Organic Food vs. Genetic Engineering

It's always helpful to step back and take a look at things from an objective perspective, especially when we are personally involved.

Creating and sustaining an organic lifestyle means we are in the "center" of that activity, daily. Among all the other things going on in our daily lives, as moms, we are also trying to develop new habits for our family in regards to their health and well being.

So I thought it would be helpful for us all, myself included, to just take a step or two back and revisit the basic questions and reasons why we are pursuing an organic lifestyle to begin with.

What Is Organic Food?

Certified organic food is most commonly described as food grown and packaged without the use of chemicals, preservatives or additives. Food that is either completely or at least 70% all natural.

Another way to explain it, from a bigger picture standpoint is:

"Organic food is produced through a system that is based on ecological balance and humane care for the plants, animals and people that make up the farm environment."

One important reason to consider organic food, and an organic lifestyle, that I've not read much about previously, is genetic engineering. The Sierra Club site states:

"Eating organic food is one way you can avoid genetic engineering. All certified organic produce and ingredients are produced free of any genetic engineering"

What Is Genetic Engineering?

In layman's terms I would translate it to be the taking of genes from one species of plant and injecting another plant with those genes to force certain characteristics. For example, if you had a corn plant that was delicious and seemed to be resistant to pests, you would take its' genes and inject it into another plant of a different variety, in the hopes to force the taste and/or pest resistance onto the other.

Doesn't sound too bad, but when you understand the "risks" associated with genetic engineering, it doesn't sound so good either.

Here's a more technical description of genetic engineering and the associated risks:

"In genetic engineering technology, genes are isolated and transferred using a "gene gun" or a viral vector from one species into a foreign species, crossing over what is called the "species barrier." An example is the transfer of an insect-resistant gene from a soil bacterium (called Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt) into corn plants to confer insect resistance. This kind of genetic transfer never occurs in nature and cannot be achieved through traditional plant breeding methods. The new gene lands in a random spot in the genome of the recipient organism, and can disrupt normal functioning of that organism in unpredictable ways."

Risks of Genetic Engineering

Non-target insects, including ones that are beneficial to farmers are harmed by genetically engineered crops.

Genetically engineered organisms have harmed soil microorganisms, leading to stunted or killed crops.

Plants engineered to be insect- or herbicide-resistant can lead to resistance in weeds and insect pests. This means more chemicals or new genetic engineering.

New allergens and toxins are the potential result of genetically engineering food. Some are detected before market approval while others are not.

Pollen from genetically engineered crops can drift into wild environments and breed with wild relatives of crop plants.

The effects of this genetic pollution cannot be predicted. Once genetically engineered organisms are released into the environment they cannot be con-trolled and they cannot be recalled. Genetic pollution is irreversible.

So we can conclude that organic food is grown WITHOUT the use or need for genetic engineering. And if organic farming can help us avoid "genetic pollution", AND it's better for our health and well being, doesn't it just make good sense for everyone?

The Sierra Club article goes on to conclude that:

"The industrial approach is to "improve nature" and make food products exempt from natural systems and laws. Harmful consequences are corrected using new and more technologies, usually leading to further problems. In contrast, the organic approach is to understand these laws as much as possible and work with them. Organic farmers practice prevention, not correction."

I think any reasonable consumer, without a financial interest in the mass production of genetically altered foods would agree that when it comes to the foods we eat and the environment we need, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

Organic farmers, like organic moms, care about the food and sustaining the land for future generations. We all know, whether we want to admit it or not, what the large corporations who mass produce traditional food crops are most interested in.

Moms Organic House (www.momsorganichouse.com) is your place for practical, everyday organic living information, tips and ideas. Whether it's the garden, kitchen, bathroom or cleaning closet, "themom" is living an organic lifestyle and sharing information and experiences along the way.

The Values Of Organic Plant Food

In a world consumed with the concept of bigger is better, there is a great controversy over the use of organic or chemical fertilizers to raise outstanding crops. It is important to review the values of organic plant food in order to fully understand that organic is truly the only way to go.

The Power Of Trash

Organic plant food is safe for the environment. If you are using fertilizers to grow plants for food consumption or flowers to enjoy, you want to insure that your choice in fertilizers best supports the soil in which your plants are growing. Using organic plant food improves soil fertility and helps to replenish the nutrients that are lost due to the nutritional demands of previously planted crops. Organic plant food is water soluble, economical (most can be made at home with byproducts from around the house) and easy to use; not to mention that it is not poisonous to pets or children.

The Power Of Compost

Composting is a great way to create organic plant food to grow healthy plants. It is by far the best garden fertilizer that you can use. It contains nearly all the nutrients a plant need and releases them slowly, working naturally with nature, as nature intended. When compost is created out of a variety of different items, it provides and even greater supply of nutrients. Compost can be made out of almost anything organize, items such as dried leaves, stray, wood chips, grass clippings and kitchen scraps. Using the various lawn and household food scraps, a powerful organic plant food can be created at no extra expense. The use of compost has proven to improve soil fertility, provide food for natures microorganisms, stimulate root growth and help certain soils retain water.

