Organic food

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Organic food is, in general, food produced without the use of artificial pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and in many definitions genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Farms that grow organically, do so in a sustainable, environmentally sound, manner, and more often than not, are small family-run farms.^[1] These qualities of organic farming, among others, are in stark contrast to the more common industrial farm.

Thus, the term organic has become associated with certified organic foods, which are produced and labeled according to strictly regulated standards. In many countries, including the United States, Japan and in the European Union, certification is a matter of legislation, and commercial use of the word organic, outside of the certification framework, is illegal. The specifics of legal certification are subject to debate, with corporate interests on one side^[2] , and consumers and family farms on the other.

Types of organic food

See also: Organic farming for information on the production of organic food.

Organic foods can be either fresh or processed, based on production methods, availability and consumer perception.

Fresh food

Fresh food is seasonal and perishable. Vegetables and fruits are the most available type of organic, fresh food, and are closely associated with organic farming. They are often purchased directly from growers, at farmers' markets, from on-farm stands, through speciality food stores, and through community-supported agriculture (CSA) projects. Unprocessed animal products — organic meat, eggs, dairy — are less common.

For fresh food, "organic" usually means produced without extensive use of synthetic chemicals (eg: fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones), substantially free of genetically modified organisms, and often, but not necessarily, locally grown.

Processed food

Processed food accounts for most of the items in a supermarket. Often, within the same store, both organic and conventional versions of products are available, and the price of the organic version is usually higher (see modern developments). Most processed organic food comes from large food conglomerates^{[citation needed]}, as producing and marketing products like canned goods, frozen vegetables, prepared dishes and other convenience foods is beyond the scope of small organic producers.

Processed organic food usually contains only (or at least a certain specified percentage of) organic ingredients and no artificial food additives, and is often processed with fewer artificial methods, materials and conditions (eg: no chemical ripening, no food irradiation). However, a recent amendment to the US organic legislation has allowed some synthetic processing agents to be classified as "organic", so the exact composition of certified organic processed food may vary according to regional regulations^{[citation needed]} .

Preservatives

Food with a long shelf life is the cornerstone of the food industry, providing most of the revenue and profits. Yet, there is little natural reference for preparing, for example, a precooked, frozen dinner. A "certified organic" label on products like this may be hard to understand.

Because of the need to make food last, much of what is in supermarkets today can never be called "organic", in the broadest, "all-natural", fresh or minimally processed sense. And as demand for organics intensifies, agribusiness interests may dictate taking as much control as possible of the definition of "organic food", by including production practices that facilitate food preservation, in order to maintain the existing industry infrastructure.

Identifying organic food

See also: Organic certification for formal and legal definitions

At first, organic food comprised mainly fresh vegetables. Early consumers interested in organic food would look for chemical-free, fresh or minimally processed food. They also had to buy directly from growers: Know your farmer, know your food. At that time personal definitions of what constituted "organic" were developed through first-hand experience: talking to farmers, seeing farm conditions, and farming activities. Small farms could grow vegetables (and raise livestock) using organic farming practices, with or without certification, and this was more or less something the individual consumer could monitor.

Consumer demand for organic foods continues to increase, and high volume sales through mass outlets, like supermarkets, is rapidly replacing the direct farmer connection. For supermarket consumers, food production is not easily observable, and product labelling, like "certified organic", is relied on. Government regulations and third-party inspectors are looked to for assurance.

Quality Assurance International is the largest private certifier of organic food systems.

Most food industry research of the last 50 years has focused on developing chemical agriculture and modern food processing -- less has been done to investigate side effects of conventional agriculture. In response, organics is concerned in large part with what NOT to do -- "as much as possible, let Nature do its thing" -- rather than in devising precise formulas for organic production. A strictly rules-based definition of organic farming and organic food, consisting of approved inputs and practices, created and maintained by regulatory agencies, is inevitably subject to "exceptions" and to special interest pressures to modify the rules. As organics become "whatever the rules say it is", the line between organic and conventional food can get blurred.

With widespread distribution of organic food, processed food has also become dominant over fresh, confusing the issue further. Modern food processing is complicated. Commercial preparation methods, the use of additives, the effects of packaging and storage, for instance, are outside the first-hand experience of most people, including organic farmers. Traditional, minimally processed products, baked goods; and canned, frozen, and pickled fruits and vegetables, are easier for consumers to understand by comparison with home preparation methods, although home and mass-production techniques are quite different. For convenience foods, like frozen prepared foods and cooked breakfast cereals, ingredients and methods are quite a mystery to most consumers. A "certified organic" label is usually the only way for consumers to know that a processed product is "organic".

