Are organic foods worth spending your $ on?
Every penny!
Side Score: 22
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Save your money!
Side Score: 29
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With farming practices already out of control, yes, every penny you spend on organic food is worth it. It may not seem like it when you spend sometimes double the price for your food, which is understandable, but it is an important industry to support. Aside from the obvious benefits such as the absence of herbicides that can pollute ground water, the move to more sustainable farming practices will be very important to the future of our agriculture. Today crops are grown for volume as farmer try get enough product to market to them afloat. This means that crops are no longer rotated from season to season in favour of growing the same high volume, high demand crop (often wheat or corn) every year. Rotating crops helps to keep the soil healthy, as different plants take different nutrients from the ground. Instead we a slowly degrading the quality of our soil. When you buy organic food, you are not only supporting the exclusion of chemicals and a more environmentally friendly alternative, you are supporting farming practices that are sustainable and lead to healthier crops. I don't think we even need to discuss the benefits of eating meat sans-hormones. But don't feel guilty if you are not buying organic food, it is expensive and it is tough on the wallet. Instead do what I do, make a point of buying at least on organic item when you go out to the supermarket. Maybe some organic honey, or perhaps some organic cereal? The more organic food we buy the more demand we create, and when demand and production is up, the prices will begin to fall. Think of it was an investment. Side: Every penny!
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Organic food is the way to go. The crap that the farmers pump in to the vegetables, fruit, and meat that we are getting from mass production farms is worse than the crap that they put in to Barry Bonds. You definitely don't want to get too much of that stuff in your body or your head will grow to the size of a watermelon. Side: Every penny!
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FACTORY FARMING NEEDS TO BE REGULATED! To help with this project please take this survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XFQ6RSR It takes less than a minute and is only 4 short multiple choice questions. Also, if you're on facebook, join "I don't want to eat fake breasts!" http://www.facebook.com/ Side: Every penny!
I think so. Though it is more important ot read the ingredients and do a bit more research. Sometimes you are paying for "false advertising". Better to stay away from high fructose corn syrup and other genetically modified foods (that only this country allows...you believe that! Only this country! Not China, Not Afghanistan, Not Russia, only here!!!). Also, if you are a meat eater, it is good to avoid any factory farming products...not just because of the treatment of those animals...but because of all the shit they pump in them to make them fatter. And lets not forget the antibiotics (which you need to fight disease) they fill them with that renders you immune to anitbiotics. So...if you think organic is a waste of money...keep eating at McDonalds. Good luck! Side: Every penny!
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Actually, researchers at the Ohio State University did not find that to be true... http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~news/ "A study conducted by Ohio State University food-animal health researcher Jeff LeJeune found similar numbers of food-borne pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in samples of ground beef from conventionally reared cattle and from those whose labels claimed to have come from cows that didn’t receive any antimicrobial agents." Side: Save your money!
From your sited article: “From a food safety perspective,” he said, “taking away those antibiotics is not going to make a difference unless there is a concerted effort to minimize the spread of resistant bacteria among live animals and reduce bacterial cross-contamination during slaughter and processing.” There are probably many examples where the idea of organic food is sold above its implied benefits. Many people, for instance, believe they are automatically eating healthier when they buy organic, but that is not the case. In this instance, however, it appears that not feeding animals antibiotics does not change the level of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria present in the meat. This does not make the concern over this resistant bacteria invalid, however. Again from your sited article: "Cattle in 83 percent of U.S. commercial feedlots routinely receive antibiotics for disease prevention and growth promotion during the finishing period. This practice, however, has been linked to the development of resistant bacteria, which can be transmitted through food and sicken people with infections that are more difficult or impossible to treat with those same antibiotics." What should be taken from this article is that the methods for the prevention or antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are flawed and better methods that would produce clear results need to be researched and developed. Whether we end up calling these new methods "organic" when they hit the supermarket or not is irrelevant. Side: Every penny!
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If you're truly concerned about the environment, you should buy local, not buy organic. Even the organic stuff has to be shipped from hundreds of miles away. All the gasoline used in transportation can have a huge carbon footprint. Plus, buying local helps support small, regional farmers instead of farming mega-conglomerates. Organic is good, but go local first. Side: Save your money!