Take A Look At The Competition

The use of synthetic fertilizers presents a number of problems. Initially it shows great results in plant and flower growth. But as with all things that are not natural, once you use it, you need to increase the dosage each subsequent time that follows. It takes more of the product to get the same original results. Not to mention that most of these chemicals are poisonous to animals and children.

Organic Plant Food – The Only Way To Go

There is little to argue about when the simple facts are laid out. Organic plant food not only stimulates growth in the intended plants but it increases the earth's natural ability to respond to the world around it. The use of organic plant food is a natural way to give nature a little boost.

Organic Food

Organic food is generally considered to be produced without the use of artificial fertilisers, without synthetic pesticides or antibiotics, hormones or other growth promoters. There are thus standards to which organic food is produced, traditionally on small family run farms, but there are some larger operations emerging since evidence has emerged that organic farming is more environmentally friendly and more sustainable that many contemporary farming techniques. There are also benefits for the people who eat organic farm produce.

The advantages of organic food for the consumer include higher nutritional levels, and over the long term studies have found the health benefits to be substantial. It is perhaps for this reason that organic baby food has become very popular. A university of Washington study found that preschool children fed regular diets had six times more metabolised organophosphate pesticides in their bodies than children who had been fed on organic diets. Organic fruit vegetables and juices as a part of a healthy balanced diet can considerably reduce exposure to harmful pesticides.

When shopping for organic foods to complete the cooking formulas of your favourite organic food recipes, look out for the organic certification of a product. The certification of organic food is done to protect the consumer in the growing market for organic foods. This prevents a producer from defrauding a consumer, or tricking you into eating what you don’t want to. There are, however, various certification bodies with different criteria, so this should be kept in mind. Also remember that the certification of a product is primarily a marketing drive by the producer, who is trying to get you to buy the product.

When visiting an organic food shop, sometimes called a health food store, you will notice that the prices seem slightly inflated. These organic food suppliers ask more for their products because most of the time the farm that supplies them is a small scale operation. This means that the cost cutting benefits of mass production are usually not applicable to organic foods. Consumers who value the ethics and benefits of organic food are usually willing to pay a bit extra for their organic groceries.

In the United States the sales in organic foods have increased between 17 and 20 percent over the past few years, while so called conventional products have seen a considerably lesser growth of 2 to 3 percent over the same period.

There has even been an increasing trend amongst those who enjoy spoiling their pets to such a degree that they are bying organic dog food. According to the Organic Trade Association, sales in organic pet foods have risen to three times the growth rate of organic products made for human consumption.

Organic food is far healthier that non organic

What is Organic Food?

When I first started hearing about “organic” food, I was a little confused since all food, scientifically speaking, falls into the carbon-based organic category. But, in the world of grocery shopping “organic” specifically refers to foods which meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s set of national standards concerning properly certified organic foods. Only products certified by the USDA can be sold as officially “organic” in the U.S. Any producer who neglects to follow these guidelines, and has previous certification by the USDA is fined per offense. So, what we really need to understand is the USDA guidelines.

Ideally, the USDA standards ensure that foods labeled organic are produced without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, additives and other chemicals that conventionally produced dairy, meat, vegetable and fruits may contain.

The USDA has strict regulations for certifying organic fruits, vegetables, and grains. All organic plant products must grow from fields that have been certifiably organic for three years or more (without using pesticides, or fertilizers), and post-harvest handling must also be conducted under USDA guidelines. However, a “transitional” label may be given to farms that are converting their farming methods from conventional to organic before the criteria are actually met.

Under meat and poultry guidelines, animals must be raised without growth stimulants, hormones or antibiotics to be certified as organic. They must also have access to certified organic pastures outdoors, clean water and bedding, as well as exercise and fresh air. All organic meat and poultry processing plants are regularly inspected by USDA officials. Packing plants must isolate organically raised/fed animals from conventional herds. Plants that pack organically raised animals must be cleaned to organic specifications, before the product is run.

Dairy products from all dairy animals, including cows, sheep and goats may be certified organic. Farmers raising animals for organic dairy production must also adhere to strict guidelines. Animal feed must be 100% organic, and produced on the farmland, untreated with synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides and herbicides. The feed must be untreated for at least three seasons prior to harvest, before it can be fed to an animal whose milk will be converted into an organic dairy product.

The animals themselves must be raised without drugs, such as antibiotics and growth hormones. These products include cheese, milk, yogurt, butter, sour cream, ice cream, and cottage cheese. Certified organic milk may never be blended or come in contact with non-organic milk. In accordance with standard hygiene, dairy safety procedures, including pasteurization, organic certification also requires other specifications: humane treatment of animals, clean water and bedding, exercise, fresh air, and access to an outdoor pasture.

The USDA organic seal also indicates the exact amount of organic content in the food which ironically never has to be 100%. To be certified organic, the food product need only be 95% organic. Varying degrees of organic foods are also noted on organic labeled foods with more than one ingredient: organic (at least 95%), made with organic products (70%-95% organic ingredients), less than 70% organic (containing less than 70% organic ingredients). Other labels note a food’s exclusion from hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals found in conventional foods.