IS ORGANIC FOOD REALLY BETTER FOR YOU
In war-torn countries desperate for food, the world is being urged to produce as much food as possible. Every year, more organic food is produced and sales are shifting to large grocery stores, and a movement for organic certification has emerged. The movement seeks to establish a set of standards and conditions by which buyers can identify organic foods - terms that are not co-opted by farmers who do not adhere to agreed practices.
In 1987, the first Danish action plan was implemented to support and encourage farmers to switch from conventional to organic production systems. Since then, Denmark has worked to develop markets to promote organic food, keep prices low compared to conventional food, and offer subsidies and additional support to farmers when they choose organic food.
According to Organic Trade Association (OTA), the organic food market has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, with the US market now exceeding $3.9 billion a year. Between 1990 and 2014, OTA saw double-digit market growth every year, and a 2014 study by Consumer Reports found that 84% of shoppers said they had bought organic food. Today, Denmark is the global benchmark for organic food policy and certification of organic food.
Organic food accounts for about 1% of global food production [102], and organic food sales as a market have grown from 5% to 10% of the food market share in the United States, surpassing conventional food sales growth in volume and dollars, according to the Organic Trade Association [109]. In the US, 70% of all purchases of organic food, in particular fruit and vegetables, are made up of organic food. Worldwide organic food sales increased from 23 billion US dollars in 2002 [110] to 63 billion US dollars in 2011.
To be able to use the organic label on sold food in the United States, food producers and producers must comply with the provisions of the 1990 Organic Food Production Act, among other things. The USDA regulates the use of the term "organic" about food products but does not claim that organic food is healthier or safer than those that do not bear the label. As it is cumbersome and expensive to apply for and to obtain organic certification, many growers do not bother to do so even when their food is organically grown.
Organic farmers and food producers do not always agree on how to treat companies that produce organic food produced using practices of the conventional food industry that do not belong in organic food. The vast majority of organic farmers adhere to the standards set by the label, but many say that lax enforcement of labels means that some of those trying to make money in the growing organic food market is being cheated. The organic label on food means that the food has been grown by the rules, but there is an unbridled debate about the health effects of organic farming.
Several studies have shown that organic food contains higher levels of antioxidants and certain micronutrients like vitamin C, zinc, and iron (3, 4, 5, 6). Organic foods also have beneficial nutrients such as antioxidants in their growing counterparts, and people who are allergic to foods containing chemical preservatives have found that their symptoms subside or disappear when they eat organic foods. There is also evidence that organic food is more nutritious.
The word organic refers to the way farmers produce and process agricultural products such as fruit, vegetables, cereals, dairy products, and meat. Organic foods are fresh and do not contain the preservatives they produce. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs or genetically modified foodstuffs) are plants whose DNA has been modified in a way that traditional crossbreeding does not occur in nature to be pesticide-resistant or to produce insecticides.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has introduced an organic certification program that requires organic foods to meet strict state standards. But the USDA makes an exception for producers that sell organic food less than $5,000 a year. As long as they comply with the guidelines for organic food production, they do not have to go through the certification process.
While producers who sell organic food less than $5,000 a year can label their products as being organic, they do not use the official USDA organic label. This description is used for certified organic fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, and other foods with only one ingredient. It is also used for foods with multiple ingredients, as long as the ingredients are organically certified and exclude salt and water.
For example, processed organic food only contains authorized non-agricultural ingredients (e.g. Enzymes in yogurt, pectin in fruit jams, and baking powder in baked goods). Packaged products indicate that they are produced organically by certain ingredients or food groups, which means that they contain at least 70% of the ingredients produced. The remaining non-organic ingredients are produced using prohibited methods (genetic engineering, for example) or contain substances that are not permitted in 100% organic products.
Natural food is a food that is minimally processed and does not contain ingredients such as refined sugar, flour, ground cereals, hydrogenated oils, sweeteners, food coloring, and flavorings. As regards meat, poultry, and other meat products, this means that there are no hormone-fed animals in the food.
The idea of organic food is a great concept, but it can also blow a hole in your wallet. Through clever and misleading marketing, a halo effect has developed around organic food. Supporters of organic food praise it as safer, healthier, and better for the environment than conventional food. This is one of the reasons why many people are willing to pay the high price that organic food demands.
The US Department of Agriculture defines organic as crops produced on farms that for at least three years have not used synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers before harvesting their food. There must also be a significant buffer zone to reduce contamination of adjacent agricultural land
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