What is Organic Food?
Organic Food History
For most of human history food production could be described as what we now call “organic“. It was only in recent history that synthetic chemicals began to be used in the production of food and because of this often finds its way into the food supply. Today these methods began to be known as the “conventional” production of food. Organic production however does not use any synthetic products and any pesticides must be derived from natural rather then industrial methods. In livestock production, animals must be raised without the usual routine use of growth hormones or antibiotics and fed a natural diet. Some countries also do not allow genetically modified foods to be labelled as “organic”.
Organic Farming
Around the world organic food production is heavily regulated in order to assure consumers that the food they get on their plate actually was produced through natural means. Worldwide approximately 1-2% of food sales come from natural sources however the growth rate for these has been pegged at 20% a year which is far ahead of other foodstuff industries. In some countries organic foods do not need to be 100% organic. For example, in the United States the food is allowed to have been produced with up to 5% non-natural sources, however it must be free of artificial flavoring or additives.
Consumers first turned to these types of foods to look for a safer, minimally processed source of food. the motto “know your farmer, know your food” was often used as people usually are not aware of the vast array of additives that are put into just about every type of food on the planet, usually to increase yields, decrease growth periods and allow for mass production with minimal effort. At first organic products were only available from local farmers markets but over the last few years can increasingly be found in supermarkets where most other foods are sold as the demand has risen through the roof for these products.
Comparing Organic and Conventional Production
Several studies have been done in an attempt to compare conventional and organic farming systems and the effect that they have on the environment and profits for companies producing them. The consensus being that organic farming is far less damaging to the ecosystem for a number of reasons:
- Organic farms do not release synthetic pesticides into the group which have the potential to harm wildlife as well as the soil and water table.
- Organic farms better protect and sustain diverse ecosystems including plants and insects that are usually killed off to prevent harm to crops.
- Organic farms use far less energy and produce less waste per area as packaging for chemicals are not needed.
Critics often contend that far more area is needed in order to grow the same amount of food. In some countries this may cause devastation of forests where arable land area is short in supply. In addition to this, the price of organic foods are often 10 to 40% higher then their non-organic cousins. The USDA found that an average US household would have to spend $500 more per year in order to switch entirely to organic food. This is due to the fact that organics are grown on a smaller scale and must be processed separately.
