Facts about Organic Foods

• In the past decade, sales of organic products have shown an annual increase of at least 20%, the fastest growing sector of agriculture.

• October 21, 2002 marked the official debut of the new USDA Organic seal on food. The culmination of a 12-year struggle by organic proponents, the new seal gives huge boosts to organic agriculture, and is a boon to consumers who prefer organic food.

• USDA and agribusiness groups have been trying to emphasize that organic food is no healthier than regular food. But that's not true in regards to pesticide contamination. When persistent and systemic pesticides are sprayed directly on our food before it is harvested (and sometimes afterwards), it inevitably turns up in our soil, rivers, ground water, on our plates and in our livers.

Benefits of Organically Grown Food

• Organic farming delivers the highest quality, best-tasting food, produced without artificial chemicals or genetic modification, and with respect for animal welfare and the environment, while helping to maintain the landscape and rural communities

• 100% Organic Certification for a product insures that there are no GMOs (Genetically Modified Foods) in that product.

• Conventional farmers use around 300 different pesticides to grow foods that are sold in supermarkets everyday.

• Not only do conventionally grown foods contain pesticides, they also have added chemicals used in many conventional processed foods.

• Currently about 500 such additives are used in the farming process, some of which have been linked to allergic reactions, headaches, asthma, growth retardation, hyperactivity in children, heart disease and osteoporosis. These food additives include preservatives, sweeteners, colorings, hydrogenated fat, aspartame (artificial sweetener) and monosodium glutamate (MSG).

• Under the New Organic Certification - these additives are banned.

• UK Soil Association reported that 50 to 93 percent of pesticide residues remained on potatoes, apples and broccoli after washing.

• A US study in April 2001 quantified for the first time the difference in nutrient levels between organic and conventional food. It reviewed all the available comparative studies on crops produced with organic matter and inorganic fertilizers (41 studies) and found that organic crops had higher average levels of all 21 nutrients analyzed. The results were statistically significant for Vitamin C (27% more), magnesium (29%), iron (21%) and phosphorus (14%).

Cost Differences:

• In the United States, it has been calculated that the total environmental and public health costs of pesticide use alone, are about $3-4 billion a year - equivalent to almost $1 in externality costs for every $1 of pesticide sold in the Country. Globally, pesticide externality costs are estimated to be as high as (US)$100-200 billion a year, equivalent to $5- 10 for every $1 of pesticides sold

• The off-site costs of soil erosion in the U.S. have been estimated at up to $20 billion a year, with more than one third of this blamed on agriculture. U.S. cropland loses at least three billion tons of topsoil every year, making agriculture the single largest non-point polluter. Organic food has lower water content and hence more concentrated nutrients: consumers are paying more for pesticide contaminated water in non-organic produce than organically grown produce.

• Organic Farming saves energy. Conventional farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry; consuming 12% of the country's energy supply.

• A comparison of the full economic performance of organic and conventional farmers in Pennsylvania found that organic practices cut production costs by 25%, eliminated inorganic fertilizer and pesticide use, reduced soil erosion by more than 50%, and increased yields after the (five-year) transition from conventional systems had been completed.

Land, People and Animals

• Support small farms by buying organic ~ most organic farms are small, independently owned and operated. In the past decade the United States has lost 650,000 family farms due to the large scale conventional farms that are taking over. Organic farming is making it possible for the family farm to survive. Down to Earth buys organic produce from local farmers.

• Foods grown with conventional pesticides and fertilizers have a high environmental price hidden in the tax dollars used to clean up water contamination. As part of building healthy soil, organic agriculture uses conservation practices, such as planting cover crops or including buffer zones and wildlife areas. Those costs are an investment in the future.

• Organic Farming benefits everyone, including dairies. Dairies that feed their cows organic feed and graze them on organic fields experience healthier animals, less sickness, less disease, and a better tasting product that is worth more into today's market than non organic milk (due to falling commodity prices).

• Antibiotic residues in milk result in the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria that are prevalent in humans. This reduces the effectiveness of antibiotics used to treat human diseases.

• Organic farms support substantially higher levels of wildlife in lowland areas, particularly wildlife groups on the decline. In a three year study of 44 farms by the British Trust for Ornithology, 40% more birds, twice as many butterflies and five times as many wild arable plants were maintained. The study confirmed the organic sector's observation that organic farming addresses the main causes of the current dramatic decline in farm wildlife as identified by conservationists.

Common Questions About Organic Farming:

Is Organic Food Safe to Eat?

• It is a common misconception that organic food could be at greater risk of E. coli contamination because of raw manures application. Conventional farmers commonly apply tons of raw manure as well with no regulation whatsoever.

• Organic standards set strict guidelines on manure use in organic farming: either it must be first composted, or it must be applied at least 90 days before harvest, which allows ample time for microbial breakdown of any pathogens.

Why does organic food cost more?

• There is mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production were factored into the price of food, organic foods would cost the same, or more likely be cheaper than conventional food.

• The cost of organic food is higher than that of conventional food because the organic price tag more closely reflects the true cost of growing the food: substituting labor and intensive management for chemicals, the health and environmental costs of which are borne by society.

• These costs include cleanup of polluted water and remediation of pesticide contamination.

