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T/Th8:00a.m.

EIP:FinalDraft
OrganicFoodForThought
JadaR.Cardwell
UniversityofNorthCarolinaatCharlotte
UWRT1103
May1,2016


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Overthelastfewdecadestherehasbeenanapparentgrowthintheconsumptionof
organicproducts.Itiscommonlyarguedwhethertheseproductsarehealthierthantheir
nonorganiccounterparts.Manypeopleamongsocietyareunawareofthecontentsofthefood
thattheyeatonadailybasis,andhowhealthyitisforthem.Withthatbeingsaid,manyassume
thatorganicisbetter,butaretherefactstobackupthisassumption?Asasociety,weknowthat
itisimportantforpeopletobehealthyinregardtobeingphysicallyactiveandeatingabalanced
diet.Theproblemwithmaintainingabalanceddietispeoplebeingmisinformedaboutwhat
theyreeating.Ofcoursethequestionofwhetherorganicismorebeneficial,butnotlimitedtoa
healthstandpoint,thannonorganicfoodstillliesonthetable.Thistopichasbeenresearchedfor
years,butisthereatrueanswer?
Regardlessofwhenpeoplewonderaboutorganiccomparedtononorganicfood,itis
boundtocrosstheirmindatleastonceinlife.Approximately45millionAmericansgoonadiet
eachyear.ThisisnotanunrealisticfactduetoalmosttwothirdsofAmericansbeingobeseor
overweight.(Nutrition&WeightManagement)Howdoesobesitycorrelatetoorganicand
nonorganicfoods?Ingeneral,manypeopleareunawareoftheingredientsinthefoodtheybuy
onadailybasis,meaningmanycannotdifferentiatebetweenorganicandnonorganicfoods.
Sometimes,thisisassimpleaslookingatthepackagingoffoodstoseeiftheyarelabeledas
organicornonorganic.Sadly,thiscreatesaportionoftheobesityfactorsimplyduetothefast
paceofthesocietyandreadingalabelandnotreadingit.Asimpleevaluationofaproductcould
haveledonetoknowwhetherfoodsarehealthyornot.Thehighlydebatableissueofwhether
organicfoodismorebeneficialthanconventionalfoodreallystoodouttomeinthesenseof
knowingwhichismorebeneficialtohealth,theenvironment,andsocietyingeneral.Inlife,


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therewillalwaysbethatmomthatonlyfeedsherchildrenorganicfood,butisthatreallymore
favorabletotheirwellbeing?
Background
Theorganicmovementwasageneralsourceofagricultureuntilthe1920s.Natural
meanswereusedinordertoproduceagriculture.TheSecondWorldWarbroughtaboutnew
farmingmethods.Researchhadbeenconductedtoprovethatchemicalscouldkilltheinsectsthat
invadedtheagriculture.Withthatbeingsaid,chemicalswereincorporatedwithinagricultural
means.Theyearof1939broughtabouttheinsecticideDDTbyPaulMuller.Theinsecticides
madeitsoorganicfarmingwasbasicallydismissedfromgeneralagriculture.(HistoryOfThe
OrganicMovement)
Thebenaturalapproachoccurredinthe1960sand1970swhenconsumersbeganto
showaconcerninhealth.RachelCarsonpublishedabookin1962entitled
SilentSpring
that
criticizedtheeffectsofDDT.ShefocusedonthenegativeeffectsofDDTespeciallyrelatingto
songbirdsandtheirdisappearance.Carsonmentionedthatpesticideswerebeingused
indiscriminately.Duringthistime,thegreenmovement,focusingonconservation,and
environmentalissueswereallimportantaspectsbeingdiscussed.Consumersbecamesickofthe
healthhazardsthatweredirectlyassociatedwithchemicals,suchaspesticidesandDDT,being
usedinfoodandhouseholdproducts.Duetotheconsumerawareness,thisdemandfueled
growthintheorganiceconomy.
Atfirst,duringthe1970sand1980s,youcouldonlygetnatural,organicfoodathealth
foodstores.Inthe1990s,organicfoodspreadtosupermarkets.(HistoryOfTheOrganic


