Talking About Organic Food Fraud
Organic? I mean, it sounds good, doesn't it? The adjective alone is comforting. It means developed naturally.
Wow! That does sound good. Which is why when we talk about organic food, many people are quick to sing its praises. They say that it is healthier and better for you. And for the most part people have bought into this conclusion lock, stock and barrel.
But is it true?
Are Organic Foods Really Better For You?
Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart
If you've visited the supermarket in the last decade or so, chances are you've strolled down the organic food aisle. Well, what did you notice? Aside from the word organic written in big bright letters on almost everything, the first thing you probably saw was the enormous price discrepancy between organic food and regular food.
What? Is That Four Dollars For A Package Of Carrots?
Due perhaps to rising prices, a number of intrepid individuals have began to question whether there is organic food fraud. In fact, the Food Standards Agency, a dispassionate organization established by the government refuses to corroborate the unsubstantiated claims that have been made by many organic food producers.
For example, they say their food tastes better. Yet in blind taste test after blind taste test people have not been able to differentiate between organic foods and regular ones. Only recently, the Food Standards Agency released a statement that said organic food is not appreciably different from regular food with regards to nutrition and food safety.
This sent the organic food industry into an uproar as they continue to claim that their products are not only tastier but also healthier. The only problem is that they have absolutely no evidence to support these claims.
Does this Mean There Is Organic Food Fraud?
In spite of all the bluster and grand standing, the crux of the argument comes down to the difference between natural chemicals and synthetic ones. Yes, organic foods do use chemicals to grow. But their position is that they natural chemical are safer and healthier for humans than synthetic ones that are used in regular food production.
Again, the problem is that this has not and possibly cannot be proven. In fact, according to all previous tests, there is nothing inherently dangerous about synthetic chemicals used in regular food, and there is certainly nothing healthy about natural chemicals.
So Why Do People Like Organic Foods?
This is a relatively easy question to answer. To begin with, the supermarkets love organic foods because they are often two or three times the price of ordinary foods and premium prices increase their profits.
The consumer, on the other hand, is a bit harder to figure out. The best answer we can proffer is that people like to think they are doing something healthy for themselves. People like the promises that organic foods make.
Lastly, many people support organic farms because they are said to better for the environment. However, every recent study has shown that integrated farm management is far more efficient and productive than organic farms could ever hope to be. And that is probably the most glaring and disturbing weakness of organic farming-inefficiency.
Truth is that organic food is far more expensive because their average crop yields are up to fifty percent lower than conventional farms. This is something that organic food fraud seeks to keep on the down low.
In a time when the world population is growing at an astounding rate, how can we possibly advocate as system of farming that is more expensive and less efficient and that will not help to feed the hungry and the poor.
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