Organic Foods: The Good, The Fad, & The Ugly
The organic craze has spread tremendously across the developed world. Because of this, producers and retailers can mark up the prices of organics.
Consumers are attracted to anything with the organic label because they believe it will be healthier and was grown under more sustainable conditions. While not exactly false, neither of these beliefs are as clear cut as most of the general public realizes.
Consumers are attracted to anything with the organic label because they believe it will be healthier and was grown under more sustainable conditions. While not exactly false, neither of these beliefs are as clear cut as most of the general public realizes.
Video Script
As usual, I don’t want viewers to take my word for any of this information. All of my sources are cited in the description. So fact check me!
The organic craze has spread tremendously across the developed world. Because of this, producers and retailers can mark up the prices of organics.
Consumers are attracted to anything with the organic label because they believe it will be healthier and was grown under more sustainable conditions. While not exactly false, neither of these beliefs are as clear cut as most of the general public realizes.
So what is organic food?
According to the USDA:
“Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water. Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil, life, plants, animals and people.”
To qualify for the label in accordance with USDA standards, organic farmers must:
Avoid artificially constructed fertilizer. They must use the natural substitutes of cover crops, green manures, animal manures and crop rotations to fertilize the soil
Never plant GMO crops, feed GMO crops to their livestock, or use any genetically engineered ingredients
Be grown in soil that has not been administered any prohibited substances for 3 years prior to planting
Use only natural (typically non-man-made) pesticide ingredients that have been deemed safe for human health such as soaps, lime sulfur, and hydrogen peroxide
For animal products in particular, organic farmers must:
Give the animals access to pasture, although it might not be 24/7
Feed only organic feeds and forages
Never administer antibiotics or hormones
On the food processing end of things…
(after the goods leave the farm), organic products cannot include artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, and most non-organic ingredients.
The food label, “Made With Organic Ingredients” means that at least 70% of the ingredients were produced under organic practices, and all non-organic ingredients were not genetically modified.
The organic label does mean 100% organic.
So what makes these practices better or worse for the environment?
Cutting out synthetic fertilizers removes the emissions and chemical hazards brought about by producing them, which is a very industrial process. It also cuts out transportation emissions because the ingredients that are allowed are usually going to be accessible relatively close by.
Organic farming promotes biodiversity of plants, flowers, insects, earthworms, butterflies, and even birds, according to many scientific studies.
Yet another benefit is that soil structure is improved allowing it to better hold organic matter and nitrogen.
On the flip side, organic farming is not completely free of blame.
Because it prohibits the use of more pro-active and faster acting chemicals, it takes longer for organic crops to become ready to harvest, and yields are anywhere from 5-34% of the amount that conventional agriculture yields.
Since the chemicals organic farmers do use have much lower concentrations, it takes more inputs, including tractor fuel, land, and total volume of chemicals used, to grow the plants up to harvest.
Although there is some truth to the claims about the environmental benefits of organic farming, those that pass it off as healthier are not as accurate.
Although many studies do agree that organic foods do have the advantage of reducing exposure to pesticides, I have not seen any definitive science showing negative health effects of ingesting foods administered pesticides. The simple answer to this is to thoroughly wash your fruits and vegetables.
However, there are no nutritional differences between organic and conventionally grown foods.
Here is some science:
Annals (pronounced “ann-nulls”) of Internal Medicine says: “The published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious than conventional foods.”
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that: “There is no evidence of a difference in nutrient quality between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs.”
And this from the University of Arizona: “Data from research does not show that organically grown foods are safer than conventionally grown foods…. nutritionally speaking, conventionally grown foods and organically grown foods have no significant overall differences in their nutritional quality.”
In a nutshell, the pros of organic agriculture are:
The primary goal is to optimize health of plants and animals
Removes synthetic fertilizer
Promotes biodiversity
Improves soil structure
But the cons are:
Has misleading labels
Makes, at most, 34% as much food as conventional ag on the same amount of land
Takes more fuel and volume of chemicals
Does not live up to health hype
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video!
If you have any questions, comment on this video or shoot me an email at [email protected].
Please subscribe to this channel!
‘Til next time… Bye!
The organic craze has spread tremendously across the developed world. Because of this, producers and retailers can mark up the prices of organics.
Consumers are attracted to anything with the organic label because they believe it will be healthier and was grown under more sustainable conditions. While not exactly false, neither of these beliefs are as clear cut as most of the general public realizes.
So what is organic food?
According to the USDA:
“Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water. Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil, life, plants, animals and people.”
