Organic products clearly a no-brainer
WILL YOU PAY MORE FOR HEALTHIER FOOD?
Iam sure you have walked down the aisles of your grocery store and come across products and treats that say “organic”. What exactly does organic mean and does paying a premium for it offer benefits to your health?
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (Defra) in Britain defines “organic” as a product of a farming system which avoids the use of man-made fertilisers, pesticides, growth regulators and livestock feed activities. Irradiation and the use of genetically modified organisms are generally prohibited by organic legislation.
Throughout history, farmers have had a hard time trying to keep up with the demands for food supply and have an equally tough time with the elements. Disease, drought, insects, rodents, weeds and other animals have plagued farmers for centuries. This has helped push the boundaries of technology by taking the seeds of the crops and engineering them to become more resilient to the threats. This allows crops to become more robust and farmers tend to have a bigger success rate in crop productivity. What the GMO crops don’t repel, farmers turn to using pesticides.
In the case of animal stock, farmers have looked to growth hormones, antibiotics and other means to ensure their animals grow to abnormal sizes or allow for greater production of eggs or milk. In high demand food areas like chicken and eggs, farmers don’t always look to the wellbeing of their animals. Chickens can be locked up in their pens for their entire short lives, force-fed till they are fat and then slaughtered.
Food scarcity is a big concern for government organisations
and these practices are allowed because government fears a food shortage.
Consumers have decided to fight the system by asking the fundamental question: “How can we change the status quo?” The growth hormones, antibiotics and chemicals that farmers spray, land up in our food and we eat it. If your fruit is not washed properly or is sourced by a farmer who doesn’t have a wash plant, then you will more than likely be ingesting your daily dose of poison, which might not have an immediate effect, but perhaps at a later stage in your life. There are numerous papers claiming that organic foods such as fruits have a higher vitamin and fibre count. Irrespective of the notion that organic food could be better for you on a nutritional count, answer this question: “If you had two identical food groups, one GMO with newage methods and the other organic which follows natural processes and doesn’t have any potentially damaging chemicals, which one would you choose and would you pay more for it?”
Organic food is expensive in South Africa and that is only because the education around organic food alternatives has been poor and thus the demand for equally so. That is changing and it has started with companies like Woolworths setting strict requirements for farmers to supply quality goods under their brand. Basically what they say to farmers is that you will have access to a multi-million rand account, but you have to follow their guidelines of proper sustainability and organic farming practices. Regular inspections are done to ensure that when an organic product lands on the shelves, customers can be assured the product is of the highest quality. The next time you buy a non-organic milk product leave it out of the fridge for a few days and see how long it takes for the milk to go off. Do the same with organic milk and see how long it lasts. You’ll find the organic milk doesn’t last as long and that’s how good milk should behave.
Let me know your thoughts on Twitter @SeanVStaden.