Organic Food - Research Paper Example

? Organic Food Contents Introduction 3 Principles of organic food 3 Benefits of organic food 4 Organic food production and sustainable development 6 Cons of organic food 8 Conclusion 9 References 10 Organic Food Introduction Organic word generally denotes the things derived from the nature and mostly the living matter. Presence of carbon or carbon compounds is the pre requirement of any organic compound. Thus organic food can be defined as the food produced by using natural elements including nature and environment with the use of minimum or no amount of synthetic products Centuries old methods are used in the growth and production of these food materials. Though production of organic food is not a very fast or mass productive process but it is very cost effective and healthy. Today, when the problems such as obesity and other diseases are very rampant worldwide, consumption of organic food can prove to be very helpful. Also, organic food is much more tasty and healthy compared to the industrially produced ones. It is favorable not only for us but also for the animals and the environment. Principles of organic food The basic principles of organic food and its production are as follows- 1. It maintains the biological diversity within the system. 2. Minimizes soil degradation and pollution, decreases pollution, optimizes biological productivity and supports a sound state of health. 3. Optimizes conditions for biological activity thus maintaining the long term fertility of the soil 4. The health and behavioral needs of the livestock are properly taken care of. 5. Recycling of materials and other such resources to their greatest extent is one of the main requirements of organic food production. 6. Reliability on renewable resources rather than the non-renewable is emphasized. 7. Proper stress is given on careful processing and handling methods in order to maintain the organic integrity and necessary quality of the product at all levels of production. 8. Humane treatment to the animals is always taken into consideration. 9. The quality and durability matters a lot while producing organic food. Benefits of organic food The word ‘organic’ itself is enough to convey that organic food has no synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. These pesticides and fertilizers are chemically prepared and most of the compounds used are harmful for the environment..During irrigation, sometimes these compounds mix with the water and reach into the nearby ponds and lakes. The chemicals mix with the fresh water and accelerate the growth of the weeds. When these weeds die, large amount of bacteria start acting on them for their decomposition using ample amount of oxygen present in the water. This results in the death of the aquatic life due to the scarcity of the dissolved oxygen. For instance, an 8,000 square mile ’dead zone’ was created in the Gulf of Mexico killing tons of fishes and other aquatic lives mainly due to fertilizer run-off Not only this, but these chemical compounds are also harmful for the soil. They decrease the fertility of the soil at a much faster rate making it sterile and useless. These fertilizers are also absorbed by the fruits of the plant. These are the same fruit which we buy and eat and consequently get sick. Moreover, also contaminate ground water and make them polluted (Koch, 775). Making our farming methods organic will not only result in production of better quality of food but also add to sustainability and environment friendly processes. It will preserve biodiversity along with increasing soil fertility. An average organic farm provides more natural habitats to the wildlife. The low concentration of pesticide remnants and the hazardous chemicals avoids the killings of the non-harmful insects and flora. Biodiversity balances the predominance of the growing crop by encouraging the diversity of species and genes. A system with the co-existence of varied species yields better quality of crop. Apart from the preservation of biodiversity, production of organic food also improves the soil quality by preserving the Soil Organic Matter(SQM) such as organic and nitrogen compounds which are essential for the production of the high quality products. The inputs in organic farms are always organic which results in higher SQM return to the soil. Production of organic food also leads to the lower emission of carbon dioxide gas in the environment. The CO2 emission from an organic farm is only 40% than that of a conventional farm. Another result was found stating that ratio of emission of CO2 of an organic farm over a conventional one is 34/100. The lower level of CO2 emission in the organic farm is mainly due to the fact that fewer energy inputs are required in these farms leading to a decrement in the amount of fossil fuel burnt. Thus consumption of organic food not only saves energy but also puts a check on the environmental pollution and green house effects as we all know that CO2 is the major component of the green house gases(Siderera, Alain and Elke, 340). There was a study conducted to evaluate whether the organic diet actually makes a difference to the human health or not. The study mainly talked about the affects of organic food on allergic manifestations in 815 two-year olds. The study was mainly based on conventional(90% organic) diets. After taking all the organic foods into account, a non-significant lower trend towards eczema risk was observed. But the results were different when the type of organic food was examined individually. Consumption of organic dairy products did result in a statistically lower risk rates of eczema. The children consuming organic milk and milk products have a 36 percent reduction in risk of allergic skin disorder. We all are aware of the importance of phytonutrient content in our food. These compounds including carotenoids, flavonoids, and other polyphenols act as one of the main compounds for our dietary supplements. Consumption of organic food increases the amount of not only these phytonutrients but also certain vitamins and minerals in our body due to its more nutritional value (Koch, 775). The intake of organic food reduces the danger of cancer. Organic vegetables were found to be more capable of suppressing the mutagenicity of various environmental toxins including benzopyrene, the main carcinogen in cigarette smoke and auto exhaust. Mutagenicity against 4-nitroquinine oxide was pressed by 37-93 percent by the use of organic vegetables while the statistics for its conventional counterparts reached just 11-65 percent. Against BaP, the result for organic vegetables was upto 30-57 percent. On the other hand non organic vegetables could reach to 5-30 percent. Organic strawberries block the proliferation of HT29 colon cancer cells and MCF-7 breast cancer cells (Siderera, Alain and Elke, 340). Considered as one of the best alternatives of conventional food, organic food has been one of the fastest growing sectors of food industry. Though the price