Source: https://top-list.co/top-common-myths-about-organic-food-v2700.html
- Organic Farming is Just Hype
- Anything Can Be Organic
- You Can Feed As Many People with Organic as Non-Organic
- Organic is Better for the Environment
- Imported Organics Meet US Standards
- Organic Food Has Been Inspected
- Organic Farming Is Better for Farmers
- Organic is More Nutritious Than Non-Organic
- Organic is Pesticide Free
- Organic Food is 100% Organic
Organic Farming is Just Hype
Not all organic agriculture myths are propagated by the movement’s supporters. There are those who don’t fully grasp the advantages, therefore it’s important to reiterate that organic farming isn’t terrible. Not all organic food is bad. It’s simply different and ought to be investigated in an open manner without using propaganda from either side of the aisle. In light of this, organic farming has definite advantages that demonstrate it is more than just a trend or marketing gimmick.
Integrating cultures into organic farming is one way it can, when done correctly, improve the environment. Monoculture, or conventional farming, is a common practice. Here, a farmer merely plants and raises a single crop. If you are familiar with farming, you are aware that if all you do with your soil is plant corn in it year after year, negative things will happen to it. Planting the same crop repeatedly depletes the soil to the point that nothing will grow until you fertilize it once more, which brings with it a slew of additional possible issues. Different crops will absorb different nutrients.
Organic agriculture frequently employs integrated cultures. Crops are rotated as a result, which has a number of advantages. With monoculture farming, there is an increase in soil fertility, chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides, and water use. Therefore, organic farming practices are more environmentally friendly and more environmentally sustainable as a whole.
Now that we’ve seen how GMO crops can improve environmental advantages, if someone were prepared to mix GMO crops with organic farming practices, perhaps an incredibly productive farm might be created that was also environmentally beneficial.
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Anything Can Be Organic
This one is a little strange, because it deals with dishonest business tactics. Food producers have a penchant for inventing advantages when none exist. How often have you seen a potato chip bag with a label that claims the product is gluten- or cholesterol-free? That’s fine and all, but potatoes have never included gluten or cholesterol, so to declare they’re devoid of both is akin to stating scorpions aren’t present. That wasn’t supposed to be there to begin with.
Over the years, there have been some dishonest people in the organic market who have done things like advertise “organic sea salt.” Evidently, a few businesses continue to do this. Simple science is the issue with this. Salt is an example of an organic product that cannot be really organic. Minerals are used to make it. It is not now and never will be organic. Therefore, biological salt from the sea or anywhere else does not exist.
Although it doesn’t seem fair, the labeling of organic salt appears to be an attempt to convey the product’s purity. Organic has a clear definition. Organic sea salt is useless; pure sea salt is fine. Instead, it tries to take advantage of consumers who are ignorant of the products they are purchasing by using terminology they are already acquainted with, even when they are misused.
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You Can Feed As Many People with Organic as Non-Organic
In order to completely disprove the claim that organic farming can feed as many people as conventional farming, we must return to GMO crops. Not at all. Even “regular” agriculture cannot. GMO crops are the solution to the world’s hunger problem.
A disease-resistant GMO sweet potato was being researched in hopes of boosting crop output and preventing the famine of millions of people. A disease that decimated the crops and all but put an end to the Hawaiian papaya industry salvaged it owing to a GMO variety of the fruit.
Apples that don’t oxidize and turn brown when chopped and lettuce that doesn’t wilt are both available as GMOs. Avocados can last several days in the refrigerator after being chopped. These can keep people fed while reducing food waste.
In Bangladesh, GM eggplants are resistant to insects. Crop yields have increased as a result, and local farmers can now make more money to support their way of life. Since less pesticides are used, both the environment and the food are safer.
Millions of lives could have been saved if golden rice, a GMO rice created to contain beta carotene that would give those who ate it vitamin A, had been available in areas where starvation is a continual concern. However, GMO politics crippled it.
Research consistently demonstrates that GMO crops can save death. Not only on a tiny scale, but one that would have a significant impact on millions of people. One that organic simply could not equal, even if all of its alleged advantages were genuine.
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Organic is Better for the Environment
Over the years, the media has created a lot of hatred for GMOs, to the point where those who would most profit from them frequently want them outright outlawed. People believe that GMO crops are essentially science gone mad, Frankenstein-versions of food that will kill us all or turn us into mutants due to a lack of scientific understanding. It is solely founded on fear mongering and a lack of scientific knowledge.
In actuality, GMO foods save the environment in ways that organic farms just cannot since they eliminate hunger. Think of a GMO crop that is specifically engineered to be more productive, resistant to disease and pests, and resistant to drought. More people could be fed by this crop while using less water, land, and pesticides. These are all better options for the environment.
Since organic farming would need more acreage, more natural areas, such as forest land, are being destroyed each year to make way for agricultural land. Even if the pesticides are made of organic compounds, additional pesticides and herbicides are required to keep the crops watered and the area irrigated.
One of the worst things humanity has done to itself may be the GMO scare campaign, which has caused what has been shown to be a safe and environmentally friendly way to feed literally millions of people to be disregarded in favor of unfounded fears.
