Organic Food

Women and Organic Food

In today's society the market for organic food is huge. More and more people are switching to organic food for one reason or another. For those of you who haven't joined this organic food revolution I have written this article to give you reason I see for eating organic food.

Organic Food and your Health

It is a proven fact that organic food doesn't contain as many chemicals like pesticides. There are over 500 additives used in conventional food processing, some of which are suggested to be harmful. These additives include monosodium glutamate, phosphoric acid, sulphur dioxide, hydrogenated fat, aspartame, and artificial colourings and flavorings.

Recent Government testing shows that up to a third of our food contains pesticides. A test carried out in 2004 revealed that 40% of all the non-organic fruit and vegetables that were tested contained pesticides according to the Government's Pesticide Residues Committee. The results for particular fruit and vegetables were much worse; Over 70% of the soft citrus fruits, pears, apples, strawberries and speciality beans contained pesticides.

Government testing in 2003 for lettuce's also found that over half of the samples tested contained pesticide residues; 50% of these contained multiple residues of between 2 and 5 different chemicals, 13% contained residues over the maximum level set by the government, and the number of samples of pre-packed salads containing residues was even higher.

More Government testing revealed that over 25% more pesticides were found in samples of fruit and vegetables supplied to school children under the official School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS). Nearly 30% more instances of multiple pesticides were found in the school fruit and vegetable samples. In total 84% of the school fruit and vegetables were found to contain pesticides and 65% of the samples contained multiple pesticides. Other findings included 72 items of fruit and vegetables, collected between April and July 2005, tested positive for pesticide residues, mostly in tiny quantities, and two pieces of apple had chemicals above the 'benchmark' for good agricultural practice.

There are also pesticides found in things like women's breast milk - over 350 man made contaminant's including pesticides were found in women's breast milk.

It is common sense then, that eating organic food will lower the risk of of exposure to pesticides.

Pesticides and Food

Here are some results from recent Government survey:

Food	Pesticide Residue
Apples	80% contained residues in 2004 with 48% having residues of more than one chemical.
Beer	31% contained residues in 2004. Growing non-organic hops involves 12-14 annual sprays with about 15 chemical products used on average.
Bread	Residues found in 67% of the ordinary bread sampled in 2004 and 18% contained multiple residues.
Cereal bars	Two surveys of cereal bars were carried out in 2001. The first found that 64% contained detectable residues with 22% of them containing multiple residues and the second found that 71% had detectable residues with 14% of them containing multiple residues. There is currently no maximum residue limit for cereal bars.
Cheese	67% of feta cheese samples contained residues of DDT when tested in 1999.
Farmed Fish	85% contained residues when tested in 2004, 34% had multiple residues. The pesticides found were chlordane, DDT, dieldrin and hexachlorobenzene. These take a long time to break down after they are used and can also build up in fatty tissues.
Grapes	54% contained residues when tested in 2004, 34% had multiple residues.
Lemons	Two surveys of lemons were carried out in 2001. The first found that 100% contained detectable residues with 90% of them containing multiple residues and the second found 93% contained detectable residues with 81% containing multiple residues.
Oats and rye	85% contained residues when tested in 2004, 26% had multiple residues.
Pears	76% of those tested in 2003 contained residues, 48% had multiple residues.
Potatoes	41% contained residues in 2003 with 13% containing multiple residues.
Pre-packed salad	40% contained residues in 2004 with 18% containing multiple residues.
Raspberries	57% contained residues, 31% with multiple residues in 2003.
Rice	54% of samples tested in 2003 contained residues, 10% containing multiple residues.
Spinach	24% of samples tested in 2003 contained residues.
Wine	10% contained residues in 2003.

Organic Food and the Environment

Although there are many good reasons stated above why we should eat organic food, there are also some other very important points we haven't mentioned yet. Firstly, to help protect the environment; many of us in modern times think about our impact on the environment. Where ever you turn there are people talking about global warming and other issues.

Research shows that organic food and farming is better for the environment than conventional agriculture. There have been many surveys and reports carried out on this subject of organic food and farming. Some of which are from the Ministry of Agriculture and the British Trust for Ornithology. These reports have shown that organic food and farming has beneficial effects on wildlife. This is seen through the routine use of pesticides in conventional farming methods, which kill off many soil organisms, insects and other larger species. They also kill many plants that they consider 'weeds'. This results in fewer food sources for other animals, birds and beneficial insects and it also destroys many of their habitats.

Organic farming, in contrast provides a much wider range of habitats for animals etc, such as more hedges, herb and clover rich grassland, wider field margins and a mixed range of crops. An organic farmer considers wildlife to be an essential part of the farming system and not just a luxury.

The avoidance of artificial chemicals means organic farmers minimise health and pollution problems. They also reduce the use of non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels which are used to produce fertilisers and other agrochemicals.

Organic Food and Animal Welfare

Many organic certification bodies etc such as The Soil Association, insists on stringent animal welfare standards. Organic farming rules are under constant review by a group of experienced organic farmers, vets and experts to ensure that all the farm animals are reared in optimal conditions on organic farms.

Organic farmers are able to manage their livestock without the routine use of antibiotics and other drugs because they run healthy, balanced organic farm;, not keeping too many animals in a given area, using natural feed and keeping a mixture of species wherever possible.

Homeopathy and herbal remedies are also used in organic farming methods, to stop the routine use of so many veterinary medicines.

Find out more

There are many articles, information resources and reports carried out about organic food. You can find some information here on The Organic Store - an information resource for organic food, farming, vegetables, meat and a free UK directory of organic food suppliers, retailers, manufacturers, producers, etc. Click Here

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