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Movement)Withthegrowthoforganicproducts,standardsandregulationshadtosoonbeput
intoplacetodefineorganicagriculture.
Atthetime,clarifyingwhatorganicagricultureandfoodactuallywasseemedtobea
difficulttask.Thiswastrueduetothevariationofagriculturalpracticesindifferentareas
throughouttheUnitedStates.Duetoamovement,anorganicstandardwouldsoonbeputinto
placetofacilitatemarketingwithinstates.CongresspassedtheOrganicFoodsProductionAct,
alsoknownasOFPA,in1990todevelopanationalstandardfororganicfoodandfiber
production(HistoryofOrganicFarmingintheUnitedStates).OrganicFoodsProductionAct
alsomandatedthattheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgricultureestablishregulationsinorderto
describethelawtocertifiers,producers,andhandlers.Thefinalrulesandregulationswere
ultimatelyrecordedandimplementedinthefallof2002(HistoryofOrganicFarminginthe
UnitedStates).
Definition
Itisgreattoknowthebackgroundofaterm,issue,ortopic,butbreakingdowntheactual
meaningisanotherjobwithinitself.Organicfoodsaregrownorraisedwithouttheuseof
additives,coloring,syntheticchemicals(e.g.,fertilizers,pesticides,hormones),radiation,or
geneticmanipulationandmeetingcriteriaoftheU.S.D.A(OrganicFood).Thegovernment
regulationsputinplacebytheUSDAinordertoearnthetitleoforganicallowsforstrict
monitoringandcertification(Riffkin).Conventional,ornonorganicfoodwouldbetheopposite
oforganicfood.Anothertermthatwillbeveryimportantthroughoutmyprojectisgenetically
modifiedorganisms,commonlyknownasGMOs,whichisanorganismormicroorganism


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whosegeneticmaterialhasbeenalteredbymeansofgeneticengineering(Genetically
ModifiedOrganism).Organicsystemsareequallyimportanttomytopicaswell:
Someoftheessentialcharacteristicsoforganicsystemsinclude:designand
implementationofanorganicsystemplanthatdescribesthepracticesusedinproducing
cropsandlivestockproductsadetailedrecordkeepingsystemthattracksallproducts
fromthefieldtopointofsaleandmaintenanceofbufferzonestopreventinadvertent
contaminationbysyntheticfarmchemicalsfromadjacentconventionalfields.(Organic
FAQs)
IntheMarket
Ingeneral,organicfoodusuallycostsmorethanconventionalornonorganicfood.Most
wouldntbelievehowcommonorganicfoodactuallyisduetothepricebeingmorethan
nonorganicfood.Thesectorfororganicfoodsincreasedfrom3.2billiondollarsin2008to5.5
billiondollarsin2014.(OrganicFAQs)

Thisshowsthedemandfororganicfoodinour
economy.Thisalsoshowsroomforgrowthintheorganicindustryasfarasproduction.Milk,
eggs,lettuce,broilerchickens,andapplesarethefiveproductsinparticularthatshowthemost
valueintheindustry.(OrganicFAQs)
Itseemsasiforganicfoodisagrowingdemandasabrightspotinatougheconomy
(OrganicAgricultureinWisconsin).Thiswasevidentduringtherecessionthatlastedroughly
from2007to2010.Youwouldthinkthatpeoplewouldsavemoneyandnotbuyproductssuchas
organicfood,butthemarketshowedotherwise.TheUnitedStatesfoodsaleswerenearlyflat,
buttheorganicmarketpeaked.Almost78percentoffamilieswerebuyingorganicfoodatthe


