But are the benefits of organic food truly justifiable? Or are we just being disillusioned by the fantasy that organic food is the all-in-one miracle cure to our health ailments? Many people these days are indifferent towards organic food particularly due to its higher price and the belief that conventional foods are just as good. Despite these notions, I still believe that there are indeed benefits of eating organic and that these benefits are certainly not overrated. In fact, I tend to think that it could even be underrated due to the immense health benefits we can get by eating it because of its lower pesticide content and greater nutritional value, as well as the potential far-reaching benefits it can bring to the environment. This essay thus hopes to shed light on the rationale for choosing organic food as well as the opinions of critics regarding this matter which I feel is arguably
In his illustration of this movement, all agriculture was generally organic until the 1920’s, and several farmers like Coleman have shared their perspectives on what we now consider “Organic Food” (Coleman). He also argues that to recognize what people eat and how that can influence on their health ought to be guaranteed. In addition, he divides his whole idea or organic farming. Basically when Coleman started farming, he believed that “organic” was a way of thinking rather than a “profit center” (Coleman). In other words, since organic food has become popular to the public, big companies in the food industry have taken over (Coleman). Moreover, he defined organic food as “locally grown and unprocessed, with exceptional quality” (Coleman). His standard of “Real Food” farming is the place where fresh fruits and vegetables along with a 50-mile radius of their final sale. Additionally, beans grains and potatoes are developed inside a 300-mile radius of the last sale. His standard is not a realistic goal which is to grow and produce food products naturally because it costs more money and requires nurturing by good farmers. It is unrealistic to have such farms everywhere throughout the spots nowadays; subsequently, individuals can purchase those ranches items on the grounds where those ranch’ agriculturists would take up more land. Consequently, more natural cultivating can make appropriately developed natural
The organic food market tipped during the early 1980s, before Whole Foods Market ever existed. However, the organic farming concept occurred in England 40 years before it tipped in the United States. After years of agricultural research’s experiences and observations, Sir Albert Howard gradually evolved a philosophy and a concept of organic farming (Heckman, 2006). Organic farming was about recycling crops and livestock back to the soil in order to escalate soil fertility. This method quickly spread in Europe; however, it was not until USDA published Report and Recommendation on Organic Farming then brought significant appreciation to the United States. In 1980’s, several policies such as the Organic Foods Producti...
Currently, there is a global demand emerging for organic products specifically a huge consumer demand in the United States and Europe. The United States ranks fourth in organically farmed land globally, and sales of organic food have increased by almost a factor of six, from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $21.1 billion in 2008 (Reganold, Andrews, Reeve, Carpenter-Boggs, Schadt, Alldredge, Ross, Davies, Zhou, 2010). In the United States, organic farming has gained much popularity in the farm sector, mainly due to the new wave or generally recognized as healthy food products (Uematsu, Mishra, 2012).
Organic agriculture is the oldest form of agriculture on our planet. Until post World War II, farming without harmful petroleum based sources was the only way of farming. There were no hazardous fertilizers and pesticides made from petroleum based products. During World War II many agricultural technologies were created. For example, ammonium used for munitions during World War II evolved into nitrate fertilizer and organophosphate production led to the creation of strong insecticides. These technical advances have resulted in economic gains at the cost of severe environmental and social consequences.
The source shows the reliability of biodiversity and soil quality that organic farming agriculture exploits, specifically when it has a tight grip of the economy and community that has directly affected livestock, farmers, people, and the global environment as a whole. Organic farms are sometimes difficult to maintain as the land can quite possibly lose its potential of being free from pesticides. As articulated in the source, the piece of land must also need precise qualifications which takes time and patience. This is one amongst many disadvantages a progressive movement such as organic farming must work on. The purpose is meant to enhance a genetically modified agriculture into an innately modified agriculture for a nutritious
“ Know your farmer, know your food” goes the slogan by organic farmers to promote the consumption of locally grown food through organic farming. Subsequent to the clear distinction between organic and conventional food, there is an increase in focus towards organic farming. The “silent spring” that represents the seemingly solitary voice of the science writer Rachel Carson, 1962 ushered in the organic farming movement to counter the green revolution industrial-scale use of pesticides and fertilizers back in the 1960s. However the use of the term “organic farming” started with Lord Northbourne (aka Walter James, 4th Baron Northbourne) (Pogash, 2008), which he derived from the concept of “the farm as organism” as, explained in his book titled
The growth of the organic food industry has been drastic, growing at a rate of 20% annually since 1990. Consumers think that organic foods have more nutritional value, better taste, and have a smaller environmental footprint. Consumers have been willing to spend 10% to 40% more than their traditional counterpart. However, there is little evidence that organic food contains more nutrients, has a better taste, or has less of an environmental impact than traditional foods.
