Organic Shmorganic

The "Organic" food kick has taken off in recent years. It seems that every company has started labeling their products with "Organic" and they are able double or triple the price on the same product that didn't have that label on it before. But what does organic really mean? Well, I have had a lot volleyball drills chemistry classes in my life time and anything that contains the element carbon is organic. That means all food is organic because as far as I am aware, all food contains the element carbon. Originally for food to be called "Organic" it meant that it was grown without fertilizers or pesticides. And the animals that are organic had to be feed with food grown without pesticides or fertilizers. One of the requirements for the feed for animals that are organic is that the crop must be fertilized without sewage sludge. I'm pretty sure that should be a rule even if the food isn't organic.

Now you know that pesticides are not supposed to be used on organic foods. But, pesticide is found on 25% of the produce labeled organic. This could be for many reasons such as farmers illegaly saying that the food is organic, or the fact that organic fields are right next to non-organic pesticide using fields. The use of pesticides should not bother any human being. The rules and regulations of pesticides are so strict and set so far below what would be required to make a person sick that it would never harm anybody.

Many people claim that organic foods are richer with vitamins and minerals because the organic compost fertilizes the plants better. There is only one thing wrong with this belief, plants don't take up vitamins from compost or from fertilizers. A plant only absorbs simple elements and water from the roots. So the belief that organic food has superior nutrient compsoition is false.

Because organic foods are grown without pesticides and other ways to enhance their growth, they must use animal manure as fertilizer. This in turn increases the risk of microbeal diseases such as E coli. Not pasteurizing liquids or cheeses also increases risk because the pasteurization is what kills disease causing microorganisms.

So the next time you think about spending twice as much money for something labeled "Organic" you might want to think twice.

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