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
A bit of logic to ponder, are you more likely to get bacterial contamination from food grown with artificial fertilizers (ammonium nitrate, phosphates etc.) or those fertilized with animal feces? Also consider that the plant does not give a damn where the nitrates come from, be it artificial or natural. When you buy organic vegetables you are being scammed financially.
Despite problems with foreign producers, its is not unreasonable to prefer organic foods that are domestically produced. In the coming years, automated indoor farming is likely to lead to cleaner, safer, and better quality organic produce that is grown locally.
Manure is supposed to be composted over a year before it’s applied. And from a healthy herd.
This article is a another good example why sewage should never be applied to a field instead of properly seasoned manure.
I would note that no organic foods have had a great many recalls for dangerous things on a regular basis.
And many writers are loathe to disclose their potential for being conflicted...
In 2017 it was reported that an article published (in 2015) on the Forbes website by Miller, under his own name, had been drafted by Monsanto. As reported by the New York Times, Monsanto asked Miller to write an article rebutting the findings of the International Agency for Research on Cancer that had classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans. He had indicated willingness “if I could start from a high-quality draft.” On discovering this, Forbes removed his blog from Forbes.com and ended their relationship with him.
Bottom line, I have seen and personally felt the benefits of organic vs Big Agriculture. I could care less about waste, crop damage, and higher prices owing to organics. Indeed, many organic farmers are still family farms - and I buy from them and have actually met the cows that are ultimately processed for my family - while much of the crap posing as food comes from corporate farms.
Now, don't get me wrong...I love corporations...massive, polluting, carbon-based firms that help me drive my gas-guzzler. Love 'em. But I can love small farmers and my health, too.
The unspoken hypothesis that organic etc consumers are left-wing hippies is laughable. In fact, I'd argue that it is the leftists that want everyone to consume, consume, consume HFCS and gluten and MSG and eat soy and fake meat and bugs.
Ever wonder why so many kids are messed up and - prescinding from legitimate instances of genetic issues - think they need re-assignment surgery? Sure, the teachers and parents are culpable, but I suspect their meals include more chemicals than a Breaking Bad episode.
But naahh...let's blame organic.
Any time I see some crank railing against organics, I can tell they've got an agenda.
Indoor doesn’t actually sound healthier.
I always look for “poisoned” produce when I shop.
A lot cheaper and safer.
I hate to be the designated contrarian but here goes . We raised our kids , grandkids , and now the great grandkids on a natural organic diet . Back about 1972 our youngest child started having troubles at school . They did not know much about dyslexia back then but she was severely dyslexic . Reading a scientific research article on the International Organic Farmers magazine I received each month a prominent natural scientist had been studying dyslexia and natural versus man made [chemical] vitamins and minerals . We had been giving our kids a national brand of vitamins that were man made . This researcher said that the only difference he found between man made vitamins and those natural vitamins as found in nature was that if you put them in a solution and passed a beam of light through them the man made vitamins were refracted out through the left and the natural were refracted out to the right . He surmised that this may be what was causing the increasing incidence of dyslexia . We immediately changed the kids vitamin regimen to all natural organically sourced vitamins and probably a year later the kiddo was seeing and reading normally . Good thing about America is we can eat what we want and choose to inject or not inject an mrna clot shot and those of you that like such things can spend your money otherwise . Merica! We are both 72 and still farm , garden , and eat organically . We take NO medicines other than natural plant based herbals and do not have a physician . We also base our health and medical processes on the Bible . There is a wealth of information in the Bible about eating , drinking , medicine , and even baking your own bread .
But, here is actuality. Organic growing requires more spraying of authorized insecticides. By far"
The spray book for regular growing is very thin because the products listed have more efficacy and last longer. Thereby, more effective.
The spray book for organics is quite thick, listing more authorized products for organic growing. Because the products are not as effective which requires more sprays and trips through the orchards. Also, product changes are required to avoid insecticide tolerance of the insects.L<
fThere is more, but this will suffice, for now.
I buy mostly organic produce because it actually tastes like what it’s supposed to.
I grow my own and they are organic and I had a great harvest.
But I was able to manually do insect control by going out a couple times a week with a bucket of soapy water and knocking the bugs into it.
No, strawberries and especially spinach are prone to field contamination due to their high water content and moisture uptake system. Hepatitis from field workers who shit in the irrigation ditches or e. coli from improperly composted manure readily enters their fruits and leaves.
Outbreaks have happened repeatedly from these two crops.
And people actually take that garbage into their bodies.
Indoor farm operations dispense with pesticides and are highly productive because they precisely control growing conditions. And being indoor, most sources of contamination are absent.
The higher price tells you "organic" consumes more resources and results in more pollution. Price is usually the only honest measure available of total energy use and waste output.
Nature can only support about 2% of the current human population. Without man-made farming methods, most Demonrats would die.
Remember, *all* food is poison is sufficient quantity. Rather than just choose "organic", choose small quantities of a large variety of food sources. Never eat large quantities of only one thing. The human body is great at handling environmental poisons, not so great at handling man-made concentrations.
But however controlled you make it, it is an unnatural environment for growing plants. We must assume that there are things missing from the outdoor world which are helpful and healthful, and things present in the indoor world which are harmful, precisely due to the mechanisms by which the environment is controlled or by the fact of the enclosed and controlled space.
Tl;dr - You may control for known things, but you don’t account for the unknowns.
Organic fertilizers cost more and are less effective. Ditto for Insecticides. Consequently they are applied up to 4 TIMES MORE!
4 applications of more expensive fertilizer means 4 times more cost. 4 Times more tractor runs across the field and 4 times more settling irrigation means DRAMATICALLY MORE SOIL EROSION AND RUNOFF.
Precisely
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