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time,andtheratehappenstobethesamealthoughthemarketcontinuestorise.(Organic
AgricultureinWisconsin)
HealthBenefitsandDownfalls
Whatdoorganicproductscontainthatcouldbebeneficialorharmfultooneshealth?
Studiesshowthatorganicmilkisabettersourceofantioxidants,omega3fattyacids,CLA,and
vitaminscomparedtononorganicmilk.Atenyearstudywasconductedontomatoes.Itproved
thatorganictomatoesarebroughtupinareasoflowernutrientsupplywhichultimatelyleadsto
excessiveamountofantioxidantsinthesetomatoes.Thisalsolessonsorusuallyeliminatesthe
amountofchemicalssuchasorganophosphorusthatfoodisexposedtoduetopesticides
(HealthBenefitsofOrganicFood).
Thereisafiftypercentchancethattherearemorelevelsofomega3fattyacidsinorganic
versionsoffood.Theseacidsarebeneficialwhenloweringtheriskofheartdisease,whichisthe
leadingcauseofdeathintheUnitedStatesalone.(Chang)Somescientistsareunsureifthese
factorsareactuallytakingatollongenuinehealthadvantages.Itissaidthatorganiccomparedto
conventionalfoodscanbeclassifiedasnutritionallyindistinguishable.However,mostpeople
thatbuyorganicproductsdosonotbecauseofthenutritionalgain,butratherbecauseofthe
environmentalconcernsandlowerpesticideexposurerate(Chang).Mostorganicfoodisgrass
fed,meaningtheproductspendsagoodamountoftimeoutsidewhichprovidesthemwiththe
omega3fattyacidgain(Chang).
Asstatedbeforemilk,meat,eggs,produce,andfishareverycommonfoodswithinthe
organicfoodindustry.Therearenotruehealthconcernswhenitcomestoconventionalor
organicmilk,meat,oreggs(Haspel).Producemostlyshowedthatorganicfoodshavealower


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exposureratetopesticideseventhoughtherehasbeennosignificanthealthproblemsassociated
withpesticides.Asfarasfish,thereisnotenoughresearchtoconductalogicalreasoningon
whetherthereisanynutritionalgain(Haspel).

Pricecomparedtothelongtermeffectisabig
issuewhencomparingorganicandnonorganicfoods.Whenonepaystheextramoneyoreven
goesoutofthewaytolookfororganicproducts,theeffectcanbeworthitinthelongrunwhen
viewingfactorssuchasomega3fattyacids,antioxidants,vitamins,andCLA.
Whenexposedtopesticides,moreevidencecontinuestosurfacethatlinksnegative
effectstohealthproblems.
May2010,scientistsfromtheUniversityofMontrealandHarvardUniversityreleaseda
studythatfoundthatexposuretopesticideresiduesonvegetablesandfruitmaydoublea
childsriskofattentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder(ADHD),aconditionthatcancause
inattention,hyperactivity,andimpulsivityinchildren.(TheProblemwithPesticides)
IntheEnvironment
Changesintheenvironmenthavetobestudiedoveralongtimetoviewthefulleffectsof
change.Asfarasorganicproductsintheenvironment,foodistobemadewithnoadded
fertilizersorpestcontrol.Proactiveapproachesaretakeninorganicagriculturesothatproblems
donothavetobefixedafterissueshaveoccurred(OrganicAgriculture).Fertilizersand
pesticidesarereplacedwithorganicfertilizerssuchascompost,animalmanure,andgreen
manure.Byusingorganicfertilizers,itenhancessoilstructureandwaterinfiltration.Well
managedorganicsystemsreducetheriskofgroundwaterpollution.Areaswherepollutionisan
extremeproblem,transitiontoorganicagricultureisextremelyrecommended,servingasa
restorativemeasure(OrganicAgriculture).


