Organic is not necessarily the best way

There is a magical seal in the grocery store with ‘certifiably organic’ stamped across it. This seal has magical price-increasing powers with side effects that tend to leave the consumer with a feeling that they make the world a better place by purchasing organic food.

This editorial suggests otherwise.

To be fair to organic food, its pros must be pointed out. Organic food cannot be fertilized with pesticides that were once considered dangerous, so are instead fertilized with animal dung. Organic food also tends to taste fresher because generally it is. This is because organic food also tends to go bad faster, so it must be purchased at a fresher point. And finally, animals cannot have certain hormones injected into them to be considered organic.

However, while organic food has its pros, it is important for those who buy organic food to realize that it has more cons than simply extra expense.

Eating organic food, protects the world no more than eating regular produce. This suggests that the guilt trip given to those who choose to purchase produce that is not organic need not feel ashamed of their ‘inhumane’ choice.

Since 2002 organic food has nationally increased in popularity for families choosing to spend the extra cost, which statistically are shown to be 40-60 percent more expensive than conventional food. This gives the image that to be economical you must be wealthy. True efforts in being environmental should, if anything, eventually cost less. Organic foods are in no way a green trend.

Bruce Watson, a strong green movement encourager and writer for the popular green blog greendaily.com stresses his uneasiness with organic food.

“Perhaps the worst offender is organic food,” Watson said. “Distributors seem to be charging a premium for organic produce. A large part of the reason for this is the fact that it is difficult to transport organic food over long distances, as it isn't as hardy as other types of produce. Another problem is that organic plants tend to have lower yields than their non-organic brethren.”

Watson continues that producing organic food takes almost twice as much land compared to food not considered organic. He concludes that when it comes to being green, “organic food may not necessarily be all that good for the environment.”

Likewise, Stewart Brand, an author known for his environmental writings, suggested in an interview with the New York Times that “’let them eat organic’ is not a global option.”

Brand pointed out that while the trend of organic food is harmless to those who insist on organic food, there is little evidence that organic food is significantly healthier. In fact on the Department of Agriculture’s website it explains the "USDA makes no claims that organically produced food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food."

Brand quoted Michael Specter, author of “Denialism,” a book that addresses the spreading of unscientific ‘data.’ Specter points out that organic food cannot be global and is in no way more humane.

“Total reliance on organic farming would force African countries to devote twice as much land per crop as we do in the United States,” Specter writes. “An organic universe sounds delightful, but it could consign millions of people in Africa and throughout much of Asia to malnutrition and death.”

Likewise, in a 2005 National Review article written by John Miller the same issue is brought up.

“It's not sustainable,” Miller said. “Few activities are as wasteful as organic farming. Its yields are about half of what conventional farmers expect at harvest time.”

Norman Borlaugh, a key figure in the green movement and a Nobel peace prizewinner said, “You couldn't feed more than 4 billion people.”

That seems a bit unfortunate for the approximately 1.7 billion individuals who would be left out.

Organic food for a select few is harmless. However, it is important to recognize that organic food is a huge industry that giant businesses buy into.

Dan Glickman, secretary of agriculture under the Clinton administration stated exactly this in his December 2000 Release of Final National Organic Standards.

"Let me be clear about one other thing,” Glickman said. “The organic label is a marketing tool. It is not a statement about food safety.”

In short, if organic food entices healthy feelings, go ahead and eat it. However, don’t look down on those who choose to purchase less expensive, equally environment-friendly food.

In the long run they have about equal effects.