Posted on 08/23/2022 6:34:17 AM PDT by daniel1212
Many consumers are committed to organic products for reasons that are more emotional than logical. They frequently define their purchasing choices in terms of what they consider to be “wholesome and natural,” which often translates to the absence of “synthetic” inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides. For some, the prohibition on “genetically modified” crops (however they might be defined) is another consideration. Sometimes, they assume that in some vague way, organic agricultural practices are better for the planet.
In short, on their dinner table they want something like the farm of the idealized “Old McDonald” children’s tune that many of us grew up with. The reality is very different.
On June 23rd, the FDA reported a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A virus due to contaminated organic strawberries...
The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are also investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A which is likely linked to the FreshKampo organic strawberries....
The recent incident is reminiscent of a 2013 outbreak caused by a mixture of frozen organic berries and pomegranate seeds sold by Costco and Harris Teeter stores under the brand name Townsend Farms... the strain of virus originated in pomegranate seeds sourced from a farm in Turkey... the outbreak originated from Turkish sewage that harbored Hepatitis A...
A 2016 study of foodborne outbreaks in the US found that the number of outbreaks associated with organic foods is greater than those stemming from conventionally grown ones. ...
Organic standards do not directly address food safety issues such as microbial contamination, which can be difficult to address, particularly on a global scale...
A revealing example of the chicanery that occurs at the consumers’ end of the organic supply chain was holier-than-thou Whole Foods importing large amounts of its supposedly "organic" produce from China, of all places. Those imports even included Whole Foods' house brand, "California Blend." (Yes, you read that correctly: It came from mainland China...
many consumers are paying a large premium to buy imported organic foods that aren't organic at all....
Organic foods are notorious for contamination... According to Bruce Chassy, professor of food science at the University of Illinois, "Organic foods are recalled 4 to 8 times more frequently than their conventional counterparts." (Personal communication, July 1, 2017)..
A prevalent “green myth” about organic agriculture is that it does not employ pesticides. Organic farming does, in fact, use insecticides and fungicides... Many of those organic pesticides are more toxic than the synthetic ones used in conventional farming..
But the fatal flaw of organic agriculture is the low yields that cause it to be wasteful of water and farmland
But no instructions for what to do with broken bones
You are correct
Hot house tomatoes taste like nothing
-bump-
“We must assume...”
No we don’t. Prove it!
NO ORGANIC FARMER PUTS FECES ON HIS/HER STRAWBERRIES. Compost is not feces. If a farmer were to put raw sewage on their plants, they would quickly kill them. In organic farming, if animal waste is used, it is composted for a significant period prior to application, which changes the bacterial content of the animal waste.
Secondly, artificial fertilizer salts destroy the normal microbiological composition of the soil - which is actually the main reason to use organic methods. A plant does not normally feed itself via fertilizer, but from microorganisms in the soil that interact with molds, fungi and one celled organisms which live on the roots of the plants. Organic methods mimic how the natural world operates. Artificial fertilizer salts kill all these microorganisms and is the main reason why the world’s top soil is disappearing at an alarming rate. Organic methods restore top soil by creating the environment in the soil that sustains the natural microbiological composition of the soil.
Bacterial contamination can result from many different sources but regularly happens from unsanitary human contact during harvesting or through unclean storage afterwards. Using unclean water to wash produce after harvesting is another means by which contamination happens, especially in organic farms in Mexico where clean water sources are not widely available. It doesn’t matter whether you farm or organically or industrially when these types of contamination happen.
In practice, produce grown commercially indoors currently commands premium prices and is sold mostly to high end restaurants — a picky. quality sensitive market.
Supposedly, the newest growing methods correct that.
Not noticeable in the tasting
Are you saying that based on direct personal experience? What vendor was involved? And could the difference have been due to the variety of tomato rather than growing method? I ask not as a challenge but out of genuine sense of curiosity.
Are you saying that based on direct personal experience? What vendor was involved? And could the difference have been due to the variety of tomato rather than growing method? I ask not as a challenge but out of genuine sense of curiosity.
Now, do I think there are scams? You bet. Some of the "natural" stuff, upon inspection, is as bad as "normal" stuff. Your commentary isn't too surprising, Indeed, I've done my own research and even things with the ORGANIC label slapped on it may not be good.
There is also a virtue-signaling cult in shopping "organic" which, if I'm charitable, is part of our conflicted writer's thesis. It's hip to be gluten-free. But their values are a mess of knots: Lotsa these folks in the store are masked and vaxxed. And I have it on good authority, theses shoppers are some of the worst Karens around.
I don't need to be the healthiest person. I just need to run faster than my buddy.
My most recent purchase at the grocery store. Clearly marked hot house grown
Still no flavor. If you know of a brand that has flavor let me know
Onion and tomato is one of my favorite sandwiches. Another week before farm fresh come in
“The Breakthrough Institute study, called Nature Unbound, argued that, by embracing technology, humanity could shrink its footprint and leave more land for “nature.. One widely cited study found that the smallest African farms produced about 25 percent more yield per hectare than the largest African farms. But the average American farm produced about 10 times more yield per hectare than either. Yield gaps between farmers in rich nations and those in poor countries are profound,” they wrote. - https://grist.org/food/do-industrial-agricultural-methods-actually-yield-more-food-per-acre-than-organic-ones/
Today’s farmers produce 262 percent more food compared to 1950. Total crop yield in the United States has increased more than 360 percent since 1950. While this has increased, the use of resources, such as seeds, labor, feed, fertilizer, land, and water, has declined. Since 1982, U.S. land being used for crops has declined by 70 million acres. Dairy cow milk production has become more efficient. The amount of feed a cow needs to consume to produce 100 pounds of milk has decreased by more than 40 percent in the last 30 years. Methods for reducing erosion (soil loss) and using less energy has grown from 17 percent of acreage in 1982 to 63 percent currently. - https://blog.aghires.com/farmers-produce-262-more-food-today/
In the 1930s one American farmer produced enough agricultural product to feed a total of four people; a family farm was literally meant to feed a family [source: Kirschenmann]. Fast forward 40 years, and that number rises from four people to 73. Fast forward through 80 years of agricultural and bioscience innovation, and in the 2010s, one farmer produces enough food to feed 155 people [sources: USDA, Sullivan]. - https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/how-many-farmer-feed.htm
Nutritionally, there is no difference between conventional fruit and organic fruit. Just the method of growing and processing.
All one has to do if one is afraid of what is on the surface of the fruit is wash it. If it really bothers one, then dip it in a vinegar solution. Vinegar kill most pathogens.
But understand, this stuff is highly monitored. It doesn't get produced in a vacuum with no government oversight at multiple levels.
Modern breeders long gave priority to qualities like appearance, uniform ripening, and shelf life instead of flavor. In addition, to be fair to your point, some of the soil mixes or other growth media may lack micronutrients that contribute to flavor, or the artificial lighting may lack spectra that help develop flavor.
Praise God. Lots of sun, but little rain.
I thought we were doing OK in the rain department as my garden is doing so well and I have not really needed to water.
But today I went up by our pond and it is WAAAAYYYY down. I took advantage of that to clear out some growth that was clogging up around the edges that I normally couldn’t get to because of the water level.
I have more to do and will try to get it done before it rains enough to fill the pond up again.
Our well is doing fine though so far, praise God.
My wife of 51 years insists on organic. I comply. I’m not a stupid man.
Why wait for proof when you can intuit or at least deduce?
The proof will come after the mistake is made.
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