What Is Organic

Organic Foods are the foods which are raised naturally without the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides. The usage of Chemicals in farming and producing food, is akin to directly ingesting these chemicals into the human system. Before the invention of these chemical fertilizers, for thousands of years human race has successfully continued with farming. This was possible because of sustainable farming practices in tune with natural season changes and soil conditions. But unfortunately, over the past fifty years, in an attempt to ramp up food production there has been indiscriminate large scale usage of pesticides and chemicals resulting in mindless exploitation of natural resources, without any care or concern either for the environment or the people who eat that food. The Organic food movement is an attempt to go back to the wisdom of our forefathers whose cultivation practices ensured that food production was not in conflict with the natural ecosystem etc. Why Organic? 1. Health Benefits 2. Increase in taste and nutrition 3. Healthy to the environment -Organic foods are not only good for consumption and general health, but also are healthy for the environment. Organic farming does not use any chemical pesticides or fertilizers and therefore does not pollute the earth and the ground water sources. These farms play a vital role in nourishing an ecosystem that is friendly to human life. Is organic food more nutritious than conventional food? The definitive study has not been done, mainly because of the multitude of variables involved in making a fair comparison between organically grown and conventionally grown food. These include crop variety, time after harvest, post-harvest handling, and even soil type and climate, which can have significant effects on nutritional quality. However, a 2002 report indicates that organic food is far less likely to contain pesticide residues than conventional food (13% of organic produce samples vs. 71% of conventional produce samples contained a pesticide residue, when long-banned persistent pesticides were excluded). For more information on this 2002 report (Baker, B.P., C.M. Benbrook, E. Groth III, and K.L. Benbrook. 2002. Pesticide residues in conventional, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown and organic food: insights from three US data sets. Food Additives and Contaminants 19:427-446.) Is organic food safe? Yes. Organic food is as safe to consume as any other kind of food. Just as with any kind of produce, consumers should wash before consuming to ensure maximum cleanliness. As cited above, organic produce contains significantly lower levels of pesticide residues than conventional produce. It is a common misconception that organic food could be at greater risk of�E. coli contamination because of raw manure application although conventional farmers commonly apply tons of raw manure as well with no regulation whatsoever. Organic standards set strict guidelines on manure use in organic farming: either it must be first composted, or it must be applied at least 90 days before harvest, which allows ample time for microbial breakdown of pathogens.