Organic Foods Explained: Health, Environmental, and Ethical Advantages

An Overview of Organic Food: Health and Ethical Advantages

• Soil management: Improving the soil by the organic use of fertilizers, crop rotation, and other such techniques.
• Biodiversity: The proportion of the variations of organisms in a particular environment.
• Animal husbandry: Keeping domestic animals in adequate conditions and feeding them with drug-free supplies.
• Environmental quality: Growing unconventionally using techniques that eradicate pollution and wastage of materials.

Starting Sanctions of Organic Agriculture:

• 1920s: There was a research in India by Sir Albert who recommended proper techniques of farming.
• 1940s: Organic farming was introduced in America by J. I. Rodale.
• 1972: There was a birth of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM.

Grasping Organic Food Certification:

• Soil Quality: Agricultural techniques such as crop rotation and biological soil amendments.
• Pest Control: Employing alternative agronomic practice by use of beneficial insects or hand weeds.
• Avoidance of Synthetic Substances: Prohibition of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
• Animal Welfare: Access to the outdoors and feeding with the organic feed.
• GMO Prohibition: Employment of processes to get rid of genetically modified organisms.

• Application: Where detailed information on the farm practices and procedures is submitted.
• Inspection: Inspections once every year by a certifying agent.
• Compliance Review: Organic adherence monitoring and conformity.

Contrasts between Downstream Organic Foods and their sustainability In Action:

Farming Practices:

• Organic farmers practice integrated agriculture when it comes to fertilizers and pesticides.
• Pesticide use, artificial plants and soil brands is what conventional farmers practice.

Soil Health:

• Crop rotation and composting are the two measures which are a priority in organic farming.
• Chemical fertilizers employed in conventional agriculture practice fall short of retaining soil health.

Animal Welfare:

• Organic standards need to be met which demand that animals be grazed outdoors on organic feeds also.
• Conventional farmers’ practice may restrict animals in confined housing and non organic feeds.

Nutritional Content:

• There is evidence from books and literature that organic foods are likely to have a higher nutrient content.
• For the most part, regular foods conform to dietary guidelines set out.

Environmental Impact:

• As per these principles organic agriculture strives to reduce processing excess of good or environmentally harmful raw materials.
• On the other hand, regular farming is prone to cause pollution and loss of biological diversity.

Benefits of Eating Organic Food:

• Nutritional Value: Most of the times consumed organic fruits and vegetables have a high content of the nutrients that are highly needed in the body.
• Reduction Of Pests: Most pesticides poses danger to human health and those consumed organic do not face this threat.
• Environmental Impact: Conventional methods of farming degrade the quality of soil and cause pollution.
• Antibiotic-free: Organic poultry and dairy do not come from antibiotic raised livestock.
• Taste: Certain people believe that there is a great difference in the taste of Organic Food and process food.
• Support on Organic Food: Organic means support small farmers grow sustainable agriculture.

Common Misconceptions About Organic Food:

• Many assume that organic food is totally free of pesticides. Organic farmers can use natural instead of chemical treatment for their crops that is however quite effective and not safe.

• Organic foods, as some studies show, have no nutritional advantage and there are also studies that argue there are no healthy foods, as healthiness depends upon food intake on a complete diet basis.

• Certainly the use of an organic label is an assurance that such farming needs to be adhered to but it does not mean that the products will be free of all contaminants 100%.

• Furthermore, organic farming is normally more sustainable, still it has some negative features, such as higher land occupation and lower productivity, therefore more resources are required.

Where to Look for Organic Food in the Shops:

• Certification Labels: USA USDA certification label on the products solids.
• Ingredients Check: Content of organic food item cards in boxes especially those classified as packed.
• Price Tags and Signage: Tags and other signs promoting organic products are ubiquitous in the shops.
• Product Codes: Standard product numbers classified as agro-food items that are usually PLUs start with a figure ‘9’.
• Farm Information: Some products give farm information along with organic methods used in farming.

The Consequences on the Environment Brought About by Organic Farming:

Major Environmental Advantages:

• Biodiversity: Fosters different species of flora and fauna.
• Soil Health: Employs the use of composting and rotating with other crops.
• Water Quality: Avoid the use and therefore the pollution of water with chemical fertilizers.
• Energy Consumption: Less dependence on oil and gas is projected.
• Carbon Emissions: Reduced emissions as a practice aims to do organic method.

Struggles That Organic Farmers Face:

• Cost of Production: In most cases, organic farming will involve labor intensive practices, thus incurring high operational costs.
• Labor-Intensive: The use of physical weeding and manual pest control increases the level of labor.
• Pest and Disease Management: Pest control and disease management can be quite difficult in the absence of synthetic pesticides.
• Certification Process: In most cases the certificate takes a lot of time and costs to obtain.
• Market competition: Competing with commercially active farmers who sell products at lower prices is not easy.
• Yield Concern: They are most likely to record low output as opposed to commercial farmers.
• Climate Factors: Adverse climatic conditions might influence organic agricultural techniques in the adverse manner.

Tips for Transitioning to an Organic Diet:

• Start with the Basics: Change the diet slowly but effectively through the most available and common foods e.g. grains, fruits or vegetables. Buy organic variants of these first.
• Look For: Organic label means USDA Organic. Look for it at any shopping.
• Buy Fresh: Seek markets for fresh organic fruits as they are quite cheap and not easily accessible in the shops. Plus, it helps to help local farmers.
• Meal Preparation: Develop a weekly meal plan based on organic foods. Helps in planning purchases and cut back on waste.
• Reverse Order: Take up organic foods in layers. The first step is to take one or two foods then expand gradually.
• Organic Expensiveness: This means you do not purchase all organic foods only. Purchase organic foods that fall on the “Dirty Dozen” list.

Dealing with buying, cooking and storing organic foods

• Washing: Washing anti-bacterial and organic fruits and vegetables is done with great care so as to eliminate dirt and bacteria respectively.
• Cutting: In an effort to avoid cross-contamination, organic and non-organic mixing of vegetables cut, use different cutting boards.
• Methods of Cooking: Instead of boiling organic vegetables, it is preferred that steaming or baking is practiced to  conserve nutrients in the vegetables.

• Refrigeration: Organic vegetables and fruits also included can be kept safely in a refrigerator for the sake of prolonging their freshness.
• Containers: Use containers that can tightly close off oxygen in order to preserve the quality of organic leftovers.

Managing The Costs Of Organic Foods

• Buy Out of Season: Buy organic fruit and vegetables that are out of season at a lesser price or better quality.
• Local Farmers’ Markets C: Many nearby farmers’ markets provide cheaper cleaner organic produce straight from the growers.
• Store Rational Application: Mostly, and surprisingly, don’t be afraid of buying organic products from the store shelf brands, which are cheaper.
• Choosing The Right Organ stances: The Dirty Dozen is the list of the worst twelve fruit and vegetable ones people should eat organic in circumstances when prioritizing purchasing organics.

Prospects For The Market Of Organic Food In The Future

• Improvements in biodynamic farming techniques.
• Investing in AI and IOT for Better Crop Health Surveillance.

• Focus on clean energy increases.
• Embracing no waste philosophy.

• More consumer understanding of the advantages of organic food.
• More interest in the source of the food.

• Exponential increase in the organic food market in third world countries.
• Entry of new competitors into the organic food industry.

Advantages of Organic Food