When will the argument of organic vs. conventional food ever die The answer is most likely never, especially since there’s such an enormous amount of money at stake.
With politically well-connected corporations like Monsanto leading the charge into the future of food production with toxic pesticides and genetically modified organisms, it seems almost impossible to stop the avalanche of misinformation that permeates the mainstream media of today.
The more you watch food advertisements and news reports it’s blatantly obvious that big industry spin-doctors are at it once again. It seems they have taken a page or two right out of the tobacco companies propaganda playbook of decades past.
So what are some of the tactics used to convince you that organic food is a waste of money
Tactic #1 Utilize experts to dissuade consumers from purchasing organic by stating over and over that organic food is way more expensive than conventional food and that it may not even be better for you.
I find it interesting that most dietitians recommend that consumers should check product labels to determine exactly what you’re getting. Unfortunately that’s tough to do when pesticides, herbicides, irradiation and genetically modified organisms are conspicuously absent from food product labels.
Fact #1 Because the organic food industry has been growing by leaps and bounds (from $1 billion in 1990 to $20 billion in 2007 in the U.S. alone) the over all cost of organic food has been reduced substantially. In some cases certain organic produce items at the local supermarket are actually the same price as their conventional counterparts.
Even better still, I suggest shopping at local farmer’s markets where produce is organically or naturally grown (which is basically organic without the government certification). There’s nothing like buying produce with the dirt still on it, directly from the people who actually had a hand in growing it – you can’t get that in any supermarket.
Tactic #2 Discredit any studies that unequivocally prove that organic food is more nutritious than conventional food by using vague statements such as, From a nutrition standpoint, there isn’t enough research to show that organic foods are more nutritious than regular foods.
Fact #2 In fact, a recent $24 million (CAD) four year study conducted at the Newcastle University in England and funded by the European Union, found the following
• Organic milk has 60-80 percent more nutrients than conventional milk.
• Organic milk has higher levels of Vitamin E.
• Organic Cheese can have twice as many nutrients as conventional varieties.
• Organic tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, cabbage, onions have 20-40 percent more antioxidants than conventional fruits and vegetables.
• Organic spinach has been found to contain more minerals than conventional.
Although this study did not obviously cover all of the food available to consumers in supermarkets, it stands to reason that any food grown or raised under organic conditions would hold more nutritional value than conventionally grown foods.
Tactic #3 Downplay the havoc that toxic man made chemicals have on the human body by claiming that, The levels of pesticides currently used haven’t been found to be harmful.
Fact #3 My question is… harmful to what A lab rat And who conducted these studies proving that pesticides are not harmful to humans and for how long My guess is scientists funded by the chemical companies themselves.
Most of the pro-agribusiness experts also forget to mention that none of these chemicals existed 100 years ago and therefore they are totally alien to the human body – so no one really knows what the long-term consequences will be from ingesting them.
Also, we have to consider the total toxic load on the body from other sources such as shampoos, deodorants, perfumes, skin creams, hair dyes, dish soap, laundry detergents, pharmaceutical drugs, cigarette smoke, automobile exhaust etc. We are literally swimming in a sea of man made chemicals on a daily basis and once again, no one can say for certain what the long term damage will be when they interact inside your body.
Tags: conventional counterparts, food advertisements, leaps and bounds, organic food industry, toxic pesticides