To qualify for the label in accordance with USDA standards, organic farmers must:
Avoid artificially constructed fertilizer. They must use the natural substitutes of cover crops, green manures, animal manures and crop rotations to fertilize the soil
Never plant GMO crops, feed GMO crops to their livestock, or use any genetically engineered ingredients
Be grown in soil that has not been administered any prohibited substances for 3 years prior to planting
Use only natural (typically non-man-made) pesticide ingredients that have been deemed safe for human health such as soaps, lime sulfur, and hydrogen peroxide
For animal products in particular, organic farmers must:
Give the animals access to pasture, although it might not be 24/7
Feed only organic feeds and forages
Never administer antibiotics or hormones
On the food processing end of things…
(after the goods leave the farm), organic products cannot include artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, and most non-organic ingredients.
The food label, “Made With Organic Ingredients” means that at least 70% of the ingredients were produced under organic practices, and all non-organic ingredients were not genetically modified.
The organic label does mean 100% organic.
So what makes these practices better or worse for the environment?
Cutting out synthetic fertilizers removes the emissions and chemical hazards brought about by producing them, which is a very industrial process. It also cuts out transportation emissions because the ingredients that are allowed are usually going to be accessible relatively close by.
Organic farming promotes biodiversity of plants, flowers, insects, earthworms, butterflies, and even birds, according to many scientific studies.
Yet another benefit is that soil structure is improved allowing it to better hold organic matter and nitrogen.
On the flip side, organic farming is not completely free of blame.
Because it prohibits the use of more pro-active and faster acting chemicals, it takes longer for organic crops to become ready to harvest, and yields are anywhere from 5-34% of the amount that conventional agriculture yields.
Since the chemicals organic farmers do use have much lower concentrations, it takes more inputs, including tractor fuel, land, and total volume of chemicals used, to grow the plants up to harvest.
Although there is some truth to the claims about the environmental benefits of organic farming, those that pass it off as healthier are not as accurate.
Although many studies do agree that organic foods do have the advantage of reducing exposure to pesticides, I have not seen any definitive science showing negative health effects of ingesting foods administered pesticides. The simple answer to this is to thoroughly wash your fruits and vegetables.
However, there are no nutritional differences between organic and conventionally grown foods.
Here is some science:
Annals (pronounced “ann-nulls”) of Internal Medicine says: “The published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious than conventional foods.”
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that: “There is no evidence of a difference in nutrient quality between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs.”
And this from the University of Arizona: “Data from research does not show that organically grown foods are safer than conventionally grown foods…. nutritionally speaking, conventionally grown foods and organically grown foods have no significant overall differences in their nutritional quality.”
In a nutshell, the pros of organic agriculture are:
The primary goal is to optimize health of plants and animals
Removes synthetic fertilizer
Promotes biodiversity
Improves soil structure
But the cons are:
Has misleading labels
Makes, at most, 34% as much food as conventional ag on the same amount of land
Takes more fuel and volume of chemicals
Does not live up to health hype
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video!
If you have any questions, comment on this video or shoot me an email at [email protected].
Please subscribe to this channel!
‘Til next time… Bye!
Resources
Here are my sources:
1. https://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/organic-productionorganic-food-information-access-tools
2. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nitrogen-fertilizer-anniversary/
3. http://www.organicresearchcentre.com/manage/authincludes/article_uploads/ORC%20Biodiversity%20benefits%20of%20organic%20farming%20v4.pdf
4. https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/55/7/573/306755
5. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11069
6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1573521413000705
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22944875
8. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/90/3/680/4597089
9. https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1603.pdf
Articles about the organic craze pictured:
1. https://earth911.com/food/shopping-your-values-organic/
2. https://www.aikenstandard.com/lifestyle/health-and-fitness-should-you-go-
organic/article_fb1535c8-afe2-11e9-8439-037aa95335fb.html
3. https://www.kyma.com/news/home-grown-organic-crops-why-so-expensive-/1101178869
4. https://www.pressherald.com/2019/07/28/take-the-pledge-mofga-wants-you-to-eat-local-and-
organic-in-august/
Thank you Purple Planet Music for the Royalty Free MP3! Song: Feelin’ Good
1. https://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/organic-productionorganic-food-information-access-tools
2. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nitrogen-fertilizer-anniversary/
3. http://www.organicresearchcentre.com/manage/authincludes/article_uploads/ORC%20Biodiversity%20benefits%20of%20organic%20farming%20v4.pdf
4. https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/55/7/573/306755
5. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11069
6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1573521413000705
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22944875
8. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/90/3/680/4597089
9. https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1603.pdf
Articles about the organic craze pictured:
1. https://earth911.com/food/shopping-your-values-organic/
2. https://www.aikenstandard.com/lifestyle/health-and-fitness-should-you-go-
organic/article_fb1535c8-afe2-11e9-8439-037aa95335fb.html
3. https://www.kyma.com/news/home-grown-organic-crops-why-so-expensive-/1101178869
4. https://www.pressherald.com/2019/07/28/take-the-pledge-mofga-wants-you-to-eat-local-and-
organic-in-august/
Thank you Purple Planet Music for the Royalty Free MP3! Song: Feelin’ Good