Introduction
Organic food is grown, harvested, transported, and stored using non-industrial / "Green Revolution" means of production. As a result, truly organic produce is not sprayed, injected, treated, or engineered to contain pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, growth hormones, irradiation or industrial genetic manipulations. Simply put, food is grown the way it has been for generations before First World society strayed off course into the Agricultural "Revolution".
Organic means of growing food involve pesticide-free, living/biologically-active soil, organic fertilizer from compost and manure, biological pest control (ladybugs, et cetera), companion planting, crop rotations, self-reproducing, non-sterile seeds, genetically diverse crop families, antibiotic-free, growth hormone-free cattle and poultry, ethical animal treatment, and an inherent respect for and appreciation of the land from which our food is created.
A Deliciously, Nutritiously, Tasteful Change
From the sweetest orange carrots to the juiciest watermelons, one serving of organic fare and you will agree that the non-organic equivalent is quite lacking. Nutrient-rich soils and chemical-free farming result in highly nutritious and incredibly delicious produce.
Certification
Many consumers look for certified fruits, vegetables, meat, and poultry to ensure the purity of organically sourced food. Certification may be stated in relation to a government regulation or third-party certification organizations.
The most well-known international organic certification body is the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA). Their testing methods are highly rigorous and appropriately strict. Fields must not have been sprayed with any form of pesticide for a minimum of three years prior to evaluation, for example. Farms are regularly inspected to ensure fully organic compliance and will have their certification revoked if required. In the end, consumers may purchase OCIA-certified produce with confidence.
Organic Concerns
Discussions of organic food focuses around a number of issues and concerns shared by growers and eventual consumers. Several of these are discussed below.
Cost
In almost all cases, organic food costs more than its non-organic counterpart. However, organic food reflects the true cost of production. For example, regular bananas from Costa Rica do not cost 29 cents a pound. You cannot even mail a letter to Costa Rica for 29 cents!
Unlike its mainstream counterpart, the organic food "collective" does not receive local/ national/ international government subsidies. This means no subsidies on purchasing seeds, paying labourers, acquiring land, or transporting or distributing food. Organic food production is not recognized as a true industry and thus is not considered a viable factor to GNP/GDP growth.
Ironically, organic food production contributes greatly to various social sectors, though the horizontally-integrated benefits are seen more as "externalities" than quantifiable vertically-integrated advantages. Benefits include long-term production with little or no soil exhaustion, little or no soil erosion, little or no water contamination, viable local employment, pesticide-free production makes for little or no health compensation costs, reduced health care costs due to healthier citizens, increasing public interest in and demand for chemical-free food makes for a viable long-term market investment, re-realization and re-establishment of connections between land-food-people...and the list goes on...
Availability
Organic produce is generally not widely available and many foods cannot be found year-round. A number of reasons exist for this situation.
For one, organic food production produces lower yields and will never match (and is not intended to match) the distribution and availability of mainstream produce. This is why links between local farmers and markets are growing more common.
In addition, mainstream corporations may not perceive a market for organic buyers and/or are reluctant to adapt to or adopt a new niche. Further, those that purchase organic produce may not always shop at mainstream stores.
Add to this the various existing political/ financial/ social arrangements that exist between international buyers, sellers, speculators, and various other interests, and you have a fascinatingly tangled web.
It is commonly believed that the market for organic produce will never incorporate itself into existing markets and their limitations. Instead, the market continues to grow by circumventing the mainstream and developing new relations between all interested parties.
Ailments / Situations Where Used
Due to their nutrient-rich, chemically absent nature, organic food should be consumed as often as possible, limited only by availability and economic factors.
By providing your body with the nutrients needed to ensure proper function and ensuring a reduced toxin intake, you effectively help prevent a wide variety of ailments and situations that may stem from a poor diet and excess free radical (oxidative) damage. This includes, but is not limited to allergies, anemia, candidiasis, colds and flu, cancer, diabetes (certain forms), digestive problems, dry skin, eczema, fatigue, heart attack, headaches, heart disease, hyperactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, menstrual cramps, migraines, obesity, osteoporosis, premenstrual syndrome, stress, urinary tract infection, weakened immune system, and yeast infection.
Organic food, coupled with a healthy vegetarian-based diet, is likely one of the most effective, rewarding decisions you can make towards long-term health and wellness and prevention of ailments and disease.
Certification Organizations & More
Canada
Canadian Organic Growers
P.O. Box 6408, Station J
Ottawa, Ontario
K2A 3Y6
Canada
Tel.: 613.231.9047
Web: www.cog.ca
Email: info@cog.ca
National Standard for Organic Agriculture (Abstract)
Web: www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/cgsb/on_the_net/organic/index-e.html
United States
California Certified Organic Farmers
1115 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, California
93060
Tel.: 831.423.2263
Fax: 831.423.4328
Toll-Free (in California only): 1.888.423.CCOF (2263)
Web: www.ccof.org
Organic Farming Research Foundation
P.O. Box 440
Santa Cruz, California
95061
USA
Tel.: 831.426.6606
Fax: 831.426.6670
Web: www.ofrf.org
Email: research@ofrf.org
International-Focus
Organic Crop Improvement Association
1001 Y Street, Suite B
Lincoln, Nebraska
68508-1172
USA
Tel.: 402.477.2323
Fax: 402.477.4325
Web: www.ocia.org
Email: info@ocia.org
Quality Assurance International
12526 High Bluff Drive, Suite 300
San Diego, California
92130
USA
Tel.: 858.792.3531
Fax: 858.792.8665
Web: www.qai-inc.com
A Recommended Read
In Real Food for a Change, learn how the simple act of eating can boost your health and energy, knock out stress, revive your community, and clean up the planet.
Written by Wayne Roberts, Rod MacRae, and Lori Stahlbrand (Toronto: Random House of Canada, 1999).
Ailment / Situation Listing
See also
Healthy Diet, Vegetarianism
