessary ingredient in the soup of survival. As society advances it becomes an increasingly simple process to acquire any type of food--regardless of its country of origin or whichever season it happens to be--as long as you can pay for it. As a result of such ease in selecting meals, you have the choice of eating whatever you want. The problem with this ability is that people do not always choose the food that is the healthiest for them or that is produced in the healthiest ways. Over the past few decades, it has become a general consensus that organic food is simply better than non-organic food, however not many people truly understand what "better" entails. Proper "healthy" food should taste good, provide a sufficient amount of nutrients, and should be grown in a manner that avoids harmful chemicals and other additives or supplements that alter the food itself. Organic food best met this criteria by tasting fresher, providing more than enough nutrients, and being grown in a manner that forgoes synthetic pesticides and other harmful additives which can lead to nausea, hormonal imbalances, and eventually even cancer. .

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

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.”

Organic farming began just as the effects of the Great Depression waned in the United States, and has seen a dramatic increase in popularity most recently (AG). The sales of organic food increased by about twenty percent a year throughout the nineteen nineties (Marcus). That is over ten times the rate of increase that conventional food experienced during the same period of time (Harris). As recently as twenty eleven, about seventy-eight percent of American families admitted to routinely purchasing organic food (Organic). Organic food sales jumped from three point five million in nineteen ninety-seven, to thirty-one million in twenty eleven (Organic). However, while organic food may seem better than conventional food, numerous studies have shown that it is not distinguishably more healthful, nutritious, palatable, or safe.

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.

The topic of being healthy is currently trending in our world right now. Everyone wants to follow the idea and live some form of a healthy lifestyle. Along being healthy, there is the demand of eating healthy; which is not always easy. There are so many types of food to consider, that it is almost overwhelming to search for healthy options. These options can range from yogurt to granola or even the type of carrots we choose, especially when there are different forms of farming methods for our vegetables. These methods of farming include conventional farming or organic farming. The difference? Simple, one requires the use of harmful fertilizers and pesticides; the other does not. Therefore, when it comes to deciding on the right vegetables for your health, organically grown food is your best option, here’s why.

It has been argued that organic are worthwhile because of nutrition. In paragraph 21, David Lazarus, stated, “What you’re paying for, presumably, is a more healthful diet. That means produce that hasn’t been drenched in pesticides, chicken and beef that hasn’t been pumped full of antibiotics, milk with even more nutritional value.” However, organic food is not worthwhile because of nutrition. “A 2012 study found no real difference between organic and conventional food in terms of nutrition. Its findings appeared in the Annals of Internal Medicine”(Cernansky 6). This quote shows that there is no difference between organic and conventional food. If there is no difference between the food then why change the

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:

Kip Pester, the author of the In Organic We Trust movie, suggests that people have to use organic food, because it is healthier, and it has more nutrients. It is made in a natural environment, and organic food is without pesticides. Organic food is healthier food; this gives a better health, and gives better quality. Organic foods have more nutrients. His interview and film is effective in convincing people that organic food is better for them. His film information is very good and helpful, but in contrast, he is not a researcher or a scientist.

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

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.

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.

Organic food is food that comply with the standards of organic farming, this allows biodiversity among food. So far Europe, the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico. The standards of this practice for vegetables and other crops is to meet all of these following goals, enhance soil and water quality, reduce pollution, provide safe, healthy livestock habitats, enable natural livestock behavior, and promote a self-sustaining cycle of resources on a farm. But that not all, you need to restrain from using any of these following materials or practices, synthetic fertilizers to add nutrients to the soil, sewage sludge as fertilizer, most synthetic pesticides for pest control, irradiation to preserve food or to eliminate disease or pests, genetic engineering, used to improve disease or pest resistance or to improve crop yields, and antibiotics or growth hormones for livestock. Green manure, livestock manure, soil quality-improving compost, plant rotation, covering crops, usage of mulch, keeping of predatory insects, certain natural pesticides, healthy living conditions and access to the outdoors for cows, and proper vaccinations are accepted for organic farming. One health benefit for eating organic foods is that we will live longer than normal people. It will also affect your mental and emotional health Unfortunately the phrases “natural” and “organic” do not interchange and people do try to mix the two, natural means it was made with no artificial flavors, preservatives, or

Organic means a compounds or food substances that contain carbon or another meaning is that it’s product are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionization radiation. The scientist believes that it’s can be misleading because the producer or retailer take the opportunity to use the organic label on anything to raise the prices of their product. The organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products such as seed suppliers, farmers, food Processors, and etc. Before 1990, the certified organic food label is can be very misleading because it’s not been proved to be safer or nutritious as the regular food, but the prices are double of that cost. In 1990, the U.S. Organic Foods Production Act that direct the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to establish certification standards and any seal or claim that is not meet the standard requirement, the company can be fines of 10000 per violent. There is not enough scientific nor strong evidence to prove that organic is safe or reduce exposure to pesticides and antibiotic-resistant bacteria than regular food. Organic food is about 30 percent less contamination of chemical than regular food and this it still below the government safety tolerance. However, it’s difficult to point out and using precautions and educated yourself when chose your food, will able to minimize consumer from fraud. Organic food is more nutritious than conventional because have a lower risk of harmful substance or chemical add to the food like pesticides and have higher essential nutrition like mineral and vitamins and fewer nitrates. I would purchase organic food because it a natural food growth, more nutritious, and probability safer to eat than the conventional food. However, between prices, I would still prefer the conventional one because is something that I can afford it. I also would choose conventional food

The cost, productivity, time, skill, and spoilage of the food play a major part on the decision of buying organic foods. The biggest disadvantage to organic food is that it’s so expensive. “Anything that makes fruits and vegetables more expensive may increase cancer.”(blogactive 1) The USDA organic certification and labeling have very strict rules therefore it makes growing organic crops harder. The USDA method is very different than conventional industry farming methods. The increase in popularity in organic foods makes bigger farms and we will use a lot more fossil fuels and other resources. Another reason some families don't want organic food besides the fact it’s expensive, is it spoils faster. In the USDA no preservatives are a requirement therefore organic food spoils faster. This can cause a problem for consumers and in  stores because the food is usually transported a significant distance. If the cost of organic products became less expensive people would realize organic is better. Therefore the popularity will grow and there will be a higher demand. The price will lower making organic food affordable and the productivity will