2 Responses to “Who buys organic foods? I buy when I can, not too expensive. Is there research or studies of benefits?”

1. William T on June 5th, 2010 9:02 pm

   Here’s something to consider. If the entire world were used to grow organic food according to the current USDA regulation, the world could only support 4 billion people. So, unless you can find 3 billion people willing to die for organic food, it’s going to be a luxury item for wealthy people who like to feel morally superior.

   http://www.american.com/archive/2008/june-06-08/the-problem-with-organic-food

   A quote from wiki about the opinions of the most brilliant man ever to work with agriculture, Norman Borlaug.

   Among these critics[of organic farming] are Norman Borlaug, father of the "green revolution," and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, who asserts that organic farming practices can at most feed 4 billion people, after expanding cropland dramatically and destroying ecosystems in the process.
   References :

2. looseverses on June 5th, 2010 9:41 pm

   This is a subject near and dear to my heart. I have severe multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and was directed by my doctor to eat organic. This advice was given me before I got so sick I couldn’t leave my home. I was still able to work, still able to have a life. I went to the local health food store, took one look at the price of cucumbers, and headed on out the door.
   Foolish, foolish me!
   To appreciate the value of organic food, you need to understand the problems with our food supply in general.
   First, conventional farming exhausts the soil. Rather than rebuild the soil, chemical fertilizers are used to coax the land to continue to grow. The crops that are produced do not have the natural balance of nutrients present in produce grown in healthy soil.
   Second, pesticides and insecticides are used in the name of keeping bugs from devouring the crops. There is a natural balance to this earth (if we maintain optimal conditions), and good bugs that keep the bad bugs at bay. Insecticides and pesticides kill off both the bad and the good…making it necessary to keep spraying poisons on the food because there are no good guys to keep the bad ones under control.
   Third, produce is harvested before it is ripe. By picking green, a grower has more time to get the food to market. However, the food is not as nutrient dense as it would be if it were allowed to ripen naturally on the vine (or tree).
   Fourth, there is the issue of food irradiation. Fresh produce is irradiated on the premise that it kills bad microbes that cause food borne illnesses. Truth is that irradiation kills the good stuff present in food as well… enzymes present in all living foods and so critical to optimal health, do not survive irradiation. There’s more to it than this, but way too lengthy a discussion.
   Fifth is the genetically engineered foods (GE) that are getting to be a bigger and bigger part of our food supply. The creators of GE foods are the big chemical companies. You would have to do serious research to appreciate the implications and concerns of GE foods…again, too big a topic.
   I eat organic now. I know where all the health food stores are in my area, and I know where everything is in those stores. I grow organic in my little home garden strips, and I practice every green activity I have become familiar with. And my health is improving.
   Pretty long dialog…but no succinct way to explain it better.
   I read the first response, and it saddens me the volume of mis-information that exists. We all need to eat, and food is big business. Never underestimate the prapoganda that is circulated…not to educate us, not to promote our health or the health of the earth…but to protect profits.
   References :

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