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Friday, 18 April 2008 |
 Should my family go organic?
Thanks to the City Market at Bull’s Head, shopping for locally grown, organic produce has never been easier. The crowds swarm to what is still referred to by most as “the farmer’s market” every Saturday morning, most proudly carrying their reusable bags, making the event a real community affair. In fact, you’ll likely see the same faces there week after week, as well as perusing the imported organic produce at the supermarket. But why are some so committed to organic and locally grown produce while others remain so mystified by the concept?
Many consumers are questioning: what exactly is organic food and is organic food “better”?
The concept of organic food may be best explained by examining
conventional farming practices. Most farming relies heavily on
artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Around 350 pesticides
are permitted, and it is estimated 4.5 billion litres of them are used
annually. While there are Government rules about accepted levels of
pesticide residues in our food, there can be concerns about their
long-term effects on us. Agrochemicals and artificial fertilizers can
harm the environment too.
On the other hand, organic agriculture is practiced by farmers who
emphasise the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil
and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.
Organic farming is carried out to a set of legally defined standards.
It strictly limits the use of artificial chemical fertilizers and
pesticides. Antibiotics for animals are kept to an absolute minimum.
Instead, it emphasises farming methods such as crop rotation to keep
the soil healthy and natural pest-control systems. Genetically modified
crops are forbidden.
Organic producers have their produce monitored and certified by one of
several organic organizations. The Bristol-based Soil Association is by
far the largest in the UK, acting as a campaigning and certifying body;
its trademark is the best-known organic symbol and its standards are
extremely stringent. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has also
put in place a set of national standards that food labelled “organic”
must meet, whether it’s grown in the US or imported from other
countries. Before a product can be labelled organic, a US
Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown
to ensure that the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet
USDA
Organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before
it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified too.
There is no certifying agency in Bermuda, so any farmers who mark their
foods “organic” follow certain organic farming principals but do not
qualify as certified organic farmers because they are not regulated by
an independent agency. Whether there will one day be a “Bermuda organic
standard” remains to be seen.
Whether organic food is better than non-organic is a disputed topic.
The USDA and the UK Food Standards Agency make no claims that
organically produced food is safer or more nutritious than
conventionally produced food. However, results from a $24-million EU
study examining the nutritional value of organically produced food
compared with conventionally farmed food, released in October 2007,
found that some organic produce contained up to 40 per cent more
antioxidants, such as vitamin C, than their conventionally farmed
equivalents, and other organic produce had higher levels of minerals
and antioxidants.
In the end, consumers must decide for themselves whether going organic
is best for them and the environment. Some people do it to support
local farmers, thus reducing the carbon footprint of importing produce;
some people do it to reduce their dietary intake of pesticides and
chemicals; others find that the prices are too high. However, as more
and more people buy organic, this “niche market” will expand and prices
will probably be reduced, so shunning organics due to their higher
prices may be a counterproductive practice.
This article by Laura Semos was submitted to and printed by the Bermuda Sun on April 18, 2008.
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