Organic farming and the production of organic products is a relatively new practice which is receiving ambiguous reactions from consumers. Not only are the claimed health benefits from consuming organic foods not yet proven, but the price of an organic diet is more expensive than that of a regular one.
The United States Department of Agriculture has defined organic foods as “products produced without excluded methods (e.g., genetic engineering), is produced per the national list of allowed substances, and overseen by USDA National Organic program.”
The decision between possible health benefits and an increased food expense has consumers torn. When faced with this decision, one must examine the benefits of organically grown products and whether they compensate for the margin of difference in price. A possible solution to the ambiguity is to choose which organic product is worth the purchase.
“Any fruit or vegetable with a hard outer peel, like a banana or orange, is not worth the money,” culinary arts instructor chef Cynthia Stowers said. “Pesticides can’t get into these fruits and are supposedly safer. When it comes to dairy and meat products, I personally go organic. A lot of the time, farmers feed these animals certain feed which makes them grow unnaturally fast. They have deformed bodies and often times big breasts with small legs.”
Non-organic food is known to be associated with pesticides and added hormones. This unhealthy trend makes students and families fear what the continuation of consuming these products may mean.
“Organic food benefits us not right now, but it’s better for us in the long run,” sophomore Emily Deker said. “My family feels as if all the chemicals in non-organic food is the cause of a lot of health problems in older people. It is a lot more expensive, but again, my family feels it’s worth it.”
With many diseases and health problems becoming more prevalent in society, not knowing the long term effects of hormones and artificial preservatives has potentially negative consequences.
“There are so many causes for cancer these days, and we just don’t know what they are,” Stowers said. “They haven’t been using these chemicals for very long, so it is better to be safe than sorry.”
Health implications aside, the world must be fed and “natural grazing” can be impractical. Along with a higher cost in production, organic food takes more time to develop and more land area. Some feel that the difference of cost between organic and non-organic foods is not feasible for the average American family.
“It depends on the person and their diet,” freshman Jordano Chilin said. “Say someone wants to lose weight and their new diet requires organic food, the expense would be worth it. But otherwise organic food is not worth it for everyday use, it may not be as healthy and it may not taste as fresh, but it is still food and the cheaper price must be recognized.”
As the push for organic markets increases and establishes itself, more information about the true benefits of organic food consumption will be revealed. Now organic food has the general view of being beneficial to one’s health, but not necessarily required for everyday life.
