 |
 | |
|
If you are not already a convert to great tasting organic food here are a few reasons why you should eat organic!
1 - Its Healthy! - On average organic food contains higher levels of Vitamin C, essential minerals and cancer-fighting antioxidants.
2 - Taste! - Try eating an organic carrot, parsnip, or potato…., proper tasting food that has grown in healthy soils, you can certainly taste the difference. Conventional grown food is bland in comparison.
3 - No Nasty additives - Amongst the additives banned by the Soil Association are hydrogenated fat, aspartame (artificial sweetener) and monosodium glutamate.
4 - Its GM Free! - Genetically modified crops and ingredients are not allowed under organic standards. At least 5 studies have found that genetically modified organisms cause abnormalities to organs and tissues in the body, such as lesions in the gut wall and changes to the blood.
5 - Avoids pesticides - Over 400 chemical pesticides are routinely used in conventional farming and residues are often present in non organic food. The most dangerous chemicals used in farming such as organophosphates have been linked with a range of problems including cancer, foetal abnormalities, chronic fatigue syndrome in children and Parkinson's disease. Another chemical Iprodione is a suspected carcinogen, potential groundwater contaminant and suspected hormone disrupter that turns up in food including carrots yet has been cleared for use in all EU countries. The chemical Aldicarb (a nerve poison) has been granted 'essential use' status for a range of crops including potatoes in the UK. It is highly toxic and is classified by the World Health Organisation as 'extremely hazardous' Want to know more about pesticides? - see http://www.soilassociation.org/pesticides
6 - Care for animals - The benefits of the organic approach are recognized by animal welfare organizations and the UK government. Compassion in World farming believes that the Soil Associations welfare standards are leaders in the field, (Joyce d'Silva, Director, Compassion in World Farming) No cruelty - organic food is all about producing food that is good for you, good for the environment and good for animals
7 - No routine antibiotic use It is the quest for ever cheaper food that has driven towards systems of mass production where aswell as crops being covered in pesticides to give higher yields, antibiotics are routinely used in the rearing of livestock. This has a knock on effect when as humans we are eating meat that has been fed antibiotics routinely throughout its life. Some of these antibiotics include Nicarbazin - this has been shown to cause birth defects and hormonal problems in animals. However despite this it is routinely added to chicken feed and residues up to 20 times the legally permitted maximum residue limit are found in about 10 per cent of chicken livers.
8 - Good for Wildlife and the environment - Organic farming is better for wildlife, causes lower pollution from sprays, produces less carbon dioxide - the main global warming gas - and less dangerous wastes. Non organic food is farmed using a system that is heavily reliant on chemicals. Although used to kill pests, weeds and diseases they leave a chemical residues in a quarter of our food and damage the natural balance of the soil and destroy wildlife, after all our food cannot be healthy if the soil it is grown in is not either.
