The Misconception About Organic Food (Article Sample)

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The Misconception about organic food
Introduction
Organic foods are becoming a common feature at many supermarkets nowadays. On one hand, there are conventionally grown crops on the other there are crops grown organically. Both crops look fine on the outside but the organic ones get more attention as to being healthier and safer. Organic farming, which entails the use of farming practices that encourage water and soil conservation, is slowly loosing popularity critics claiming that they are not that healthy. Organic practices, which avoid the use of fertilizers and other chemical weed control techniques, advocates for the use of natural fertilizers, crop rotation, or mulching as a way of managing weed. Research shows that organic foods do not guarantee the absence of pesticides. It is estimated that organic food contains less than 30% pesticide levels that is within the accepted safety limits. The research further stated that organic farming might not be beneficial to the environment as well. The productions of organic foods such as cereals, milk, tomatoes, and even flowers, which are grown under glass, emit higher levels of carbon compared to those conventionally grown.
Analysis
Research show that the main difference between organically grown food and those grown using conventional methods is soil fertility. Organic methods release nitrogen in the soil slowly allowing plants to grow normally, nutrients being balanced. With conventional farming, the use of fertilizers makes plants grow faster limiting time for nutrients development. However, nutrient values in conventional food increase with time therefore have high nutrient values when ripe. It is thus important to note that farm products should travel less distance to retain more freshness and nutrient levels. The idea of buying from the local market as a way of promoting the local farmer though good is facing many challenges. This is attributed to the realization that organic food is not that healthier than conventional produce as both have allowable pesticide limits. In a typical world, consumers select organic food for various reasons. All of whom make their decisions based on hearsay rather than scientific research findings.
With researchers not finding strong evidence of the benefits of organic foods over conventional food, the organic food industry continue to grow, the retail price of organic foods doubling that of conventional produce. Researchers pointed out that consumers purchasing organic food should look beyond health benefits such as tastes and preferences since none is better than the other. The research helps people make purchasing decisions based on pesticide level concern, budget considerations among others now that all the relevant information is available to the public. People should understand that there is a lot of information about organic food that is not proven. A good example is the idea that organic food increasing sustainability while reducing carbon emission. Knowing that for agricultural products to be fresh and full of nutrients, they need to travel less, airlifted beans from Kenya would not be 100% fresh (Delingpole, 2010). Then argument on food miles that says seasonality should be encouraged and therefore when fruits or vegetables are out of season they should be imported is not logical.
Recapturing the summer times being the primary objective of the major import from countries like Chile does not qualify to reduce carbon emission in any way. First, the amounts of carbon emitted in those orchards in Chille are high, the distance those produce also, travel reduces the freshness, and nutrient level they have reducing health benefits. Although the distance has a small effect, the chemical composition of the produce has the greatest weight. With the energy, cost coming from the food production sector from the retailer to the producer estimated at 4%-5%, carbon emissions from the sector are low. This is because of the comparison between the carbon emissions of cars driving around to and from supermarkets to buy organic produce. It is estimated that 48% of all shopping trips were food miles showing the extent to which customers unknowingly emit high levels of carbon into the atmosphere (Delingpole, 2010). Air transport relating to food miles accounted for 1% demonstrating the intense use of road transport, which emits carbon the most.
Countries experiencing high temperatures find growing of food and flowers cheaper and favorable as compared to countries that experience low tempe...