Organic food production is most closely defined as “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity.” That said, it is manifested by the practice which strives to sustain and augment ecological consonance. The U.S. endeavors to do so by prohibiting the usage of pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, modern genetic engineering techniques (including genetically modified crops), chemical fertilizers, or sewage sludge (Carl K. Winter & Sarah F. Davis, 2006).
The food industry was based on an entirely organic farming process before the introduction of pesticides. Before the 1920’s, in fact, all agriculture was organic. During WWII, it was discovered that the
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As demand increases, so does the quantity of supply; this is a concept known as supply and demand. The organic food industry has successfully perpetuated this notion. The popularity of organic foods in the United States has increased exponentially since 1990, with an annual growth rate of twenty-percent. Its marketability can be strongly attributed to the complexity involved in production as well as perspective health benefits. A parallel exists between the monetary value and health benefits; product desirability and value simultaneously increase. Health deficits of the latter alternative also assist in underscoring the importance of the organic food industry. Many conventionally produced foods contain pesticides, antibiotics, and other extraneous chemicals; all of which organic food industries strive to eliminate. Farming techniques such as soil fertility maintenance, “ crop rotation, tillage and cultivation practices, cover crops, and natural products.” Nonetheless, each of these precise methods work cohesively to eliminate the harmful factors traced to conventional food production methods. (Winter & Davis, …show more content…
According to the New York Times, Norwegian cod costs a manufacturer $1.36 a pound to process in Europe, but only 23 cents a pound in Asia. With such a dramatic dichotomy, the cod from Asia is much more economically appealing. In terms of shipping costs, it is difficult to measure the pros and cons of exporting versus selling food locally. For example, according to the New York Times, some studies have shown that shipping fresh apples, onions, and lamb from New Zealand might produce lower emissions and cost less money than producing the goods in Europe, where storing apples for months would require refrigeration. According to Ed Moorhouse, a consultant to the food industry in London, “we’ve educated our customers to expect cheap food, that they can go to the market and get whatever they want, whenever they want it. All year. 24/7” (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 2008). Grocers’ number one priority is providing food to their customers at the lowest and most consistent price
6. "Organic Farming." US Environmental Protection Agency. 29 July 2009. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .
Organic refers to the way agricultural products, food and fiber, are grown and processed. “It is an ecological system that at its core relies on a healthy rich soil to produce strong plants that resist pests and diseases. Organic farming prohibits the use of toxic and persistent chemicals in favor of more “earth-friendly” practices that work in harmony with nature. In the case of livestock, antibiotics are prohibited, opting instead for preventative measures for keeping animals healthy and productive. Organic production also prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s).” (Ameriorganic) To find organic products one must only look for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seal. The seal certifies the product must be 95%
Steven Shapin is an expert when it comes to telling people the reality of the situation. In his, article “What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic?” Shapin exposes and explains the truth behind the word organic. He explains that our view on organic is not a reality. The small farms that we picture in our heads are really just big business in disguise and these big businesses are trying to do good by supposedly not using harmful pesticides. Which are supposed to not damage the environment but in reality they are probably not making any sort of difference. Some people care about the environment, while others are buying taste when it comes to organic food but using different pesticides are going to help the taste, only freshness tastes the best.
While the organic movement has increased the production and sale of organic food in the United States, something that should be noted is that the stock of Whole Foods Market, a grocery store is dedicated to the sale of organic food, has gone down 40% since October of 2013. Whole Foods Market’s success rates are slowly beginning to diminish and it may lose its dominance in the organic foods market (The Economist, 2014). While this may seem indicative of a decrease in public interest of organic food, it really indicates the opposite. After seeing the success of Whole Foods Market, new stores such as Trader Joe’s and Sprouts entered the organic market and became strong competition. The decline in Whole Foods Market’s success may be attributed
When people hear the two words “Organic Foods”, many questions come to mind. Such questions include “what is organic food”, “what does the term organic mean”, and “why should I spend more money on organic food”? Organic food began many years ago before new discoveries and technology ever existed. Throughout the decades, organic food has evolved and caught more attention from buyers and producers than ever before. There are many standards in place to authorize the use of the label “Organic” and also to ensure quality. Regulations and enforcement is placed highly. Understanding the many different labels can be confusing due to the variety of the many different labels. Knowing what to look for and buy is the key to buying truly organic food therefore reaping all the many benefits. Tips will be discussed for those who do not have a full understanding of purchasing organic foods. Many benefits will be derived from going the extra mile to buy and eat organic food. Many researches have been done in supporting the benefits of organic foods. Organic food is a holistic approach acting as a preventive measure and also as a treatment of one’s disease based on individual daily diet.
