Organic Food Facts

In spite of the increasing popularity of Organic food these days, most of the people do not have a clear idea regarding the definition of organic food. In simple words, Organic foods are those foods that are produced, processed and packaged without using chemicals. They have been accepted due to their perceived health benefits over conventional food. The organic industry is growing rapidly and has caught the attention of farmers, manufacturers and, above all, consumers. Some of the popular organic food items include organic tea, organic coffee, organic wine, organic meat, organic beef, organic milk, organic honey, organic vegetables, organic fruits, organic rice, organic corn, organic herbs, organic essential oils, organic coconut oil and organic olive oil.

Organic foods protect from heart disease and cancer, as they contain Phenolic compounds. Organic food ensures high food quality, which other conventional foods cannot give. Organic food is natural and fresh, and thus, it is tasty. Many people prefer to grow organic food in their home gardens, because it costs about 20% more than the conventional food. Organic gardening uses organic seeds, organic fertilizers, compost, organic root stimulators, and organic pest control. It has been claimed by health experts that organic food is more nutritious. Some of the features that can be associated with organic food are quality, good taste, proper selection of crop varieties etc.

Advantages of Organic food

  • Organically grown foods are natural, without any sprayed chemical.
  • Organically grown foods are nutritious and full of taste although they may not look as colorful and well presented as shop produce.
  • Organic foods put less burden on environment. Growing foods organically can protect the topsoil from erosion and is a great way of getting closer to nature.

Tips for Organic Food Customers

  • Search for the label / logo of the certification body that has monitored and approved the production and processing of the food item as organic.
  • Keep yourself updated about the organizations that are authorized to sell organic food in your region.
  • Check out the prices of different food items in different stores and buy accordingly. The price of organic food varies from 10% to even 200% depending upon the place from the shopkeeper has bought the product.

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Organic Vegetables Safety

1. No nutritional difference between organic and conventional produce.

According to the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics the demand for organic foods are increasing due to consumers believing they are safer and healthier than conventional foods.

Even though there are still gaps and limits in scientific knowledge, what we do know is that fewer chemicals are used in small organic farming than conventionally grown alternatives.

It is well documented that residues remain on our conventional foods and consumed by us over decades, aids heavily to accumulating fatty tissue.

Organic food regulations prohibit hydrogenated fat, phosphoric acid, preservatives, colourings, hormones, antibiotics, GMOs and 7000 other artificial flavourings that are permitted in conventional food.

There is also the environmental issue to which the organic farming method lends its benefits. The use of drugs is restricted in organic farming which not only keeps animals healthy but results in cryptosporidium, listeria and almonella being a rare occurrence in organic foods.

There is a direct relationship between intensive cattle-rearing and E.coli which is virtually non-existent in organic beef, but kills over 200 Americans and Britons each year.

2.Consumers are paying too much for organic food?

This debate has grown since the days of comparing the price of an organic apple for a conventional apple. It seems that the ‘value’ of organic produce goes beyond its price tag.

Nutritionally and in relation to organic vegetables safety: In terms of dry weight and nutrients, organic food tends to have more in it Why?

Produce grown organically through modern methods of small organic farming must be done in enriched soil. The growth of a plant can be sped up by agrochemicals changing its structure to have more water in it. As a result, non-organic produce can sometimes shrink more on cooking as the water content dissipates.

Price: Average price difference is 20 per cent between organic and non-organic. However given that it can contain up to 26 per cent more dry matter (less water) could it actually be cheaper to buy organic?

Conclusion: It may still look like an apple you are actually buying less food if you don’t buy organic.

3. Organic food and weight loss.

Organic butter can still make you put on weight and clog up your arteries. Organic sweets and sugar will still rot your teeth. However, certain kinds of organic food based nutrients found in vegetable broth can act as appetite suppressants as it does not contain excitotoxins. What are excitotoxin? These ingredients can cause neurological disorders by overexciting nerve cells and so causing hunger and concerns over organic vegetables safety if taken too literally.

Ingredients such as vegetable proteins, autolyzed yeast extract, MSG, yeast extract and others. This is perhaps more important in babies who can eat five times the amount of food per kg as an adult. Therefore, making sure they eat correctly and to not overeat is nowadays a growing concern. Babies in particular eat far more fruit and vegetables than most adults and are the very foods most likely to be covered in agrichemical residues.

4. The public is happy with regular, non-organic produce.

Some say that the public is happy with what’s on the supermarket shelves, however various consumer surveys in Europe show many people are worried about pesticides, NPK fertilizers in small organic farming and processed food in general. In the United Kingdom a survey found 44% of all consumers were concerned about pesticides and 43% about the use of food additives (Food Standards Agency, 2003). This suggests that organic food based nutrients is something which people are taking more notice of.

5. Organic farming increases the risk of food poisoning.

The Department of Nutrition in Greece said:

“It is difficult…to weigh the risks, but what should be made clear to consumers is that ‘organic’ does not equal ‘safe’.

