Archive for the ‘Organic’ Category

A recent British report claims that organic is not better than conventional foods. What they left out was the amount of pesticides in conventional foods. And as the American food “experts”  do they left out the lack of flavonoids and antioxidants in conventional foods. The study was sponsored by the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency which I believe is like the U.S. standards – just enough to keep you alive. Also, what they left out was the health consequences of pesticide levels on conventional foods, or the ecological benefits of organic farming.

A French study done last summer showed that organic foods are nutritionally superior and healthier, due to higher mineral and antioxidant contents, lower pesticide residues, and 50 percent fewer nitrates than conventional foods.

Dr Weil would recommend organic even if the two were equal because research links pesticides to various health conditions. One study showed that laborers working with pesticides had an increase risk of Parkinson’s disease. A Seattle study of children found that blood levels of two common pesticides dropped dramatically after the children were fed only organic food for five days.

Dr. Andrew Weil’s Newsletter, November 2009

Good news= more people are going to organic food

Bad news= the U.S. organic sector is becoming more dependent on imported ingredients

Good news= the current roll of organics was up 15.8 percent in 2008

Bad news= in 2004, 13 percent of organic handlers failed to meet market demand for at least one of their products

Good news= certified organic acreage has doubled since 1997; organic food sales have quintupled over the same period, from 3.6 billion to 21.1 billion last year

Bad news= food handlers look to foreign markets which are often cheaper due to lower labor costs

Good news= in 2007 USDA certified 27,000 producers or handlers worldwide to the U.S. organic standard: 16,000 U.S. and 11,000 in 100 foreign countries

Bad news= USDA wants to lower the standards for the term “organic”

(That’s why some small organic farmers don’t bother to lower their standards to the U.S. standard)

According to the Hartman Group, a market research organization, 69 percent of Americans bought organic in 2008.

In 2008 Congress included provisions to provide direct financial support to farmers to convert to organic production. (I don’t know how this is working for the small farmer.)