is significantly higher in comparison to the normal food products, still the demand for organic food is increasing by leaps and bounds. This proves that consumption of organic food is a much better alternative for the general food products (Siderera, Alain and Elke, 340). Organic food production and sustainable development It can easily contribute to meaningful sustainable development in socio-economical and ecological terms especially in developing countries. This is because of the efficient management of local resources by the organic farmers. Water is the pre requirement for any type of farming whether organic or inorganic. Organic farmers use certain methods to meet their needs and conserve water at the same time. They make sure to increase water filteration, reduce evaporation by switching to certain processes such as water harvesting and collection. They follow a process of efficient irrigation by the application of furrow and drip irrigation instead of flood and sprinkler irrigation (Koch, 775). Organic farming is a mixture of traditional indigenous knowledge as well as modern agro-ecological research which ultimately affects the quality of organic food produced. Generally a decline of yield is experienced by the farmers after renouncing the use of synthetic fertilizers and chemicals. However, significant increase in the yield is observed ones the agro-ecosystem is restored and organic management systems are fully put into action. In case of poor farmers conversion of organic farms take place on the basis of low input system especially in the developing countries. But still the yield tend to more stable under organic management system as compared to the previous management system (Koch, 775). Organic farmers achieve more sustainable developments mainly due to the following reasons- 1. Thanks to the reduced production cost and diversified production that in developing countries, where synthetic inputs are expensive and labour is relatively cheap, market oriented organic farmers can get higher returns. 2. Organic production reduces the risk of crop failure due to drought or pest damage due to higher diversity and improved overall soil fertility. 3. More stable and higher yields are significantly supported by efficient use of local resource such as manure, seeds and irrigation water. 4. Improved financial situation results in more intensive cultivation. 5. Low amount of pesticide residues in comparison to the conventional food. 6. Organic farming involves lesser risks and generates higher income and thus contributes significantly in improving the livelihood of small scale farmers. By building the capacity of production, processing and manpower in them as well as their family, organic farming encourages the farmers to invest in the future (Hasler, 3780). Organic food products also provide easy market access and create an added value. Certified food products can largely attract the local and the international market for the developing countries while the producers generate higher incomes. A fair share of international organic trade benefit must be guaranteed to those contributing most of the food production, which is why countries have embraced social standards in accordance with fair trade labels such as ‘Max Hvelaar’ and Transfair’ (Hole, Perkins, Wilson, Alexander, Grice and Evans, 129). Cons of organic food Though organic food has many advantages over the conventional food but there is always a flip side to the coin. Most of the cons of organic food is related to the organic farming practices. Mention the word ‘organic’ and the other word which immediately pops up in our mind is ‘expensive’. In comparison to the industrially produced food, organic food is more expensive and thus it is tough for poor people to afford it. Second is diversity. Conventional food will; taste the same no matter wherever you go. It might not be the case with the organic food. Many times organic farmers strive to preserve even the oddities such as fully ripe green coloured tomatoes. Most of them are not big sellers simply because they don’t look like the way an ordinary product should look like (Fotopoulos and Krystallis, 244). . While producing organic food, the farmer allows the fruit to ripe according to their natural time without manipulating it which might lead to small production compared to the large commercial farming. Also, it is necessary to certify the food products to call them ‘organic’. It never works without the certificate no matter how green your methods of producing are. Organic food production requires extra work, extra care and most importantly extra time investment. The life span of organic food is shorter in comparison to the conventional ones mainly because no pesticides or chemicals are used. Though it is good for many other factors but it does affect the life span adversely (Fotopoulos and Krystallis, 244). . Conclusion The popularity of organic food is growing dramatically constituting more than 2% of all food sales and sales of organic food in united states surpassed $13.8 billion in 2005(Organic Trade Assn.2006). Consumers going for organic food may do so for a number of reasons including the perceived benefits to the environment, welfare of the animals, safety of the workers and the perception that organic food are safer and more nutritious. This also indicates the greater health concerns of the public. Even though organic food has many advantages over the conventional ones, still we cannot really say that which food system is better. Organic food uses no chemicals. However, it is not completely pesticide free. This is mainly due to many factors beyond the control of the farmers. For example pesticide drifts from adjacent fields or soil irrigation water and contamination. Also the data available does not allow for a comparison between export and domestic sales. Non certified organic food is difficult to survey in practice. Even though a lot has already been done in this field, still a lot remains to achieve especially in developing countries. New methods and ideas are needed in the market so that organic food can reach even to the poor. After all everyone has the right to be healthy. References Fotopoulos, C. and Krystallis, A. “Organic Product Avoidance—Reasons for Rejection and Potential Buyers’ Identification in a Countrywide Survey.” British Food Journal 104, (2002): 233-250. Hasler, Clare M. “Functional Foods: Benefits, Concerns and Challenges, a Position Paper from the American Council on Science and Health.” The Journal of Nutrition 132 (2002): 3772-3781. Hole, D.G., A.J. Perkins, J.D. Wilson, I.H. Alexander, P.V. Grice and A.D. Evans. “Does Organic Farming Benefit Biodiversity?” Biological Conservation 112 (2005): 113-130. Koch, Kathy. "Food Safety Battle: Organic Vs. Biotech." CQ Researcher 8.33 (1998): 761-784. Siderera, Yona, Alain Maquet and Elke Anklam. “Need for Research to Support Consumer Confidence in the Growing Organic Food Market.” Trends in Food Science and Technology 16 (2005): 332-343. Read More