There is an increased demand for organic food restaurants in the recent years and many people are leaning in more for organic produce items. There are many organic restaurants for those that want to eat healthier. There has been a high demand in recent years for organically grown food according to statistics from the USDA reports. In 1990 sales of organic food and beverages grew from $1 billion, to $21.1 billion in 2008 and are on track to reach $23 billion in 2009. The considerable increase in demand can be attributed to the common belief that organically produce food are healthier for human health, and also best for our ecological community (Crinnion 4). Organic farming management relies on developing biological diversity in the field to disrupt the habitat for pest organisms for maintaining soil fertility (Crinnion 6). Since bagged fertilizer is not used, organic farming reduces the amount of groundwater pollution and soil erosion while increasing the biodiversity of animal, plant, and microbial life in a given biome. In the past, people who made food choices based on health, nature, and ethics experienced ridicule and were known as extremists, while those with chemical based diets
When people hear the two words “Organic Foods”, many questions come to mind. Such questions include “what is organic food”, “what does the term organic mean”, and “why should I spend more money on organic food”? Organic food began many years ago before new discoveries and technology ever existed. Throughout the decades, organic food has evolved and caught more attention from buyers and producers than ever before. There are many standards in place to authorize the use of the label “Organic” and also to ensure quality. Regulations and enforcement is placed highly. Understanding the many different labels can be confusing due to the variety of the many different labels. Knowing what to look for and buy is the key to buying truly organic food therefore reaping all the many benefits. Tips will be discussed for those who do not have a full understanding of purchasing organic foods. Many benefits will be derived from going the extra mile to buy and eat organic food. Many researches have been done in supporting the benefits of organic foods. Organic food is a holistic approach acting as a preventive measure and also as a treatment of one’s disease based on individual daily diet.
Organic has long since been a highly accredited term for food. To be organic is to be pure, natural, and above the dirty industrial system that food production has become. This definition however has become tainted. The truth is that organic foods are anything but healthier. In Michael Pollan’s research book The Omnivore’s Dilemma the validity of organic foods are discredited. Pollan argues about organic food, as it is misleading consumers.
In the society where people are getting more concerned about one's health, organic food has become a widely spread and followed by many people tendency. Organic food is believed to have better impact on person's well-being and not to cause harm to people and the surrounding world due to its ecological nature. The debate that has been recently developed around this topic cannot be solved easily since both supporters and their counterparts provide reasonable arguments supporting their positions. However, to get into the problem and find the answer to a question that concerns many people, it is necessary to identify organic food at first.
The term “organic” is almost everywhere in modern society, whether it’s used to promote a product or it’s debated on whether it really benefits the human diet. Organic food is heavily debated on as it appears more and more in local grocery stores and farmers markets begin to populate, it raises questions such as “Is organic food better than food grown with pesticides and biologically engineered genes?” and “Are there benefits to eating organically over foods grown in any other way?” In terms of what data and results show in research may help lead to answers to most of the heavily debated issues throughout discussions on organic food.
With the world’s population continuing to increase, the demand for food is higher than ever. This increase in food demand also calls for more efficient ways of growing and providing the food. Two methods that are very controversial are the organic and conventional method. While many people support the organic method because of its known benefits, others feel that it is an over inflated industry that cheats consumers out of their money. But recently many studies have disproved those critics. These studies prove that Organic food is a better choice than conventional because it is better for the environment, avoids the use of chemicals, and is generally more beneficial.
Consumer Perception: Even though consumers’ have become conscious about the kind of food they buy; there is not a clear understanding and implication of “organic”. They are also not able to tell the difference between “natural” and “organic” on product labels. The gap is even wider for consumers that have never purchased any kind of organic food till date.