Legal definition

In the United States, agricultural products that claim to be "organic" must adhere to the requirements of the Organic Food Production Act of 1990 (found in 7 U.S.C.A. § 6501-22) and the regulations (found in 7 C.F.R. Part 205) promulgated by the USDA through the National Organic Program ("NOP") under this act. These laws essentially require that any product that claims to be organic must have been manufactured and handled according to specific NOP requirements. A USDA Organic seal identifies products with at least 95% organic ingredients, as defined by the National Organic Program.

Benefits of organic agriculture

Main article: Motivations for organic agriculture

Defining the benefits of organic food has largely been left to word of mouth, occational media coverage, and the promotional efforts of organic advocates. Even though many large food and beverage corporations, like Kraft Foods, have rapidly moved to acquire significant stake in both fresh and processed organic products^[3] , the specific sales points of "organics" go largely unmentioned on product packaging and in advertising.

This is not the case in conventional food marketing where terms like "low fat", "low sodium", and "whole grain" are often used to signify health benefits. Meanwhile, the "certified organic" label is generally left to stand on its own as self-explanatory, assisted only by general terms like "natural". Here described are the resons and motivations for organics.

For the environment

Some critics complain that organic farms have lower yeild than conventional farms. Yet, studies comparing yeilds have had mixed results with some showing less yeild and others showing roughtly equal yeild.^[4] However, studies are consistent in showing that organic farms are more energy efficient.^[5] One study, for example, found roughly 20% smaller yeild from organic farms, but found that they had used 50% fertilizer, 97% less pesticide.^[6] . That organic farms are more energy efficient makes it easier for them to be sustainable.

In addition, because organic farms don't use toxic pesticides and herbicides, there is more biodiversity in the soil. Besides higher soil quality^[7] - more life in the soil allows for higher water retention. This helps increase yields for organic farms in drought years - during which organic farms have been found to have yields 20-40% higher than conventional farms.^[8]

For producers

For those who work on farms, there have been many studies on the health effects of pesticide exposure.^[9] Even when pesticides are used correctly, they still end up in the air and bodies of farm workers. Through these studies, organophosphate pesticides have become associated with acute health problems such as abdominal pain, dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, as well as skin and eye problems.^[10] In addition, there have been many other studies that have found pesticide exposure is associated with more severe health problems such as respiratory problems, memory disorders, dermatologic conditions,^{[11] [12]} cancer,^[13] depression, neurologic deficits,^{[14] [15]} miscarriages, and birth defects.^[16] Summaries of peer-reviewed research have examined the link between pesticide exposure and neurologic outcomes and cancer in organophosphate-exposed workers.^{[17] [18]}

For consumers

A study published by the National Research Council in 1993 determined that for infants and children, the major source of exposure to pesticides is through diet.^[19] A recent study in 2006 measured the levels of organophosphorus pesticide exposure in 23 school children before and after replacing their diet with organic food. In this study it was found that levels of organophosphorus pesticide exposure dropped dramatically and immediately when the children switched to an organic diet.^[20]

Thus, the reality is that conventionally grown food contains pesticide and herbicide residues - stuff most people wouldn't normally want to feed their children. These residues include herbicides like Atrazine, which have been shown that even at concentrations as low as 0.1 part per billion, the herbicide will emasculate a male frog by causing its gonads to produce eggs, effectively turning males into hermaphrodites.^[21] But until a chemical has been directly linked to illness in people it will continue to be used. Unfortunately finding a directly link is difficult, because it requires the results of chemical testing on humans that scientists, ethically, don't perform.

History

Main article: History of organic farming

It should be noted that "conventional" agriculture, utilizing large amounts of artificial chemical inputs, monocultures, and intensive farming methods, is a recent phenomenon, dating to the Green Revolution of the mid-20th century. Indeed, almost the entire history of agriculture consists of what would be now termed "organic farming".

Rising consumer awareness of "organic" methods began in the 1950s with the promotion of organic gardening. In the 1960s and 1970s, one effect of a growing grassroots concern with environmental issues was the appearance of more elaborate approaches to organic food, including food-buying co-ops and dedicated organic producers. In the 1970s and 1980s, private sector organic certification and development of regulations at the governmental level began around the world. In the 1990s, formal organic certification began to be legislated in various countries, and this trend continues to today. During the same period, the organic food market experienced a sustained surge in growth, expanding at around 20% a year (exceeding the rest of the food industry by a factor of at least 10). The first years of the 21st century saw multinational food corporations taking major stakes in the organic market, and this has dramatically increased the variety, availability and falling cost of processed organic food.^{[citation needed]}

Modern developments

The prices for organic food has been, and continues to be higher than their conventional counterparts. This is because farmers who grow organic food have to meet stricter standards to have their products certified organic. More labor is required to do this, bringing up the cost.

Since the 80's there is an increasing number of supermarkets that carry large volumes of organic food. These large retailers (like Whole Foods Market), have been bringing the price of organic food down.