Currently, there is a global demand emerging for organic products specifically a huge consumer demand in the United States and Europe. The United States ranks fourth in organically farmed land globally, and sales of organic food have increased by almost a factor of six, from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $21.1 billion in 2008 (Reganold, Andrews, Reeve, Carpenter-Boggs, Schadt, Alldredge, Ross, Davies, Zhou, 2010). In the United States, organic farming has gained much popularity in the farm sector, mainly due to the new wave or generally recognized as healthy food products (Uematsu, Mishra, 2012).
Organic foods have become more and more popular over the years, and consumers may or may not be knowledgeable when shopping for organic and/or conventional foods. This report will help define the difference between organic and conventional foods and farming, including the health benefits and risks. The demand for organic foods will also be discussed briefly. The purpose of this research is to describe and identify the advantages and issues that are involved with organic and inorganic foods.
Organic food and organic farming become a pop issue in today’s society. People begin to concern which kind of food is better for their health and which farming method is better for the environment. Most mothers will select food carefully and buy foods with the organic label when they are shopping in the supermarket, because they think organic food is better for their family’s health. But what is the difference between the “organic farming” and “industrial farming”? In the definition, organic farming is a form of agriculture that “relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control.” Compare with organic farming, industrial farming will use more chemicals. Is organic farming better than industrial farming? This controversial issue has aroused wide public concern and heated discussions. From my deeper research in this area, I get a new understanding of the relationship between organic farming and industrial farming. Organic farming and industrial farming both have benefits and drawbacks, the best way to produce food is combining the organic farming with the industrial farming.
Many consumers and farmers have discovered that living in an industrialized culture where the focus has become faster, bigger, and cheaper is not the best way to produce our food. Obsessed with productivity, the agriculture industry is reaping the negative consequences of creating an unsustainable environment for food production. Time and time again, the media captures stories regarding deadly bacterial contamination and dangerous pesticide contamination causing illness and death in our communities. The environment is also damaged and contaminated. This devastating trend, due to irresponsible farming practices as a result of the industrialization of the food industry, has become all too common. Returning to organic farming, which our grandparents referred to as farming, and reclaiming our food is not only our choice, it is our right.
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
With the world’s population continuing to increase, the demand for food is higher than ever. This increase in food demand also calls for more efficient ways of growing and providing the food. Two methods that are very controversial are the organic and conventional method. While many people support the organic method because of its known benefits, others feel that it is an over inflated industry that cheats consumers out of their money. But recently many studies have disproved those critics. These studies prove that Organic food is a better choice than conventional because it is better for the environment, avoids the use of chemicals, and is generally more beneficial.
The term “organic” is almost everywhere in modern society, whether it’s used to promote a product or it’s debated on whether it really benefits the human diet. Organic food is heavily debated on as it appears more and more in local grocery stores and farmers markets begin to populate, it raises questions such as “Is organic food better than food grown with pesticides and biologically engineered genes?” and “Are there benefits to eating organically over foods grown in any other way?” In terms of what data and results show in research may help lead to answers to most of the heavily debated issues throughout discussions on organic food.
The battle between organic produce and store bought goods has been raging for a while now. Most supermarket bought fruit and vegetables can contain artificially added chemicals and pesticides. Organic, home grown produce is the only way to know that the food you eat is “what it says on the tin” and is truly good for you.
Thirty years later, organic farming was in high demand, but suffered developing pains. Although there was agreements being made, there was no regulations put forth towards organic farming. Fast forwarding to present time, many consumers are starting to purchase organic food products even making it a trend. Written in Inouye, Alena, and McCauley’s 2006 article “Organic Farming Should Be Pursued”, “organic farming is gaining in popularity due to Americans ' increasing concern about food safety and environmental protection.” This quote assumes the reasoning behind the sudden popularity in organic farming is society’s attraction towards the idea of a cleaner food industry and environment. The article also mentions, “As a result, sales of organic foods in the United States have increased by more than 20 percent every year since 1996, reaching $7.8 billion in 2000.”(Inouye, Alena, McCauley) The fact that popularity towards organic farming grows at a rate of 20 percent every single year further proves how its movement has such an impact towards the consumers of
First of all, the main reason that people choose organic food is that people think organic foods have less chemical residue, such as pesticide, and fertilizer. In the article “Organic foods contain higher levels of certain nutrients, lower levels of pesticides, and may provide health benefits for the consumer”, Crinnion indicated that organic foods just had 33 percent of the amount of pesticide and fertilizer residues that found in conventional foods, and conventional foods contain two or more types of chemical residues than organic foods (Crinnion, 2010). In addition, Crinnion used a study of Seattle preschoolers as an example to demonstrate organic foods have less pesticide residues. The study of Seattle concluded that children who ate more conventional foods had six times higher level of pesticide resi...