• The intensive management and labor used in organic production are frequently (though not always) more expensive than the chemicals routinely used on conventional farms.

• Organic growers, for the most part, do not receive the same level of governmental support in the form of farm subsidies and research that other farmers receive. The prices of organic products, therefore, more directly reflect the actual costs of production. As production capacity and demand for organic products increases, organic growers and processors will be able to take advantage of economies of scale, which may result in lower prices.

How do organic farmers fertilize crops? How do they control pests, diseases, and weeds?

• Organic farmers build healthy soils by nourishing the living component of the soil, the microbial inhabitants that release, transform, and transfer nutrients. Soil organic matter contributes to good soil structure and water-holding capacity.

• Cover crops, compost, and biologically based soil amendments produce healthy plants that are better able to resist disease and insect predation.

• Organic farmers use cover crops and sophisticated crop rotations to change the field ecology, effectively disrupting habitat for weeds, insects, and disease organisms.

• Weeds are controlled through crop rotation, mechanical tillage, and hand-weeding, as well as through cover crops, mulches, flame weeding, and other management methods.

• Organic farmers rely on a diverse population of soil organisms, beneficial insects, and birds to keep pests in check. When pest populations get out of balance, growers implement a variety of strategies such as the use of insect predators, mating disruption, traps and barriers.

• Whenever you purchase organic products, you are making an investment in the future, too. Your choice tells farmers, producers and retailers that you care about the health of the planet, and that you want them to continue their environmentally friendly production practices.

Produce with the heaviest load of pesticides:

Always buy these foods organic if you can. If organic is not available, you may want to choose fruits and veggies that are consistently less contaminated.

Fruits

1) Peaches

2) Apples

3) Strawberries

4) Nectarines

5) Pears

6) Cherries

7) Red Raspberries

8) Imported Grapes

Vegetables

1) Spinach

2) Bell Peppers

3) Celery

4) Potatoes

5) Hot Peppers

Foods that tend to be low in pesticides:

The latest government test results show that the following fruits and vegetables have the least pesticide contamination among conventionally-grown foods.

Fruits

1) Pineapples

2) Plantains

3) Mangoes

4) Bananas

5) Watermelon

6) Plums

7) Kiwi Fruit

8) Blueberries

9) Papaya

10) Grapefruit

Vegetables

1) Avocado

2) Cauliflower

3) Brussels Sprouts

4) Asparagus

5) Radishes

6) Broccoli

7) Onions

8) Okra

9) Cabbage

10) Eggplant

Pesticides can cause:

Cancer:

• Carcinogens produce either malignant or benign tumors in animals or humans. Some chemicals initiate cancer by causing genetic alterations that lead to a cancerous tumor. Others promote the growth of cancer cells, but they may not initiate the process of tumor formation. Mixtures of these initiators and promoters can accelerate tumor formation. The transformation of a normal cell into a cancerous growth is a multi-stage process that occurs gradually over many years.

• Examples of chemicals in food that cause cancer in humans are vinyl chloride, which causes liver sarcomas, arsenic, which causes skin and lung cancer, and benzene, which causes leukemia. Scores of other chemicals in food, including the fungicides captan, iprodione, and ethylene thiourea, most synthetic pyrethroid insecticides, and the herbicides acetochlor, atrazine and simazine cause cancer in well-conducted animal studies.

Developmental Toxicity:

• Developmental toxicants are commonly referred to as chemicals that cause birth defects. The harmful effects caused by developmental toxicants range from low birth weight to a host of other physiological, behavioral, or biological problems that are either apparent at birth, or become apparent as the child grows.

Reproductive Toxicity:

• Reproductive toxicants are chemicals that damage reproductive organs or impair the smooth functioning of the human reproductive system.

• The effects of reproductive toxicants on females can include disruption of the menstrual cycle, miscarriages, changes in onset of puberty, gestation time, premature menopause, and alterations in sexual behavior.

• In males, reproductive toxicants can cause decreased sperm counts, a decrease in the number and percentage of healthy sperm, altered sexual behavior, decreased fertility and even sterility.

Endocrine System Toxicity:

• The endocrine (hormone) system is the body's messenger system, linking different organs and organ systems via chemical signals that tell the body everything from when it is time to grow reproductive organs, to when metabolism should be increased.

• Some chemicals can disrupt the transmission of these messages by blocking the hormone receptors in cells, while others inhibit the ability of different glands to create the hormones in the first place. Other chemicals affect the way that these hormones are stored, transported, and eventually destroyed.

Neurotoxicity:

• Neurotoxic compounds are toxic to the brain, spinal cord, or other parts of the nervous system. Effects range from muscle weakness, tremors and loss of motor control, to confusion, memory loss, and permanently impaired behavior or learning capacity. Exposure to neurotoxic compounds is particularly risky for the fetus, infants and young children.

• The nervous system is incompletely developed at birth and very vulnerable to damage from toxic chemicals through at least two years of age. Levels of some toxic substances that are safe for adults, can cause permanent brain and nervous system damage if this same level of exposure occurs during early childhood. Lead poisoning is the classic example of this phenomenon.

• With few exceptions (lead) there are no standards in place to protect the fetus, infant or young child from neurotoxic compounds in food.

Immune System Toxicity:

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