Support Sustainable Farming Practices With Organic Food

Organic foods are produced using natural fertilizers, animal manure, avoiding chemical pesticides and limiting synthetic additives. This is true of all products that carry the USDA Organic label – fruits, vegetables, meats and processed foods.

However, the benefits of buying organic extend beyond minimizing your family’s exposure to toxic chemicals.

Environmental Benefits

Choosing organic food helps keep pesticides and herbicides out of the air, water, and soil. It also ensures that animals are not exposed to antibiotics and hormones, which can pass into the food supply. Organic farming methods also help preserve biodiversity by reducing soil erosion, improving soil fertility, and using less energy.

Healthy crops need healthy soil, which cannot happen with chemical soil management. In fact, studies have shown that organic farms produce healthier soil. Organic farming practices also reduce the amount of fossil fuels needed for production, and help sequester carbon in the soil.

However, it’s important to note that “organic” does not necessarily equate to “local.” Many large, industrial organic operations use the same long-distance shipping practices as conventional agriculture, meaning their products aren’t reducing food miles. That’s why it’s best to choose foods grown locally when you can. Then you can support local farmers and reduce transportation costs and emissions. Fortunately, smaller organic and sustainable companies are popping up everywhere, so there’s always a choice closer to home!

Health Benefits

Organic foods are grown without the synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides that pollute our soil, water and air. Exposure to these chemicals is linked to cancer, birth defects, obesity and other health problems. Organic farming also does not use sewage sludge as fertilizer – a chemical soup that contains dangerous pathogens, heavy metals and hormones.

Organic farmers work with the landscape, leaving natural vegetation alongside streams and in fields to prevent erosion and nutrient runoff. Keeping the land healthy means that it can sustain crops and wildlife.

Organic farms also do not use GMO seeds or ionizing radiation. They raise livestock in ways that mimic their natural behaviors so they are not confined for long periods of time and do not receive routine antibiotics or growth hormones. Because of this, organic food is often healthier than its conventional counterpart. It is richer in nutrients and has lower levels of pesticide residues. Organic vegetables, fruits and grains contain up to 81% fewer pesticides than non-organic produce.

Economic Benefits

Organic farming practices focus on building healthy soil to reduce the need for external and expensive chemical inputs. This reduces the stress on local water resources and makes organic farms more resilient to climate change.

Organic farmers plant a variety of crops, use physical rather than synthetic weed controls and build soil organic matter with cover cropping and the addition of compost and animal manure. These prevent soil erosion, lower the risk of disease and help create nutrient rich soil that supports healthy plants and crops.

Organic food also doesn’t expose farm workers and their families to dangerous and persistent pesticides. This is particularly important for children who may be especially vulnerable to pesticide residues in their food, the soil they play in and the air they breathe. Organic farms also support biodiversity by avoiding the monocultures and overuse of chemicals that destroy natural ecosystems. And they attract bees, birds and other wildlife that are important for pollination and keeping the food chain healthy.

Social Benefits

Choosing organic foods helps reduce the impact on the environment. The food production process emits fewer greenhouse gasses and does not pollute the soil with chemical pollutants that may harm wildlife and the water supply. Organic farming is also more sustainable, because it uses less water and does not require fertilizers that are toxic to the soil.

Organic food is also better for farm workers and their families. Conventional farms expose workers to harmful and persistent pesticides, which can then enter the family diet through contaminated meat or even the air they breathe. Organic farming avoids this exposure and the use of chemicals in animal feed, which can cause mad cow disease and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Most studies focus on the mean effects of agricultural practices on sustainability metrics, but there are few that look at variability between different systems. This meta-analysis found that organic farms promoted biodiversity and biotic richness with lower variability, while conventional farms promoted high crop yields with higher variability.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if my produce has been certified organic?

These three labels are essential if you want to be certain that you are purchasing organic produce.

USDA Organic Certified- This product has been certified organic by the USDA.

Certified Naturally-Grown - Produce which has passed strict organic practices requirements, but not yet received USDA certification.

Pastured/Freerange - Products made from animals who graze freely and are outdoors.

These labels are used to indicate that the product meets specified criteria.

• There are no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers
• There are no genetically modified organisms
• Animals are never given antibiotics
• The animal is never given any hormones
• No growth-promoting medications
• No feed additives
• No artificial ingredients
• No irradiation
• There is no sewage sludge
• No GMOs
• Never was an antibiotic given
• No hormones ever given
• No growth-promoting drugs
• No feed-additives
• No artificial ingredients
• No sewage effluent (if it isn't a GMO).
• No irradiation

I hope this article was helpful!

