What is Organic Food?
20 years ago, organic food
was considered the territory of yuppies and hippies Organic farms were
usually relatively small family-run operations, which is why organic
food was once only available in small stores or farmers' markets.
However, since the early 1990s, organic food has gained more and more in
popularity and organic food production has had growth rates of around
20% a year, far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both
developed and developing nations. Today, there are organic food sections
in every major grocery store! Entire families eat organic and it’s even
affordable.
The History of Organic
Food
For the
vast majority of human history, agriculture can be described
as organic. It was only during the 20th century that a large
supply of new synthetic chemicals was
introduced to the food supply. This more recent style of
production with synthetic chemicals is referred to as
"conventional."
Under organic production, the use of conventional
non-organic pesticide (including insecticides, fungicides,
and herbicides) is precluded. However, contrary to popular
belief, certain sprays and other materials that meet organic
standards are allowed in the production of organic food. If
livestock are involved, the livestock must be reared with
regular access to pasture and without the routine use of
antibiotics or growth hormones. In most countries, organic
produce may not be genetically modified.
(Extracted
from Wikipedia®)
Why Organic Food?
Research has
found that people who eat 5 a Day (five fruits and vegetables a day)
from the Dirty DozenTM
list consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who
eat from the Clean 15TM
least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and
vegetables ingest fewer than two pesticides daily.
This guide
helps consumers make informed choices to lower their dietary
pesticide load by deciding to select organically-grown from
the Dirty DozenTM list.
Do We Care About
Pesticides?
The growing
consensus among scientists is that small doses of pesticides
and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human
health, especially during foetal development and early
childhood. Scientists now know enough about the long-term
consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise
we minimize our consumption of pesticides.
Does Washing and Peeling Help?
The data
used to create these lists is
based on produce tested as it is typically eaten (meaning
washed, rinsed or peeled depending on the type of produce).
Rinsing reduces but does not eliminate pesticides. Peeling
helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the skin. The best approach: eat a varied
diet, rinse all produce and buy organic when possible.
How Was This Guide Developed?
Much of the data on this website has been
extracted from an organic food and pesticides guide published by the
Environmental Working Group (EWG). You
can find a detailed description of the criteria used by EWG
to develop the rankings and the complete list of fruit and
vegetables tested at www.foodnews.org. We are grateful to
EWG for this information and data.
|
