 What is organic farming?
Organic
farming refers to agricultural production systems used
to produce food and fiber. Organic farming management relies
on developing biological diversity in the field to disrupt
habitat for pest organisms, and the purposeful maintenance and
replenishment of soil fertility. Organic farmers are not
allowed to use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. All kinds
of agricultural products are produced organically, including
produce, grains, meat, dairy, eggs, fibers such as cotton,
flowers, and processed food products. Some of the essential
characteristics of organic systems include: design and
implementation of an "organic system plan" that
describes the practices used in producing crops and livestock
products; a detailed record keeping system that tracks all
products from the field to point of sale; and maintenance of
buffer zones to prevent inadvertent contamination by synthetic
farm chemicals from adjacent conventional fields.
What
does certified organic mean?
Certified organic refers to agricultural
products that have been grown and processed according to
uniform standards, verified by independent state or private
organizations accredited by the USDA. All products sold as
"organic" must be certified. Certification
includes annual submission of an organic system plan and
inspection of farm fields and processing facilities.
Inspectors verify that organic practices such as long-term
soil management, buffering between organic farms and
neighboring conventional farms, and record keeping are being
followed. Processing inspections include review of the
facility's cleaning and pest control methods, ingredient
transportation and storage, and record keeping and audit
control. Organic foods are minimally processed to maintain
the integrity of food without artificial ingredients or
preservatives. Certified organic requires the rejection of
synthetic agrochemicals, irradiation and genetically
engineered foods or ingredients. Since 2002, organic
certification in the U.S. has taken place under the
authority of the USDA National Organic Program, which
accredits organic certifying agencies, and oversees the
regulatory process. To find out more about the national
organic certification requirements and organic program,
please go to the USDA National Organic Program website
www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
Is
organic food more nutritious than conventional food?
The
definitive study has not been done, mainly because of the
multitude of variables involved in making a fair comparison
between organically grown and conventionally grown food.
These include crop variety, time after harvest, post-harvest
handling, and even soil type and climate, which can have
significant effects on nutritional quality. However, a 2002
report indicates that organic food is far less likely to
contain pesticide residues than conventional food (13% of
organic produce samples vs. 71% of conventional produce
samples contained a pesticide residue, when long-banned
persistent pesticides were excluded). For more information
on this 2002 report (Baker, B.P., C.M. Benbrook, E. Groth
III, and K.L. Benbrook. 2002. Pesticide residues in
conventional, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown and
organic food: insights from three US data sets. Food
Additives and Contaminants 19:427-446.) go to the Organic
Materials Review Institute website www.omri.org.
Is organic food safe?
Yes. Organic food is as safe to consume as any other
kind of food. Just as with any kind of produce, consumers
should wash before consuming to ensure maximum cleanliness.
As cited above, organic produce contains significantly lower
levels of pesticide residues than conventional produce. It
is a common misconception that organic food could be at
greater risk of E. coli contamination because of raw
manure application although 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
pathogens.
Why does organic cost more?
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. Prices for organic foods include
costs of growing, harvesting, transportation and storage. In
the case of processed foods, processing and packaging costs
are also included. Organically produced foods must meet
stricter regulations governing all these steps than
conventional foods. The intensive management and labor used
in organic production are frequently (though not always)
more expensive than the chemicals routinely used on
conventional farms. 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. Cost, however, is very dependent upon market venue and
consumer product choice. It is possible to consume a
moderately priced diet of organic foods by purchasing
directly from farmers at venues such as farmers markets, and
by choosing unprocessed organically grown foods at the
grocery store. |