The pressure to bring the cost down will vastly increase soon because in 2006, Wal-Mart, the largest grocery retailer, announced plans to increase the amount of organic food available in its stores.^[22] Both conventionally grown and organic versions of certain products will be available, but Wal-Mart intends to keep the price of the organic versions to no more than 10% over the price of the conventionally grown counterparts.

Because of Wal-Mart's size and business practices, their move into selling organic food has some people worried^[23] . Specifically, the increase in demand for organic food will require that more organic produce be imported.^[24] Secondly, the push to lower prices "would virtually guarantee that Wal-Mart's version of cheap organic food is not sustainable".^[25]

Related movements

Various alternative organic standards are emerging. They generally bypass formal certification, which can be expensive and cumbersome, and provide their own definition of organic food. One such, the Authentic Food standard, proposed by leading US organic farmer Eliot Coleman, includes criteria that are incompatible with current agribusiness:

• All foods are produced by the growers who sell them.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs and meat products are produced within a 50-mile radius of their place of their final sale.
• The seed and storage crops (grains, beans, nuts, potatoes, etc.) are produced within a 300-mile radius of their final sale.
• Only traditional processed foods such as cheese, wine, bread and lactofermented products may claim, "Made with Authentic ingredients."^[26]

Some are also implementing new approaches to defining and buying food. Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is one such approach, that cuts out all the middlemen by having consumers partner with local farmers. CSA members prepurchase "shares" in a season's harvest, and pick up their weekly portions from distribution sites. Thus, consumers provide direct financing for farms, participate in the risks and rewards of annual growing conditions, and participate with farmers in distribution networks.

CSA is one example of "buying locally," which is often valued by both the organic food consumer and producer. Generally speaking, locally-grown seasonal food can be brought to market more quickly than food that has to be transported long distances, and therefore can be better tasting and to some degree more nutritious by virtue of its freshness. Additionally, the act of buying foods that are locally-grown benefits local farmers and other employers. This local food approach is seen as a direct investment in one's own community and a way to reduce economic dependence.

Organic food is also often linked with the fair trade movement, based on the principle that social and environmental sustainability are inextricably interdependent.

Facts and statistics

While organic food accounts for 1–2% of total food sales worldwide, the organic food market is growing rapidly, far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both developed and developing nations.

• World organic food sales were US $23 billion in 2002.[1]
• The world organic market has been growing by 20% a year since the early 1990s, with future growth estimates ranging from 10-50% annually depending on the country.

In the United States, organic food is federally regulated by the National Organic Program:

• "Organic products are now available in nearly 20,000 natural food stores and 73 % of conventional grocery stores, and account for approximately 1-2 % of total food sales in the U.S." — Feb 2003[2]
• Two thirds of organic milk and cream and half of organic cheese and yogurt are sold through conventional supermarkets.[3]

In the European Union, organic food is regulated by the EU-Eco-regulation

Germany:

• Baby food is almost exclusively organic, and over 30% of bread baked in Munich is organic.Link

Italy:

• Existing legislation calls for all school lunches to be organic by 2005.

Austria:

• The government has created incentives so that within the next few years, 10 % of its food will comprise locally grown organic foods.

UK:

• By January 2005, 686,100 ha of land was managed to organic standards. Organic food sales increased from just over £100 million in 1993/94 to £1.21 billion in 2004 (an 11% increase on 2003). [4]

In Cuba:

• After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, the government converted the entire country to organic agriculture, and currently only organic agriculture is permitted by law.

See also

• Fair trade
• Organic certification
• Organic farming
• Organic gardening
• Pesticide
• Herbicide
• Sustainable agriculture

