Plus, companies like I. Farben — which had produced chemical weapons and gas chamber poisons like Zyklon B and participated in the operation of concentration camps — needed new markets.
The company was broken up into smaller entities after a postwar trial. Two of those entities, BASF and Bayer, are still among the biggest manufacturers of agricultural chemicals today. Bayer also purchased Monsanto earlier this year. With these suddenly available tools that made commodity agriculture easier, many farmers heeded the call to scale up using chemical inputs, including synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. However, a different idea about how to feed the world was also taking root.
The American version of An Agricultural Testament , a book that sparked interest in organic agriculture, was published in , and J.
Rodale founded the pioneering research organization the Soil and Health Foundation now the Rodale Institute in In , conservationist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, a popular book that sounded an alarm about the damaging environmental and to a lesser extent, health effects of pesticides. And their original customers were local eaters with the same principles, who purchased food from them directly.
Over the years, as more organic food was produced and sales shifted to bigger grocery stores, a movement for an organic certification emerged. The movement was concerned with establishing a set standard for the term so that shoppers could easily identify organic food and so that the term could not be co-opted by farmers not following agreed-upon practices. In , Oregon passed the first state law regulating organic, and other states followed.
Even then, disagreement pervaded the industry. After a few failed attempts, a final rule establishing the USDA organic standards went into effect February As far as I was concerned, the whole thing was working pretty well. Cornucopia released its first-ever Organic Dairy Brand Scorecard earlier this year because the association was alarmed by the rise of concentrated animal feeding operations CAFOs in organic dairy, Kastel said.
Many conventional dairy cows are kept indoors in large, factory-like settings although small dairy farms that are not organic do exist. In contrast, the organic standard requires that cows have access to pasture at least days per year. Investigations have revealed, however, that some of the bigger organic dairy brands are not meeting that requirement.
Children and fetuses are most vulnerable to pesticide exposure because their immune systems, bodies, and brains are still developing. Exposure at an early age may cause developmental delays, behavioral disorders, autism, immune system harm, and motor dysfunction. Pregnant women are more vulnerable due to the added stress pesticides put on their already taxed organs. Plus, pesticides can be passed from mother to child in the womb, as well as through breast milk.
Rinsing fresh produce reduces but does not eliminate pesticides. Peeling sometimes helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the skin. The best approach: eat a varied diet, wash and scrub all produce thoroughly, and buy organic when possible. Organic food is often more expensive than conventionally-grown food. But if you set some priorities, it may be possible to purchase organic food and stay within your food budget.
Some types of conventionally-grown produce are much higher in pesticides than others, and should be avoided when possible. Others are low enough that buying non-organic is relatively safe. According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization that analyzes the results of government pesticide testing in the U.
In the U. These practices can have health consequences for both the animals themselves and people consuming their meat, eggs, or milk.
You may find that buying cheaper cuts of meat from organically raised animals enables you to eat organic without breaking your food budget. Try buying organic chicken thighs instead of conventionally raised chicken breasts, for example.
Join a food co-op. A natural foods co-op, or cooperative grocery store typically offers lower prices to members, who pay an annual fee to belong. Local and organic! Buy in season. Fruits and vegetables are cheapest and freshest when they are in season. Shop around. Making junk food sound healthy is a common marketing ploy in the food industry but organic baked goods, desserts, and snacks are usually still very high in sugar, salt, fat, or calories. It pays to read food labels carefully. Organic food is more labor intensive since the farmers do not use synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or drugs.
Organic certification is expensive and organic feed for animals can cost twice as much. Organic farms tend to be smaller than conventional farms, which means fixed costs and overhead must be distributed across smaller produce volumes without government subsidies. Organic Foods: Are they safer? More nutritious? Organic FAQs — Reasons to go organic. Animal Feed — How livestock feed affects animal health, and the health of people who consume animal products.
Non GMO Project. The Problem with Pesticides — Examines some of the potential health effects of pesticides. Toxics Action Center. This holiday season alone, millions of people will turn to HelpGuide for free mental health guidance and support. Others point out that focusing on nutritional benefit misses the point entirely of certifying, supporting and buying organic foods.
Regardless, the thrust is this: the results should cast doubt on any assertions that organic foods somehow have higher nutritional benefits than conventional foods. One of the goals of organically grown and produced foods is to encourage environmentally friendly farming and growth practices, cycling of natural resources, and growing food without the need for harsh pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
This makes many organic crops more volatile, but focuses on environmental sustainability as well as yield. Some studies have shown organic farms have a lower environmental impact than conventional ones. A sharp eye would note that this could be because organic yields tend to be lower and there are fewer organic farms in general.
At the same time, some practices, like irradiation, which minimize contaminants, are not part of the organic food production process, which is another factor to consider. The study had two things to say about contamination: That conventionally farmed meat and produce were more likely to be contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but both had equal risk of being contaminated overall.
The Atlantic notes :. Quantifying that benefit is a contentious area and certainly worthy of more research. Obviously, whether organic foods taste better is a matter of, well, taste. Many people swear by the difference in organic eggs, dairy, meats and some produce.
At most supermarkets, organic goods come at a premium price. Part of it is a matter of supply and demand, and part of it is that organic produce, meat and dairy often require more money to grow than conventional goods.
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