Biological and Organic Foods

                      "ORGANIC FOOD IS THE KEY TO HEALTHY LIVING"
 

         The term 'biological' is a European term synonymous with 'organic'.

 

"Biological" = "Organic"

 

A key characteristic of organic farming is the rejection of genetically engineered plants and animals.

Certified Organic Food Labels in the European Union

 

Conventional vs Organic Farming

 

Organic and conventional agriculture belonged to two different paradigms. The fundamental difference between the two competing agricultural paradigms is as follows:

 

Conventional Farming	Organic Farming
Centralization	Decentralization
Dependence	Independence
Competition	Community
Domination of nature	Harmony with nature
Specialisation	Diversity
Exploitation	Restraint

Are Organic Veggies Better for You?

Maybe, or maybe not. Either way, it's a useless debate.

 

The United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency published an extensive report on organic food that concluded with this bombshell: "There is no evidence of a difference in nutrient quality between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs."

The overwhelming success of the organics market has a lot to do with the pervasive belief that eschewing synthetic pesticides and fertilizers makes food more nutritious. Now we know that belief may be unfounded.

ORGANIC FOOD

 

 

Organic food is foods that are produced using methods of organic farming. Organic foods are also not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents or chemical additives.  

The organic farming movement arose in the 1940 in the Green Revolution.

Currently, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan and many other countries producers to obtain special certification.

Organic food is more expensive because production is more intensive.

Organic foods are better for the environment because modern farming methods had led to a decline in soil fertility. 

ORGANIC FARMING

ORGANIC farming is a way of agriculture that preserves the ecosystem. It does not use harmful chemicals and fertilizers. Symbiotic life forms are cultured, ensuring weed and pest control and optimal soil biological activity, which maintains fertility.  

 

The key characteristics of organic (biological) farming include: 

 

 

1	Protecting the long term fertility of soils by maintaining organic matter levels, ncouraging soil biological activity, and careful mechanical intervention;
2	Providing crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble nutrient sources which are made available to the plant by the action of soil micro-organisms;
3	Nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock manures;
4	Weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring, resistant varieties and limited (preferably minimal) thermal, biological and chemical intervention;
5	The extensive management of livestock, paying full regard to their evolutionary adaptations, behavioural needs and animal welfare issues with respect to nutrition, housing, health, breeding and rearing;
6	Careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the wider environment and the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats.

 

 Advantages of Organic Food 

·         you're not ingesting deadly pesticides, poisons and herbicides

·         keeps pesticides out of streams and ground water

·         better tasting, more flavor

·         no residual antibiotics or growth hormones in organic meat or milk

·         no fillers are used to bulk up foods

·         irradiation is used on non-organic foods to kill bacteria and it alters the   
         molecular structure and live properties of the food

·         organic food is non-GMO (genetically modified organism)

·         pure - no artificial colors, flavors, additives, preservatives, sweeteners

·         it is not processed

·         supports local farms and farmers, and the local economy

·         safer to eat for babies and children

·         more healthy - higher nutrition content, more vitamins, minerals, essential fatty
         acids

·         emotional benefits - feeling good about eating something that is pure food,

         healthy for you, and tastes better than processed food and you are helping the

         environment

·         pesticides in foods have been linked to several diseases: cancer, obesity,
         alzheimer's, and some birth defects to name a few
 

 

 

Animals raised using organic methods are treated humanely and with respect; for example, chickens are free range and not kept in cages and cows are not kept in feed lots. Animals are also not fed any growth-regulating drugs, steroids, hormones or antibiotics. The animals may be treated with vaccines to prevent disease.

Organic farming is also concerned with protecting the environment and working in harmony with existing ecosystems: for example, conserving water, soil and energy, and using renewable resources and natural farming cycles. Traditional farming methods are often used, such as rotating crops to prevent depleting the soil of nutrients.  

 

A quick summary why biological food is just plain logic :

• Healthier (no mad cow diseases for you!)
• Tastier, due to proper feeding
• Good for the environment (biological manure can be recycled instead of regular manure getting dumped in our lakes)
• More humane for animals (no gene technology, more moving space, outside life)
• And just a bit more expensive!

 

 

 

ORGANIC  FOOD  CAN  BE  MORE  EXPENSIVE

Organic foods is often more expensive because production is more labour intensive and, without herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals, the yield is generally smaller.

TWO of our students have compared prices to see the differences between Biological and non-Biological food:

And … these are the results:

 

ORGANIC  FOOD  IS  BETTER  FOR  THE  ENVIRONMENT

Excessive use of chemicals and modern farming methods have led to a decline in soil fertility and an increase in salinity and blue-green algae in waterways over many years. Organic farmers try to minimise damage to the environment by using physical weed control and animal and green manure.

 

THINGS TO REMEMBER 

• Organic farming is the production of food without the use of synthetic chemicals or  genetically modified components.
•  Organic  foods are not necessarily completely chemical free, but the pesticide   residues will be considerably lower than those found in produce manufactured with synthetic chemicals.
  
  
• Choose foods with the label "certified organic".
  
  
• Organic farming is better for the environment and more likely to be sustainable. 

WHY BUY ORGANIC? 

There are lots of reasons to buy organic:  First, it's better for the environment. No pesticides mean healthier soil, water, and wildlife. Buying organic foods supports small farmers. Organic farmers can earn a fairer price for organic produce compared to factory farming. Organic farming is good for biodiversity. Organic farmers are growing a wide variety of non-genetically modified (non-GMO) fruits and vegetables. Where factory farming has shrinked our choices in the supermarket to one or two types of any produce variety, organic farmers are resurrecting many heirloom varieties. Finally, organic foods are healthier for you.  

Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables You Should Buy Organic

In a perfect world, we would buy all of our groceries organic. 

To make wiser consumer choices here is a list of produce with the highest level of pesticide contamination and the lowest:

 

Ways to keep produce fresh? Watch a YouTube video.

 

 

Buy Organic Products 

There are grocery stores devoted to selling organic produce. Such food is grown without the use of any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The food labels must say "organic", preferably "100% organic" or "made from organic ingredients". 

Buying real certified organic food and organic skin & body care products is your guarantee of GMO-Free and Chemical-Free: Please support your local organic producers to ensure you continue to have a GMO-Free choice.

 

”what is the difference between natural and organic?”

 

The chart below clearly shows the significant differences. This applied to our food and the ingredients found in cosmetics.

A good argument in favour of a GMO-Free world is the risk these foods pose to our health.

The Future of Organic Foods

Since the advantages of organic food are becoming more well known and wide-spread, the demand has increased throughout the world.

The demand for organic goods (not only foods, but clothing, body products, housewares, etc.) has gone up considerably in the recent past.