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Duetoorganicagriculture,thereisadecreaseduseofagrochemicalswhichallowsfor
reducednonrenewableenergyuse.Organicagriculturealsocontributestodiminishingthe
effectsofgreenhousegasesandglobalwarming.Thisisduetotheabilitytoisolatecarbon
withinthesoil.Minimumtillage,whichisanexampleofmanagementpracticesareusedby
organicagriculture.Thesepracticeshelptoincreasethedeliveryofcarbonbackintothesoilthis
alsoraisesproductivityandfavorscarbonstorage(OrganicAgriculture).Withthatbeingsaid,
onecantakethepositionthatorganicproductshaveapositiveeffectontheenvironment.
Asfaraspesticidesinourenvironment,whichrelatestononorganicandconventional
food,itsclearthattheyarenotdoingajustice.Firstoff,theyarelabeledastoxicsubstancesthat
killlivingthingswithintheenvironment.However,itisacommonpracticeallthroughoutthe
world.Tolookatpesticideuseinabiggerpicture,itisusedathomes,parks,forests,buildings,
schools,andalmosteverywhere,notjustagriculturefields.Thisisacommonpracticeinorderto
eliminateweeds,insects,rodents,etc.Theyarealsofoundwithintheair,inthewaterwedrink,
andinthefoodweeat(TheProblemwithPesticides).Thisshowshowmuchpesticidescan
causeissuesbystatinghowfrequentlytheyareused.Evenafterexplaininghowpesticideswere
abadideainthe1960sbyRachelCarson,theycontinuetobeusedfrequently.
ViewsonOrganicandNonorganicFood
AccordingtoastudydonebytheAmericanAssociationoftheAdvancementofScience,
AfricanAmericansandwomenaremoreinfluencedbygeneticallymodifiedfoods.Thegeneral
publicseemstobeskepticalaboutwhetherscientistsareawareofthesafetyofgenetically
modifiedfoods.Themajority,57%,ofgeneralpublicbelievesgeneticallymodifiedfoodsare
unsafe.Theremainder,37%,believesthefoodissafe.Only88%oftheAmericanAssociationof


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theAdvancementofSciencememberspronouncethatgeneticallymodifiedfoodsaregenerally
safe(Funk,Rainie).
InasurveydonebyGallupin2014,45percentofpeopleactivelytriedtoincludeorganic
foodswithintheirdiets.Another15percenttriedtoavoidorganicfoodand38percentdidnt
thinkaboutiteitherway(Riffkin).Manyciviliansdontactuallychecktoseeiftheproductsthey
buyaregeneticallymodified(Funk,Rainie).
Conclusion
Asonecansee,thetopicoforganiccomparedtoconventionalfoodisaveryunsettled
topic.Itishardtounderstandtheeffectsofbothgeneticallymodifiedfood,organicfood,and
conventionalfood.Organicfoodseenwithinthesocietyasawholeshowsanincreasewithinthe
economy.Theorganicfoodindustryshowsanevidentgrowingdemand.Byenhancingsoil
structure,increasingwaterinfiltration,reducingtheriskofgroundwaterpollution,reducing
nonrenewableenergy,deliveringcarbonbackintothesoil,anddiminishingtheeffectsof
greenhousegasesandglobalwarming,onecanconcludethatorganicfoodandagricultureshows
apositiveeffectontheenvironment.
Anuncertain,difficulttopictoexplainiswhetherorganicfoodismoreadvantageousthan
itsnonorganiccounterpartsinregardtohealth.Muchresearchhasbeenconducted,butscientists
havenotputafinal,sureconclusiononthesubject.Itisclearthattherearemorelevelsof
omega3fattyacidsinorganicversionsoffood.Theseacidsarebeneficialwhenloweringthe
riskofheartdisease,whichisimportantwithintheUnitedStates.Theeffectsofexposureto
pesticidesisalsouncertain.Hopefully,inthenearfuture,sciencewillallowustoconcludeatrue
answertowhetherorganicismorebeneficialtooneshealthornot.Untilthen,thegeneralpublic


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cansettleonthefactthattherearesomepositive,favorableaspectsoforganicfood,butthereis
moreresearchandanalyzingtobedone.


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Chang,Kenneth."OrganicMeatandMilkHigherinHealthfulFattyAcids."
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.OrganicFarmingResearch


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