| "relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis;" But according to the USDA, an organic product is: |
- “‘Organic’ is a labeling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole.
- “Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water.
In other words, an organic food or product is free of manmade or unnaturally occurring chemicals and/or flavorings. Organic fruits and vegetables can be found at any Kroger or grocery in the local Cincinnati area, in order for a product to be officially organic the label must me "USDA certified organic" an example of this label is below in the blog page. For more general and specific information on certified organic products and foods look at any of the following websites:
http://www.organicsoul.org/
** http://www.organicconsumers.org/
or these two articles:
http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/news/2010/11/international-organic-market-on-an-upward-trend.aspx
- The Natural Products Insider has an article (above) about the growing "organic movement" and it gives information on what this entails: organic clothing, products, foods etc. and their expanding popularity.
- This article about organic nutrition standards gives info about what can be expected from organic food companies and farmers. For example: that farmers add no hormones of additives to their meats and vegetables (especially no pesticides or herbicides).
Are there any added health benifits to eating organic? Are there any harmful side effects?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how organic really has two different meanings! Also, The links were really helpful!
ReplyDeleteRachel- the natural antioxidants and nutrients found in organic foods can be more beneficial to our health because when food is processed by humans some of the natural goodies are eliminated trhough chemical and food processing. Also, if you buy organic fruit it does not have to be washed as much because they do not use pesticides when growing it. This can make eating organic foods safer in some ways, but there probably aren't many side affects. The only side affect possible is that the food would get contaminated by insects or small rodents when it is shipped to food markets, but that is rare. The only other side affect is the cost- organic food can be really expensive.
ReplyDelete