The Buyt Desk
When it comes to eating healthy, people think about organic food. It has been implanted in buyers’ mind that organic foods are healthier, nutritious and tastes better than non-organic food. Also, because they are grown and produced organically, they are better and safer for the environment.
Due to the same reason, despite being pricey, the organic food market is on rise.
But many food experts have different beliefs about organic food. According to them, there is not enough piece of evidence present that suggests eating organic food has any significant advantages on health over conventional food. The experts in the field have well-researched facts to support this verdict.
What Is An Organic Food?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set a standard for organic cropping. They are – the food must not be grown and produced using conventional pesticides, bio-engineering, sewage sludge and ionizing radiation. Organically raised animals must be kept free to move, including pastureland. Animals should be fed with food grown organically and kept free from antibiotics and growth hormones.
Food having a label of USDA Organic contains a minimum of 95 per cent organic ingredients. Experts from USDA inspect the farms where organic food is produced to ensure that people in the field are following all USDA protocols.
The standards of organic farming are more or less the same in other countries, including India. This kind of arrangement gives customers confidence that they are buying organic produce.
Are Organic Foods Safer Than Non-organic?
Various studies on organic farming suggest that organic fruits and vegetables, crops, etc., contain fewer pesticides than non-organic food. It also found that organically grown foodstuff is less likely to have residue of more than one pesticide, which is prevalent in conventional food.
Nevertheless, they have also found that the pesticide content in the conventionally grown crop is way less than the acceptable limits set by the Environment Protection Agency. Additionally, they have raised a doubt about the impact of such a small amount of pesticide residue in the crop on consumers’ health in the long run. Research in this regard is still going on.
In addition to synthetic pesticides, the toxin that plants release is also a threat to food. In this area, non-organic food out-perform. Because of no pesticides and fertilizer treatment on the organic crops, it becomes more vulnerable to insects and weeds attack. To safeguard themselves from weeds and insects, plants produce natural toxins.
Furthermore, the only mechanism plants have to protect themselves from the attack of weeds and insects is, by producing toxic chemicals, which are more harmful than natural pesticides. E.g. Green potatoes. It is the result of the plant’s self-defence mechanism, and the consumption of too many green potatoes could lead to digestion-related issues.
Other than this, scientists present another safety concern with organic food. Critics fear that the use of manure could lead to contamination of crops by microbes like E. coli.
Nevertheless, this is also a fact that only a few pieces of evidence are present, suggesting bacterial contamination in the organic crop.
The experts say consumers can safeguard their health only by thoroughly cleaning fruits and vegetables before eating.
Is Organic Food Higher On Nutrition Than Non-organic Food?
A few studies done on the nutritional value of organically grown food showed that these fruits and vegetables definitely have a higher content of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, but, compared to conventional food, the difference in level is minor.
Is It Worth Buying Organic Food At a Higher Price?
Indeed organic foods are more nutritious and have fewer pesticides content. They also protect the environment and our natural resources. Individuals who can afford to buy organic food should definitely go for it. But, there is no need to stretch just to get extra nutrition.
