Is organic food intended to ignorant customers?

Question

Ignorant customers = Victims of Greenpeace lies.

Answer 1

Pretty much.. yes. Organic does not mean safe. Although that is the popular concensus. Any pesticide residue is extremely minimal if not long gone by the time it reaches the consumer. Even then a simple rinse under the faucet clears up any concern. Pesticides and fungicides have been a God send for Agriculture. They allow for much greater production of food with less expenditure of money and time.

And for the record, bugs and fungus can be extremely toxic to humans. Organic does not necessarily make that threat go away. If you get a chance to actually look at the difference between organic and regular produce... the organic stuff is smaller, less colorful and not nearly as appealing. Thanx for letting me rant. I like your avitar.

Answer 2

I have tried organic food and never really noticed the difference other than in price. Several scientific reports have said that the nutritional values over ordinary produce are unproven, so I tend to go for the ordinary produce now. Being somewhat sceptical, even when I was buying organic, I tend to think that it was overrated. How could one prove that the ground in which organic produce was/is grown was free from pesticides? Yes, we know that the growers do not use pesticides etc., but if the organic farm is near a main road, or not far from an old industrial site, is not the ground already contaminated with the residue of previous decades of pollutants? I tend to prefer home grown in the back garden for root veg, so feel that what I am eating is OK. Interesting article, Lily, but in the current economic climate, I think organic produce will stay on the shelves for all but a few. Interested to see what others think.

Answer 3

"Organic" food is lower in quality, less nutritious, has a shorter shelf life, and is more expensive.
let me just say that this statement, listed above is ludicrous.
Because a food isn't sprayed with chemicals does NOT make it less nutritous. Most of people who eat organic food are educated, and well informed about pesticides. I spent thousands of hours researching because I was skeptical or "organic" food due to the higher cost. Now I live on a small organically run farm and I am heading back to college for a degree with a double major in botany and entomology.
Have you ever heard about the book called
The China Project by T. Colin Campbell, PhD?
I would suggest you read that.
In the meantime try the carrot test. Buy organic carrots, and regular carrots. Eat the organic first. Then try to regular. Does your tongue tingle? Does it taste like bug spray compared to the other carrots? We survived for thousands of years without chemical intervention and we certainly don't need it know.

Answer 4

When buying food at the store if you want Organic the only way to be sure its organic is to be sure it carries the National Organic Program Seal (NOP). Anyone can put orgnic on their label but if the product has certification from the NOP an unbiased third party is reviewing the farm to be sure it provide true organic products.
Check out the following website for more info
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm

Answer 5

LOL, my brother in law and I had a huge conversation about this recently. Doesn't anyone realize that all vegetation is organic. I believe the way the way it was first marketed was as "organically grown" meaning not using any chemicals. It is also PC that stores decided that can sell it for more money... personally I buy all local product and meats whenever possible.. also realizing a lot more foods out there are organically grown or raised but it just isn't on the label.

Answer 6

You want to find foods produced naturally... That means without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers when you speak of plant foods...
When it comes to meat and other animal foods you would want to find animals raised "naturally"... This means without being fed unnatural chemical laced feeds, etc..

Organic definately is BETTER than not being organic but it's not what the general public thinks it is.

Your best bet is to find a small farmer and visit their farm. Let them show you how they raise their produce and animals for consumption. See if it's natural or not....

A farmer rasing animals naturally will only use an antibiotic if necessary and only for a specific reason (ie; rid infection due to laceration a cow may have recieved, pink eye infection) They won't feed it continuously in the daily diet as commercial farmers have to.
A natural farmer won't use chemical pesticides on their produce. Instead they'll use ladybugs to eat aphids off the tomatoes for example.... Or use companion planting to assist in staving off certain insects....

Etc.. Etc...

Answer 7

Foods that can be called "Organic" (as defined by the USDA) have some conitions that may be worthwhile and others that I doubt. For example, why is cow manure better than ammonium nitrate? Organic foods must be grown without chemical fertilizers, but natural fertilizers (animal waste) have to be broken down by the soil bacteria to yield inorganic compounds to be used by the plant.

"Organic" foods have to be grown without the use of insecticides and on land that has been insecticide free for a certain number of years. If people are very concerned about the possibility of minute traces of insecticides entering their food, then they will chose "organic" food.

Answer 8

There are no government standards for "organic" foods. However organic foods are not some marketing scheme that we farmers cooked up. It is a market for people under the false presumption that high-tech farming methods make the food somehow less healthy or nutritious.

Answer 9

Bumper, I can tell by your questions and some of your answers that you are not on here to make friends, but telling it like you see it. Keep it up. There are too many people jumping on the Greenpeace, global warming, and animal right wackos bandwagons without knowing what they are talking about. Farmers are not the bad guys. Most are more concerned with the environment, animal rights, and keeping the air and water clean then the people that are visible and raising all of the controversy.

Answer 10

Maybe it makes them feel better and makes them feel more in control when they purchase "organic" food. Some say it is all about choice.

The term "organic" can mean almost anything one wants it to mean.