What is organic food?
Interested to know what's behind all the hype about organic foods?
Are you wondering what the big deal is about organic foods? Are they really healthier, or are they just another high-priced rip-off for the unwitting consumer? With that price tag, you may ask yourself; why not just buy the regular carrots?
In order to answer these questions, we first need to ask: What is organic?
In 1990, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). The OFPA required the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop national standards for organic produce and animal products. These standards were developed to make sure that foods marketed as organic have uniform standards.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's organic certification, for a farm to be certified as organic, the land must be free from prohibited substances such as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and other potential toxins for at least three years. The certification is done by a state or private entity that has been accredited by the USDA.
Now that you know what organic is, here are some of the benefits of organic produce to help you decide if it's for you:
- Because they're grown without the use of pesticides, when you eat them, you’re not consuming any of the chemicals used by farmers to ward of insects and other crop pests. With some fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, chemical consumption is less of an issue because you peel the fruit before eating it, but with others, such as strawberries, peppers, green beans, and peaches, it is much harder to be sure you’ve gotten any pesticides off before consumption. For this type of produce,if you want to be sure, it makes sense to buy organic.
- They're better for the earth. Herbicides and pesticides can leech into the groundwater we drink. Organic farms help to promote sustainable agriculture.
- According to proponents of organic food, the food tastes better. Not only does the produce not contain chemicals, which helps to give you a healthier eating experience, organic food often travels a shorter distance to market, which helps to maintain its freshness and flavor. The shorter travel time also means that the fruits and vegetables are picked at their peak, rather than picked early to keep them fresh for a long trip to market.
More than just produce can be organic – animal products can be organic too, such as milk produced from cows that are certified untreated with hormones or antibiotics.
Now that you know the basics of organic food, as an educated consumer, it’s worthwhile to do your own research in order to make an informed opinion. Happy eating!
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