Much of this was based on the theory that if we don’t use ‘modern’ day chemical pesticides that bacteria such as E Coli could not effectively be treated on crops. However studies made by S.K. Sagoo, C.L. Little & R.T. Mitchell on the microbiological quality of organic vegetables in UK small organic farming & demand showed that: “The majority (3185 of 3200; 99*5%) of samples were found to be of satisfactory/acceptable quality whilst only 15 (0*5%) were of unsatisfactory quality. Unsatisfactory results were due to Escherichia coli and Listeria spp…..The absence of pathogens and the low incidence of E. coli indicate that overall agricultural, hygiene; harvesting and production practices were good” this seems to enhance the organic vegetables safety record.

They suggested that the growth in the organic market has reflected an increase in the associated microbiological safety and similarly, organic vegetables safety. Now, lets get some evolve fish car emblem for your kitchen.

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Important of organic

Organic Production

Organic production is a very specialized process: so specialized that products must pass specific requirements to earn the ā€˜organicā€™ title. In fact, according to USDA standards, which went into effect Oct. 22, 2002, every step of the organic production process is analyzed individually: from how the product is grown, to how it is processed and distributed, making ā€˜organicā€™ a select label.

According to the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board, ā€˜organicā€™ is a legal, defining term that denotes products manufactured under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are that farmers ā€œuse materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole.ā€

Whether a product is intended for consumption or not, it must pass the exact same inspection requirements in order to be deemed ā€˜organic.ā€™ For a product to have organic integrity it must be farmed in a way that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic pesticides and/or fertilizers, and it must also be produced without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, irradiation, sewage sludge, or other excluded practices. More specifically, organic foods should be processed with minimal amounts of artificial ingredients and preservatives so they reach the consumer as naturally as possible.

The big question is, though, how does a consumer recognize an organic product?

USDA Standards

Since the term has so many legal implications, the USDA has designed the ā€œUSDA Organicā€ seal to symbolize organic production as well as very specific guidelines for using the seal. Though manufacturers do not have to specify whether a product is organic or not, they usually choose to do so, in which case the following requirements must be followed:

  • Products that are completely organic, containing only organically produced ingredients, may specify ā€œ100% Organicā€ on the label and can carry the ā€œUSDA Organicā€ seal.
  • Products that are made from at least 95% organic ingredients and have remaining ingredients allowed for use in organic products may also carry the ā€œUSDA Organicā€ seal.
  • Products that contain between 70% and 95% organically produced ingredients may NOT bear the ā€œUSDA Organicā€ seal, but they can list which ingredients are organic on the ingredients listing.

Other Labels

Though guidelines concerning organic production and labeling are very strict, there are some other terms manufacturers apply to products to make them seem healthier or more environmentally-friendly. For example, a product can be considered ā€˜natural,ā€™ ā€˜hormone-free,ā€™ ā€˜free-range,ā€™ or ā€˜green,ā€™ but none of these terms has anything to do with organic validity. And while all of these qualities are good to look for when comparing similar food or non-food items, they cannot be used interchangeably and shouldnā€™t be confused.

According to the Organic Trade Association, ā€˜naturalā€™ typically refers to products that originally came from the earth. For example, cotton comes from plants, and wool comes from sheep; while both can safely be considered ā€˜naturalā€™ they may or may not be ā€˜organicā€™ depending on how they were produced. ā€˜Greenā€™ apparel or linens, on the other hand, usually refers to fiber that has not been treated with chemical dyes, sizing agents, or other strong chemicals. Labeling a product ā€˜green,ā€™ however, does not guarantee the crop was grown or produced organically.

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10 Steps to Choose a Healthy Plant

  1. Quality of Nursery: Take in an overview of the plant department. Look to see that the majority of the plants seem healthy and well cared for.
  2. Foliage: Evaluate the condition of your specific plant. Are the leaves green, shiny and lush? Steer clear of any plants that are wilting or yellowing. Stressed plants may or may not recover.
  3. Shape: Consider the shape of the plant. Is it compact and full, with multiple stems? Taller is often not better. It could mean the plant has been straining for light and has grown thin and spindly.
  4. Insects & Disease: Inspect closely for signs of insects or disease. Check both sides of the leaves and the potting soil. Signs can include: blackened areas, holes, spots, mushy areas, stickiness and distortions.
  5. Root System: Donā€™t neglect the roots. If the plant is pot bound and the roots are growing out of the bottom, the plant may be stressed and take time to recover. If there arenā€™t many roots and the plant lifts out very easily, it was probably recently repotted and could use more time to become garden worthy.
  6. Stem Damage: If the plant has a thick or woody stem, make sure there are no cracks or scars. Even prior damage can weaken a plant.
  7. Weeds: Weeds in the pot are competing with the plant for nutrients. They also signal some neglect on the part of the nursery staff.
  8. Root Ball: When buying a balled-and-burlapped tree or shrub, the root ball should feel solid. If it appears broken, thereā€™s a good chance the roots have had a chance to dry out and the plant will suffer.
  9. Buds & Flowers: Plants in bud will transplant and thrive better than plants in flower.
  10. When All is Said and Done: If youā€™ve just got to have it, go ahead and buy the plant. With a little pampering, it just may defy the odds.

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