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Imported Organics Meet US Standards
What about organic produce imported from overseas, if domestic organic produce might not meet federal standards? That must undoubtedly undergo inspection before entering the nation. 40% of the organic maize crop and up to 70% of the organic soybean crop are imported. A huge cargo of 36 million pounds of organic soybeans from the Ukraine was examined by The Washington Post in 2017.
They were not at all organic. Organic fraud is thought to cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually and is particularly difficult to detect if the country of origin declares the product to be organic. Testing is required to ascertain the opposite, and that costs time and money.
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Organic Food Has Been Inspected
In the organic food sector, this is a significant issue that most of us wouldn’t have thought about. Because of the sticker on the apple, you can tell as a consumer that it is organic. That sticker was placed there by someone. But how did they know it was natural?
Organic farms must adhere to regulations. These farms are inspected by inspectors to make sure they adhere to regulations. You may feel sure and content knowing that organic farms produce organic food if we stopped the admission there. But in many ways, this business is similar to that of restaurant inspection, which makes sure that your favorite eatery has a spotless kitchen and complies with safety regulations. They do nine out of 10 times. But there’s also that other occasion.
There simply aren’t enough food inspectors in the world. When you purchase an organic product, it’s extremely conceivable that the person who certified it didn’t even enter the field to inspect the crops; instead, they simply checked the farm’s documentation to make sure it was organic.
On behalf of the government, third parties frequently conduct organic inspection. Because they seek certification, farmers are the ones that pay these businesses to conduct the inspection. More money is involved. However, if they are scrimping, they do not want a “serious” inspection. They really desire a more relaxed inspector. And who would you hire if you were the shady farmer footing the bill for the inspection? A trustworthy and meticulous business, or the careless one that will simply certify your produce no matter what? In fact, numerous studies have revealed that products with organic labels that are sold in stores are not truly organic.
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Organic Farming Is Better for Farmers
People have only recently started to consider how their actions influence everyone in the world, including those who strive to make our lives simpler. That include the farmworkers who make sure we have the option to purchase produce that is either organic or not. How does organic food impact their life, then?
Organic is often associated with a holistic, amiable, almost hippie-like atmosphere. Right or not, it is essentially the image that organic initially had when it first entered the market, and it has since evolved into the “health food” craze that gives the impression that organic is the way to go if you want to be healthy and happy. Therefore, it must be somewhat discouraging to hear that organic farming is a little more difficult on the work force than conventional farming.
Due to the use of organic methods, organic farms require up to 35% more labor to maintain. The additional task requires workers to put in greater hours while still being exposed to potentially harmful pesticides. Studies have demonstrated that this frequently results in increased farm labor exploitation. They must work longer and faster, yet as a result, they do not actually receive higher pay or better treatment.
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Organic is More Nutritious Than Non-Organic
This might be the argument that organic vs. non-organic supporters disagree on the most. Does organic food benefit you more? The response appears to be “no” with a star. An organic apple and a non-organic apple are both apples in the end. Since they are identical, it would take some extraordinary feats to distinguish one of these apples from the other. The asterisk is used in this situation. That non-organic apple might be more damaging to you if it has more pesticides on it, has absorbed more, or has another factor. Maybe. However, not in terms of nutrients. They are identical; no food becomes more nutrient-rich through organic farming.
There’s a chance that your worries about things like antibiotic use in meats are legitimate. However, the asterisk is still present. Antibiotic use can result in things like germs that are resistant to them, a decreased capacity to fight infections, and other undesirable outcomes. However, it has little effect on how nutrient-rich the meat is. Perhaps a more accurate statement would be that organic, antibiotic-free meats are nutritionally equivalent to traditionally reared meats but may be less damaging in the long run.
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Organic is Pesticide Free
The idea that organic farming dispenses with dangerous chemicals and pesticides is arguably the largest fallacy about it. This is a widespread myth that has never been accurate. Pesticides can and are used on organic farms as long as they adhere to strict guidelines. That implies that they must come from natural sources, such as plants. And if you think it might not sound so horrible, keep in mind that some organic pesticides can be more deadly than others.
For what it’s worth, research indicates that organic crops are more likely to have lower pesticide residue levels than non-organic ones. According to at least one study, organic crops contain about a third of the total amount of pesticides. That maybe they’re not so horrible after all.
Contrarily, organic pesticides frequently need higher doses than synthetic pesticides, and while they may leave less residue on your apple, more of them wind up in the soil, having a more detrimental effect on the ecosystem.
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Organic Food is 100% Organic
The fact that the food is truly organic, in the sense that you understand the term, is the one thing about organic food on which you should be able to rely. What exactly happens to organic crops will be covered shortly. However, the label of any organic ailment is currently where the issues begin.
When you consume an organic carrot, you probably assume it was grown without the use of pesticides, is non-GMO, and wasn’t nourished with strange fertilizers. Indeed and no. Any ingredient that is listed as organic on the label may actually be 95% organic. This means that as long as the product is still 95% organic, it is OK according to labeling regulations if there was possibly any pesticide or fertilizer somewhere in the field.
100% organic ingredients are available, however the label must state “100% organic” and be certified. Of course, we’ll talk more about it later and how perhaps that isn’t even the case. When you purchase goods produced of organic ingredients, the situation for your organic diet slightly worsens. A box of organic crackers is far easier to spoof than a carrot. Federal standards allow for products to claim to be organic even though they only are 70% organic.
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