Have you ever looked inside your pantry, or your refrigerator, and just wondered what really goes into your food? When you were at the grocery store, have you ever wondered if what they say is “organic” is really organic? In the food industry, organic foods are foods that, as stated on dontwastethecrumbs.com, “Only 95% of a food item is required to be organic in order to be labeled ‘organic’ (“14 Facts The Organic Industry Doesn’t. . .” par. 37). Organic foods also can be grown with more than forty approved pesticides, as well as other non-organic substances. Pesticides are the chemical products, that come in many different forms, and are used to kill different types of pests, or even diseases. However, these pesticides are not beneficial to humans, and animals, that are consuming these foods, or the environment. Produce that is labeled as “organic” in stores is not organic because they are produced with and contain non-organic materials.
Produce that is listed as organic in stores is not organic because it is produced with non-organic materials. According to dontwastethecrumbs.com, “Pesticides are allowed in organic production” (“14 Facts The Organic Industry Doesn’t. . .” par. 20). Even though the food that is labeled as organic is naturally produced, it will most-likely be produced with one of more than 40 of, “the pesticides that are allowed in organic production” (“14 Facts The Organic Industry Doesn’t. . .” par. 20). Not only are these pesticides allowed in the creation of organic produce, but so are natural chemicals. Interestingly, when the food industry is referring to the natural chemicals, these natural chemicals actually have the potential of giving you a high risk of cancer, or lead you to having other health issues. These chemicals that the food industry calls natural will actually expose you to different types of diseases, and will also damage your body in the process. From a different perspective, these natural chemicals and pesticides are most-likely being sprayed on the produce or crop when it is in the early stages of developing, as well as later on, but this could also be harming our environment. This change will also affect the bees pollinating the crops, which could play a vital role in the bee extinction problem leading to the growth of more produce. As stated on theguardian.com, a woman that was working for this company made a fake ID and attended the “Food Ingredients Annual Trade Show”.
Thousands of food producers and companies attended, and this woman had discovered many facts that the food labels do not say or list. As stated in the article, “A salesmen for Agricoat [a company that produces chemicals that prolong the life of foods] told me that they [fruits] have been dipped in one of its [life-prolonging] solutions, NatureSeal, which because it contains citric acid. . . adds 21 days to their shelf life” (par. 8). Since this “solution” is considered a “processing aid,” the companies are not impelled to write it on the packaging that their “fresh fruit salad is weeks old”(par. 9). As stated on onegreenplanet.org, another important key fact to remember is that stores and companies have the ability to use words such as, “. . .free range, cage-free, natural, grass-fed, pasture-raised, humane, [sic] anti-biotic free, or no added hormones. . .” but it is never guaranteed if the product is actually hormone-free or, “grass-fed.” This is because companies can use these words to seek attention from customers who will then want to buy the products because they believe it is “[sic] anti-biotic free” or “humane” (“What Those Labels Really Mean: ‘Organic’. . . par. 11). That is why produce that is labeled as organic is not, because it is actually produced with pesticides, natural chemicals that could cause cancer, and other non-organic materials.
Produce that is listed as organic in stores is not organic because it contains non-organic materials. As claimed by dontwastethecrumbs.com, “There are 35 non-synthetic, non-organic substances allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as ‘organic’ “ (“14 Facts The Organic Industry Doesn’t. . .” par. 31). One example of a non-organic substance that is allowed in organic production is carrageenan. Carrageenan is an ingredient that makes foods creamier, but it is also known for “causing inflammation” and is used in “anti-inflammatory drugs.” Other than the 35 non-synthetic ingredients that can be used in organic production, there are also, “43 synthetic, non-organic substances. . .”, as well as more than, “45 non-organically produced ingredients.” One example of a non-organically produced material that is allowed on the organic production list is “soy lectin.” This ingredient is basically the excess “waste” that comes from soybean oil. Another organic ingredient that is allowed in the production of organic foods is cornstarch. As mentioned in dontwastethecrumbs.com, “Cornstarch is also on the list, which is produced from corn. . . and as of 2011, 88% of corn was genetically modified” (“14 Facts The Organic Industry Doesn’t. . .” par. 33-38). So, even though the food companies do not genetically modify their ingredients, the ingredients that are used can be genetically modified. That is why produce that is listed as organic in stores is not actually organic because it contains non-organic, or genetically modified, foods and ingredients.
On the other hand these so called organic foods, bio-tech, as well as foods that have been genetically-modified, might not be the most organic foods on the market, but are planned to have the potential to help fight diseases, just like vaccines would. As predicted by Dean DellaPenna on
nationalgeographic.com, in the future, thanks to genetic engineering, humans will be able to create, “. . . tomatoes and broccoli bursting with cancer fighting-chemicals and vitamin-enhanced crops of rice, sweet potatoes, and cassava to help nourish the poor” (“Food: How Altered?” par. 2). He also believes that it is possible to generate basic ingredients such as, “. . .wheat, soy, and peanuts” that are free of any “allergens” making it a viability that people who, for example, are allergic to peanuts, can eat peanuts safely. So, it is a possibility that these organic foods as well as genetically modified foods can help fight diseases, make people healthier, allow people to eat foods that they were allergic to before, and also feed the poor. However, these types of foods are still bad, because food experts still do not know how certain genetically modified, or organic foods, can affect the human bodies and the environment. Not only would people be eating these unpredictable foods, but so would animals that scavenge for food, and insects that pollinate the crops. There are still many risks that the food industry would have to overcome before producing these special types of foods. On the other hand, there is actually no evident proof that shows that organic foods are healthier than conventional foods. As stated on seattletimes.com, there are many factors that affect your food when figuring out if organic foods are actually healthier.
For example, the type of “soil” that is used in growing these foods, the, “weather, climate. . .”, when you bought your produce, how long it has been sitting in your pantry or, “. . .refrigerator” as well as, “how you prepare it” (“Is your organic food really organic?” par. 7). So, there are definitely many different factors and components that go into the background lives of your produce, as well as which farmers and companies you buy your produce from. As stated before, there is no distinct difference between organic foods and conventional foods.
Foods that are labeled as organic at the grocery stores are not really organic because they are produced with and contain ingredients that are non-organic. This is because not only are organic foods produced with pesticides, chemicals, and other chemically produced ingredients, but they also contain synthetic non-organic substances, non-synthetic non-organic substances, as well as large amounts of genetic engineering. Some of these chemicals, pesticides, or non-organic materials have the potential to give you cancer, or other various diseases. Many of the ingredients that are used in organic foods are no better than the ingredients in conventional foods, so why spend more money? That is why the next time you enter the grocery store, you should take a look at what you are really eating.
