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Organic Food
By peace | August 29, 2007
Sales of organic food have rocketed over the last decade, and this trend looks set to continue. In addition to organic food, nowadays you can even see organic health products such as organic skin care. Whether you want to buy it for moral, environmental, or health reasons, you need to know how to tell if something actually is organic. And this means that you have to rely on labeling. In order to qualify for this label, organic food must consist of at least 95% organically produced ingredients, although salt and water are excluded from this requirement. Organic food products with the label 100% organic, means that the product is made entirely from organically produced ingredients, although water and salt are again excluded from this requirement.
The aim of organic farmers is to produce food while maximizing the health of the environment and the animals on the farms. In doing so, they reduce pollution and soil erosion, increase biodiversity and sustainability, use less energy, and work with animals that are as stress free as possible. Pesticides and artificial fertilizers are kept to an absolute minimum, and permitted fertilizers are made without synthetic ingredients, sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation. Veterinary products used in animal husbandry are also minimal, which means that organic meat, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are not routinely given antibiotics and growth hormones. As far as the consumer is concerned, the end products contain negligible residues of pesticides and herbicides.
Do organic food contain more nutrients than non-organic food? While there are studies to show that some organic food have better nutrients level than its non-organic counterparts, more research still need to be done on this area. However, one thing we can be sure of is their fewer pesticides and antibiotic residues. Although 0rganic food tends to be more expensive, they are also environmentally friendly and is produced within the highest possible standards of animal welfare.
Topics: Health, View All Post |
