Choosing Organic or Conventional Foods at the Grocery Store

You walk into a store to buy groceries. You need vegetables, milk, fruits and meat. Usually, this task will take 15 minutes maximum to from front door to exit. As you walk over to the meat section, there is a sign labeled “Organic Produce” so you decide to check it out…the food is all packaged and has big “certified organic” marks. This marks the beginning of a big dilemma. Is this food better than whatever else is available? Have you been eating ‘bad and dangerous’ stuff all your life and is it too late to change? Can you afford the change? Here is a little insight to the question that has faced many a consumer one time or another.

In simple terms, organic food is produced with minimal use of chemicals in the form of herbicides, pesticides and hormones. Its advocates encourage natural practices in farming by use of manure and non chemical methods to rid the farms of any weeds and pests. Advocacy groups state that there are significant benefits to organic farming such as

• Organic farming protects plants. Use of herbicides and pesticides kill flavonoids which play an important role in plant stress defense, such as in protection against damage caused by pathogen attack, in wounding or in excess of UV-light. 

• Flavonoids are beneficial to the human body because they act as anti oxidants and anti allergic agents. Both these properties are important in reducing levels of cancer, allergies and heart disease. 

• Genetically engineered animals are injected with antibiotics and hormones to shorten the time it takes to bring them to slaughter. This creates antibiotic resistant infectious organisms which can cause diseases. 

• Organic farming facilitates a healthier workforce on the farms in that farm workers are protected from the harmful effects of chemicals