Kristen Weinacker argues that while many believe organic foods are better for you, there is no research showing that it is in her article “Safer? Tastier? More Nutritious? The Dubious Merits of Organic Foods”. I agree with her whole heartedly. Having grown up on a conventional farm, producing our own vegetables every year, I can’t see how organic foods are better for you. Some people say that organic foods have more of a pesticide residue, however, with a simple cleaning of your food before consumption will remove almost all trace of pesticides. She also states that people believe organic foods taste better, however, if you taste both, in my opinion, they taste the same. Many people assume the cost of organic food is higher because it is better for you. That is not true. The cost is higher because the input and labor take more time, and the output is smaller than conventional farming. Another reason the cost is high is because the producers need to offset the cost to be certified organic. This process takes years to do and is expensive to maintain. Therefore, many products are not certified organic. When buying a product, you must check to see if it is USDA Certified, if it is not, it is probably not be organic. While I can see that people think organic is better for you, I cannot agree until there is rock solid evidence stating so.
Isn't part of the problem pollution? What I mean is that yes, I can clean off my vegetables, but should I be worried about what the pesticides are going to the ground, atmosphere, etc?
ReplyDeleteThis would be a good topic to write about, Liz.
Liz, I just read Chelsea's blog. Take a look at it. She has a different take than you do. Interesting. Let the conversations begin!
ReplyDeleteI like seeing your perspective since you grew up on a farm! I agree that there probably isn't much of a taste difference in most organic vs. non-organic produce, as well as there isn't proof that one is more nutritional than the other. Not to mention that marketers have caught onto the fact that people are buying more organic products so they use that as a tool to make us spend more money. (Lame!)However, I do think organic products are important in how they affect the environment, and in the case of animals, how they are treated in the process. My blog focused more on the animal side of it, rather than produce. When it comes to meat, there is definitely a big difference in quality. But, my point was that I don't think the focus should be on whether it is healthier or not, but how it plays into the bigger picture. I don't know if that just made sense. lol. Where is the farm located that you grew up on? I'm always looking for farmer's to buy directly from. I'm a foodie, and my husband is a chef. We love to EAT. :)
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