Organic Food

I work with a lot of people who jump from one faddy diet/eating habit, to another and continuously spout unscientific “science” about their diets.

The latest was a discussion about organic food. And despite my degree being in Integrated Pest Management (ironic I am now a teacher!) they won’t accept anything that contradicts their understanding.

Why do people think that organic food = pesticide free? Should this be mentioned on the certification that many shops/products plaster over their organic ranges?

I have posted this link to them to see if that helps.

Well, I’ve just learned something then.

I’d personally prioritize local over organic whatevers.

Note that link is to a site discussing US requirements for Organic food. It might be more appropriate to look closer to home; the regulations are different…

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/organic-certification-and-standards

Rachel

Your link relates to organic certification in the USA, which is quite different to UK certification. The farming and growing section is a 245 page document. link
Edit. Rachel beat me to it!!

Why do people think that organic food = pesticide free?

Organic food items have all been personally and individually blessed by Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, and Brian. They are grown in the cleanest of natural soils on the slopes of mount Olympus, watered only by Zeus himself. The sun actually gets up half an hour early to shine extra on them. Plus, they cure aids. Only three times the price of regular veg. Bargain.

Fancy some Peckham Spring, madame?

don’t worry about it, your work collegues are morons.

Don’t worry about it, they’ll be on to the next thing soon – everyone looking for that one easy, no effort ‘trick’ to look good and live forever. Do that have strong feelings about Kale, no wait Avacardos, or was it Quinoa?

I eat organic because it is free from chemicals 😉

Doesn’t it just mean the cow poop has been left on

You mean like

??

Rachel

Leave the mud on, double the price

More than anything, for me, it’s a guide – but not a guarantee – of produce that’s to my tastes (literally and figuratively). There’s loads of non-organic good food out there, but trying to find it in a hurry is not easy.

I buy organic for a lot of my family’s fresh food because it generally tastes good; supports methods of farming / conservation that I endorse; and tends to use less bad stuff in its making.

It’s a bit like why some of us ride a Cotic / Singular / Stooge rather than just buying a Giant or Trek.

The mud might actually be really good for you.

I seem to remember reading that *some* organic food is higher in nutrients, but for me the main reason for buying it is environmental.

I got some organic salt once, I thought salt was an inorganic compound but there you go.

but for me the main reason for buying it is environmental.

yes, having all that faeces getting into the water table is ace for the environment.

if you look at organic food production in global food supply terms, it’s (IMO) a pretty selfish way of providing food. non-organic food tends to have higher yields, and is more disease/pest resistant, ths increasing the efficiency of food production – something which, when there’s 9bn people to feed, will be incredibly important. Organic food is yet to be proven to be ‘better’ and is more expensive, available only to the privileged few who have enough disposable income to spend on it.

That’s not to say that current non-organic practices show ‘best practice’, and there’s lots of work to be done to lower water and energy use, monocultures etc within the whole food supply, but, generally speaking, instead of promoting organic, we should be promoting efficient, high-yielding responsibly grown food.

Organic may have a space in very localised food production markets, but when you’re looking at a wider scale, it’s not part of the solution.

The only products marketer specifically as ‘organic’ I buy is the fresh bread as it is often much nicer than the std stuff. Doesn’t keep either which is a great excuse to devour with loads of butter.
I buy it because of the taste whereas I fear lots of people only buy it so they can smugly inform you of the fact.

I’m allergic to additives, I find I’m less likely to have a reaction to the organic stuff.

yes, having all that faeces getting into the water table is ace for the environment.

No you are right it would be much better to chuck a load of soluble npk on the fields instead.

non-organic food tends to have higher yields, and is more disease/pest resistant,

Can youvshow mevthe evidence of non organic crops being more disease resistant? I was undervthe impression that organic farmers tend towards more resistant but lower yielding crops rather than rely on pesticides.

Agreexwith the next paragraph though.

if you look at organic food production in global food supply terms, it’s (IMO) a pretty selfish way of providing food. non-organic food tends to have higher yields, and is more disease/pest resistant, ths increasing the efficiency of food production – something which, when there’s 9bn people to feed, will be incredibly important.

You could offset your non-organic food consumption by killing children in Africa.