References

1. ^ Family Farms. Local Harvest. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
2. ^ Warner, Melanie. "What Is Organic? Powerful Players Want a Say". New York Times: Nov. 1, 2005.
3. ^ "Corporate Industry Structure: 2005", by Phil Howard, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University of California, Santa Cruz.
4. ^ Welsh, Rick (1999). "Economics of Organic Grain and Soybean Production in the Midwestern United States". Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture.
5. ^ Reganold et.al (April 2001). "Sustainability of three apple production systems". Nature 410: 926-930.
6. ^ Maeder et.al. (May 2002). "Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming". Science 296: 1694–1697.
7. ^ Johnston, A. E. (1986). "Soil organic-matter, effects on soils and crops". Soil Use Management 2: 97-105.
8. ^ Lotter, D. W., Seidel, R. & Liebhardt W. (2003). "The performance of organic and conventional cropping systems in an extreme climate year". American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18: 146-154.
9. ^ Linda A. McCauley, et.al. (2006). "Studying Health Outcomes in Farmworker Populations Exposed to Pesticides". Environmental Health Perspectives 114.
10. ^ Ecobichon DJ. 1996. Toxic effects of pesticides. In: Casarett and Doull's Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons (Klaassen CD, Doull J, eds). 5th ed. New York:MacMillan, 643–689.
11. ^ Arcury TA, Quandt SA, Mellen BG. 2003. An exploratory analysis of occupational skin disease among Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers in North Carolina. Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health 9(3):221–32.
12. ^ O'Malley MA. 1997. Skin reactions to pesticides. Occupational Medicine 12:327–345.
13. ^ Daniels JL, Olshan AF, Savitz DA. 1997. Pesticides and childhood cancers. Environmental Health Perspectives 105: 1068–1077.
14. ^ Kamel F, et.al. (2003). "Neurobehavioral performance and work experience in Florida farmworkers". Environmental Health Perspectives 111: 1765-1772.
15. ^ Firestone JA, Smith-Weller T, Franklin G, Swanson P, Longsteth WT, Checkoway H. 2005. Pesticides and risk of Parkinson disease: a population-based case-control study. Archives of Neurology 62(1):91–95.
16. ^ Engel LS, O'Meara ES, Schwartz SM. 2000. Maternal occupation in agriculture and risk of limb defects in Washington State, 1980-1993. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health 26(3): 193–198.
    Cordes DH, Rea DF. 1988. Health hazards of farming. American Family Physician 38:233–243.
    Das R, Steege A, Baron S, Beckman J, Harrison R. 2001. Pesticide-related illness among migrant farm workers in the United States. Int J Occup Environ Health 7: 303–312.
    Eskenazi B, Bradman A, Castorina R. 1999. Exposures of children to organophosphate pesticides and their potential adverse health effects. Environmental Health Perspectives 107(suppl 3):409–419.
    Garcia AM. 2003. Pesticide exposure and women's health. American Journal of Industrial Medicine 44(6):584–594.
    Moses M. 1989. Pesticide-related health problems and farmworkers. AAOHN 37:115–130.
    Schwartz DA, Newsum LA, Heifetz RM. 1986. Parental occupational and birth outcome in an agricultural community. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health 12:51–54
    Stallones L, Beseler C. 2002. Pesticide illness, farm practices, and neurological symptoms among farm residents in Colorado. Environ Res 90:89–97.
    Strong, LL, Thompson B, Coronado GD, Griffith WC, Vigoren EM, Islas I. 2004. Health symptoms and exposure to organophosphate pesticides in farmworkers. Am J Ind Med 46:599–606.
    Van Maele-Fabry G, Willems JL. 2003. Occupation related pesticide exposure and cancer of the prostate: a meta-analysis. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 60(9): 634–642.
    
17. ^ Alavanja MC, Hoppin JA, Kamel F. 2004. Health effects of chronic pesticide exposure: cancer and neurotoxicity. Annu Rev Public Health 25:155–197.
18. ^ Kamel F, Hoppin JA. 2004. Association of pesticide exposure with neurologic dysfunction and disease. Environ Health Perspect 112:950–958.
19. ^ National Research Council. Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children. National Academies Press; 1993. ISBN 0309048753. Retrieved 10-Apr-2006.
20. ^ Lu, Chensheng, et. al. (2006). "Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children’s Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides". Environmental Health Perspectives 114: 260-263.
21. ^ Tyrone Hayes, Kelly Haston, Mable Tsui, Anhthu Hoang, Cathryn Haeffele, and Aaron Vonk (2003). "Atrazine-Induced Hermaphroditism at 0.1 ppb in American Leopard Frogs". Environmental Health Perspectives 111.
22. ^ Warner, Melanie, "Wal-Mart Eyes Organic Foods", New York Times, May 12, 2006.
23. ^ Scheuer, Kif (2006). Wal-mart's organic bomb. (html) Grist Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-06-04.
24. ^ Gogoi, Pallavi, "Wal-Mart's Organic Offensive", Business Week, March 29, 2006.
25. ^ Pollan, Michael, "Mass Natural: With Wal-Mart going organic, where will organic go?", New York Times Magazine, June 4, 2006.
26. ^ "Authentic Food - Authentic Farming", by Eliot Coleman, Mother Earth News.

Further reading

External links

• A Revolution in Sustainable Agriculture - from Big Picture TV
• Brief Introduction to Organics
• The British Library
• Eat Well Guide Listing of farms, restaurants and grocers that sell organic foods
• First World Congress on Organic Food from National Food Safety and Toxicology Center
• Mounting Evidence that Organic Food is Healthier
• Organic Foods Store Locator
• Organic Food Australia Information, search, Community Food Systems and much more.
• Organic Food Corner
• Organic Food News
• Organic Volunteers - Non profit to coordinate internships on organic farms.
• Why Certified Organic Food Is Better Food - from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

Pesticides and food

• Extensive Press Release on Pesticides from the Ontario College of Family Physicians
• Pesticide and Food from Nutrition.gov
• Pesticides in Food from the Northeast Organic Farming Association