ORGANIC FOOD🍅🥦🥬

 

    What is organic food?

Organic food is produced in compliance with organic farming standards that regulate the way agricultural products are grown and processed. While the regulations vary from country to country, in the U.S., organic crops must be grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers, or bioengineered genes (GMOs).

Organic food is produced using farming and food production practiced that avoid synthetic chemical like pesticides and fertilizers genetically modified organism (GMOs), antibiotic and irradiation. These methods focus on sustainability and ecological balance, cycling resources and conserving biodiversity. Organic certification ensures that products meet these standards, providing consumers with a guarantee that the food was produced in a manner that is better for people, animals, and the environment.  

Organic livestock raised for meat, eggs, and dairy products must be raised in living conditions accommodating their natural behaviors (such as the ability to graze on pasture) and fed organic feed and forage. They may not be given antibiotics, growth hormones, or any animal by-products.

Organic food offers benefits for your health, such as reduced exposure to pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones, along with higher nutritional content and potentially better flavor. It also supports the environment through sustainable practices, improved soil and water health, and greater biodiversity. Furthermore, choosing organic foods can contribute to the well-being of local economies and farmers, promote humane animal treatment, and avoid GMOs.  

Organic vs. Non-Organic
Organic produce:	Conventionally grown produce:
Grown with natural fertilizers (manure, compost).	Growth with synthetic and chemical fertilizers.
Weeds are controlled naturally (crop rotation, hand weeding, mulching, and tilling) or with organic-approved herbicides.	Weeds are controlled with chemical herbicides.
Pests are controlled using natural methods (birds, insects, traps) and naturally-derived pesticides.	Pests are controlled with synthetic pesticides.
Organic meat, dairy eggs:	Conventionally-raised meat, dairy, eggs:
Livestock are given all organic, hormone- and GMO-free feed.	Livestock are given growth hormones for faster growth (this is not allowed for poultry), as well as non-organic, GMO feed.
Disease is prevented with natural methods such as clean housing, rotational grazing, and healthy diet.	Antibiotics and medications are used to prevent livestock disease.
Livestock must have access to the outdoors.	Livestock may or may not have access to the outdoors.

The benefits of organic food

How your food is grown or raised can have a major impact on your mental and emotional health as well as the environment. Organic foods often have more beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants, than their conventionally-grown counterparts and people with allergies to foods, chemicals, or preservatives may find their symptoms lessen or go away when they eat only organic foods.

Organic produce contains fewer pesticides. Chemicals such as synthetic fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides are widely used in conventional agriculture and residues remain on (and in) the food we eat.

Organic food is often fresher because it doesn’t contain preservatives that make it last longer. Organic produce is sometimes (but not always, so watch where it is from) produced on smaller farms nearer to where it is sold.

Organic farming tends to be better for the environment. Organic farming practices may reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy. Farming without synthetic pesticides is also better for nearby birds and animals as well as people who live close to farms. However, organic farming does often require more land to produce the same amount of food as conventional agriculture, which can increase carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Organically raised animals are NOT given antibiotics, growth hormones, or fed animal byproducts. Feeding livestock animal byproducts increases the risk of mad cow disease (BSE) and the use of antibiotics can create antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Organically-raised animals tend to be given more space to move around and access to the outdoors, which helps to keep them healthy.

Organic meat and milk can be richer in certain nutrients. Results of a 2016 European study show that levels of certain nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, were up to 50 percent higher in organic meat and milk than in conventionally raised versions.

Organic food is GMO-free. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or genetically engineered (GE) foods are plants whose DNA has been altered in ways that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding, most commonly in order to be resistant to pesticides or produce an insecticide.

Health & Nutrition Benefits

1. Lower Chemical Exposure:

Organic foods are grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers, reducing your intake of harmful chemical residues. 

2. Less Exposure to Antibiotics & Hormones:

Organic livestock are not routinely given antibiotics or growth hormones, which helps combat antibiotic resistance. 

3. Increased Antioxidants:

Organic produce often contains higher levels of beneficial antioxidants, which can help fight cell damage. 

4. Higher Nutritional Value:

Many organic foods have a richer concentration of vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients compared to conventional foods. 

5. No GMOs:

Organic food production prohibits the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), ensuring that food remains unaltered at a genetic level. 

 

Environmental Benefits

1. Improved Soil Health:

Organic farming practices focus on nurturing healthy soil through natural methods like composting, which helps conserve water and reduces pollution. 

2. Enhanced Water Quality:

By avoiding chemical pesticides and fertilizers, organic farming helps prevent the contamination of water sources. 

3. Supports Biodiversity:

Organic farms promote a variety of plants and animals, creating a more diverse and sustainable ecosystem that supports pollinators like bees. 

4. Eco-Friendly Practices:

Organic farming often uses less water, saves energy, and emits fewer greenhouse gases, contributing to a more sustainable food system. 

Organic food outlets

You can buy organic food from:

• some supermarkets
• some green grocers
• health food shops
• some fresh food and farmer’s markets
• Certified organic retailers.

Organic food is often more expensive than conventionally produced food. This is because organic farming generally operates on a smaller scale and production is more labour intensive. Also, without herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals, yields are generally smaller.

Organic food certification

Organic farms are only certified after they have been operating according to organic principles for 3 years. However, the use of the word ‘organic’ is not regulated in Australia, so it is important to make sure that products you buy come from certified growers and producers.

Before 2009, a standard (guidelines and rules) did not exist for domestic and imported organic foods. This led to a misrepresentation of the word ‘organic’ in the Australian domestic food market.

Two key standards now govern the production, processing and labelling of organic food in Australia. These are:

• The National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce (for exported foods)
• The Australian Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Products (for domestic and imported foods).

These standards provide an agreed set of procedures to be followed in organic food production. This helps to ensure the integrity and traceability of an organic food product from ‘paddock to plate’. The standards include requirements for production, preparation, transportation, marketing and labelling of organic products in Australia.

While it is mandatory for exported organic produce to be certified and meet the National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce, the Australian standard (for domestic and imported foods) is not mandated, and certification is voluntary. Its purpose is to assist the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to ensure claims made about organic and biodynamic products are not false or misleading.

‘Organic-certified produce’ means the food was grown, harvested, stored and transported without the use of synthetic chemicals, irradiation or fumigants.