Buying local does save transportation costs; however, a report by The Economist some time back showed that consumers driving to and from the store produced half of the total carbon emissions from transportation. So the lesson is not just buy local, but drive an efficient vehicle (or walk, bike, etc.) yourself. This is a much more effective way to use your money to reduce environmental impact. Side: Save your money!
great point riotus! Buying local is a huge help to the enviornment and a great way to support small business (something this country forgot about when Reagan de-regulated capitalism.) Of course some things just aren't grown local, (bananas, sugar, coffee, etc.) but when you can...buy local! Side: Save your money!
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It really depends on the food and if it is more nutritious and/or healthier for you if it is organic. "No conclusive evidence shows that organic food is more nutritious than is conventionally grown food. And the USDA — even though it certifies organic food — doesn't claim that these products are safer or more nutritious. " Only some fruits and vegetables are even contaminated with pesticides which could cause you harm. Yet those foods which have no pesticides to begin with will still charge you extra for the organic label. "Most experts agree, however, that the amount of pesticides found on fruits and vegetables poses a very small health risk." As far as the antibiotics in meat and dairy products, the USDA does not even allow them in the first place! So even-non-organic products will be safe in that regard. There is not even such a thing as organic seafood and cosmetics can be labeled as organic even if they are mostly water! It is really just a big scam as far as health and safety go! Now as far as animal well being and being more "green" you can buy local or from farms that allow their chickens to be cage free. Neither of these options are necessarily organic though! Quotes are from the following article from the Mayo Clinic: Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?
Supporting Evidence:
Consumer Reports: When buying organic pays (and doesn't)
(www.consumerreports.org)
Side: Save your money!
You don't seem to understand that there are a lot more considerations involved in organic food than its nutritional value (which is actually generally better or animal welfare. Organic crops are ones that chemical fertilisers and pesticides haven't been used on, and although humans eating the traces of these in crops are as you say unlikely to drop dead, the pesticides that intensive non-organic farming introduces into the ecosystems are dangerous to a lot of species, and the monoculture that industries promote in agriculture is destructive. It destroys variation within species, which is bad in the long run, and chemical fertilisers mess up the environment and cause things like eutrophication and desertification, which kill off the wild-life that isn't being farmed. So yes I do think organic food is worth spending extra on. Side: Every penny!
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Yes, I do understand that there are more considerations than nutritional values of organic foods, which is why I mentioned animal welfare. We must remember that just because a farmer is not giving his cow an antibiotic does not mean that the cow is being treated humanely. There are little animal welfare points mentioned by the USDA in order to be considered organic, and those that do have large loopholes. As far as the eutrophication, you are correct that the excess chemical nutrients put on fields can lead to this problem. But there should be a balance between using these fertilizers to increase crop size and yield and yet decreasing run-off. They don't need to be eliminated completely as organic farming would suggest! After all, these farmers want to make enough money to put their kids through school and have a roof over their heads. But you are right that these things should not come at the cost of ruining the environment. As far as your desertification point, this site does not list farming and non-organic practices as a cause of this problem. http://www.greenfacts.org/en/ Side: Save your money!
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I really like this topic, as both sides have very valid arguments. However, when it comes down to it, I think the "Save your money!" option wins out for me. As mentioned in a previous post, it'd probably be more wise to invest in local produce rather than specifically organic. If the local produce is organic, then more power to you. However, you must consider shipping and other such things when looking at buying organic foods. Also, if you bring genetically engineered foods into the conversation, the topic gets a lot more interesting. I have an acquaintance who is a strong advocate for GE'd foods, and can prove that the arguments against them are essentially false or baseless. Humans have been genetically engineering for a very long time. Selective breeding of animals, crops, and what have you are all genetic engineering in their most basic form. The difference with GE'd foods is that it's done in one swift step rather than many steps over generations. If grains, vegetables, etc. can be genetically engineered to be larger, drought resistant, healthier, and contain more vitamins, then it should be done, in my opinion. It could help solve world hunger issues (which is a WHOLE other topic entirely), among many other things. Here is a link to the wikipedia article on Genetically Engineered foods. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Side: Save your money!
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