Does organic mean that it is not sprayed with pesticides?

Organic food is free from pesticides and chemical fertilizers. This means there is little or no exposure to chemicals such as fertilizers and herbicides.

Because it is free from harmful additives, organic produce has higher nutritional value than conventionally produced food.

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) requires farmers to follow strict guidelines for growing crops certified as organic.

These guidelines include soil preparation, crop rotation, pest control, water conservation, and harvesting practices.

Organic farming also promotes healthy ecosystems which are beneficial to wildlife and natural habitats.

What are the most loved organic products?

Today, organic food is the fastest growing industry. There is still much to be done, even though we have come so far from our roots.

Organic products are the future. They are safer, better for our environment, and more affordable for consumers.

However, they are also more expensive. The Organic Food Index was created to address this. We wanted to determine which foods are the most popular among shoppers today and whether these trends are changing.

The results of the study show that organic food has become more popular. The number of Americans shopping for organic food grew by nearly 50% between 2011 and 2012.

According to USDA, organic food production increased by 10% only last year. Organic food now accounts for 9% of U.S. agricultural output.

While organic food is certainly gaining ground, it seems that it is still an expensive choice for consumers. The average retail price for organic food is almost twice that of conventional foods, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

However, organic food is growing more quickly than any other part of the food market. If you look closely at the data, it will be apparent that organic food consumption has steadily increased since 2009.

According to OTA's data, organic products sold in supermarkets grew at 14% between 2010 - 2011.

This increase reflects consumer demand for healthier foods, which explains why organic food sales are increasing across all age groups.

However, younger generations are leading the charge when choosing organic food. Millennials are twice as likely to buy organic food compared to baby boomers. Young adults aged below 35 account for 25%.

Statistics

• Once certified by the USDA, it can fall into one of four categories: "100 percent organic", "organic," "made with organic ingredients," or "made with less than 70 percent organic ingredients. (en.wikipedia.org)
• When packaged products indicate they are “made with organic [specific ingredient or food group],” they contain at least 70% organically produced ingredients. (usda.gov)
• As for organic meat, regulations require that animals be raised in living conditions that accommodate their natural behaviours (like the ability to graze on pasture), fed 100% organic feed and forage, and not administered antibiotics or hormones. (usda.gov)
• To provide the highest quality products and services to every customer, with a dedicated workforce that puts the customer first and takes the extra step to achieve 100% customer satisfaction and loyalty. (hollinsorganic.com)

External Links

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• The impact of organic food on human health: Assessment of the status quo, prospects for research - ScienceDirect


• Technical Note: Simultaneous carotenoid- and vitamin analysis of milk coming from total mixed ration-fed cattle optimized for xanthophyll discovery - ScienceDirect

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• OTA


• U.S. sales of organic products soared to new heights, reaching nearly $62Billion in 2020

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• Home


• Agricultural Marketing Service

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• PubMed Assessment of the micronutrient compositions of plant foods from conventional and organic agriculture methods.


• PubMed: Comparison of the total phenolic, ascorbic acid and freeze-dried strawberry, marionberry, and corn grown with conventional, organic, sustainable agricultural practices.

How To

Are there downsides to buying organic products?

Organic food has many benefits. There are however some downsides. These include higher consumer price, lower quality standards, fewer options, and fewer choice.

It is okay to want more variety when shopping for groceries. We have been trained to expect inferior food that tastes bad. That's why you'll find most grocery stores stocked with identical prepackaged products.

Organic food is increasingly becoming popular, thanks to the fact that it has better nutrition and tastes amazing. How do you convince people to spend a little more for organic food?

They could easily tell you that organic food costs more. But that doesn't explain why organic food tastes better. They might be suspicious of your motives.

Instead, it would be best if you highlighted its advantages. Organic food is richer in nutrients and contains fewer pesticides and antibiotics. Organic food is free from synthetic fertilizers and herbicides which makes it healthier for us as well as our environment.

Organic food is often avoided because it's too costly. But as long as they consider the health benefits, they may decide that spending a few dollars per week is worth it.

Organic food tastes better, because it's made under strict guidelines to prevent contamination. Organic food retains more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Organic food is also better for you because it's picked later. This makes it easier to digest and fresher.

Organic food is usually cheaper than conventional food because it is grown organically by farmers, which means that they use less fertilizer and labour.

Resources:

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