http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2011/07/18/mythbusting-101-organic-farming-conventional-agriculture/
By: Christie Wilcox
July 18, 2011
Picture:
This picture displays apples being sold at a grocery store labeled 100% organic. It is labeled this because it didn't use pesticides. However, it turns out that it may not actually be pesticide free. It's just a healthier kind.
Summary:
Everyone thinks that organic farming is better than conventional agriculture. However, they are incorrect. First, organic farms still use pesticides and fungicides. What's funny is the Soil Association asked the organic consumers why the buy organic foods and 95% of the consumers said their top reason for buying this type of food was to try to avoid pesticides. There are 20 chemical used in the process of growing organic foods that are approved by the U.S. Organic Standards. Also the government does not keep track of the volume of pesticides being used for organic foods. The main difference between the two types of farming is the origin of the pesticides. In organic farms their pesticides are made from natural resources and conventional farms are synthetic. Researchers have shown that the pesticides in organic foods cause serious health risks as well. In Europe the organic farmers did not pass the European Union's test. Canadian scientist also found that conventional pesticides are more effective than the organic pesticides. Also just because you don't use pesticides doesn't mean there aren't any harmful things still. From 1900-2001, 10,000 people became sick due to foods that had pathogens and organic foods may be the reason. A study shown found that a pathogen called E. coli was found in 10% of organic foods but only 2% in conventional foods. Also some conventional farms don't even use pesticides. It's sad to say but factory farming is factory farming.
Opinion/Reflection:
I can't believe that there are harmful pesticides used in organic foods. To me this makes the food not worth being over priced. I feel like we've been lied to. This just makes it obvious that there isn't just one perfect food because there will be downsides to each one. Organic and conventional farming is a topic that we just learned in school and I still didn't know some of these facts. I never had a major preference before reading this article and now its made my decision even harder knowing about organic farming's use of pesticides. Also I think it is horrible that 10, 000 people became sick and organic foods is to blame. I hope one day we will be able to have all fully healthy foods.
Questions:
1. Do you have a preference of which type of farming you would prefer? Why?
2. Do you feel that people who own organic farms are intentionally keeping this information away from us? Why or Why not?
3. Do you think there will ever be a completely heathy style for farming? Explain.
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI am truly shocked by this imformation. I always thought that organic food was always better for you but I guess it's not. I can't believe they still use pesticides that can still harm us and they can put as much as they want on the food because the government doesn't keep track of it. I feel like I have been lied to because they always made it seem like organic food was so amazing but it actually can be harmful. Like from 1900-2001, 10,000 people became sick and that could have been because of organic food. I can personally relate thisto my life because my family buys organic food such as fruit. I always thought it was so good for us and better but I guess it's really not. It's even more exspensive! It is a shame to learn about this because I always thought the tasted better than the other kinds.
Answer to question 1:
I still belive organic farming is the best because I believe the food is healthier. Just because it uses some pesticides doesn't mean that the other kind of farming is healthier. Organic farming uses natural things to keep away pests and I don't believe it is that harmful. Also, organic food might not even be the cause of the 10,000 illnesses because there is no proof of that they are just making an assumption. So, I still believe organic food is healthier and better for us.
Opinion/Reflection: I completely agree with Grant when he said that he feels like we have been lied to. We see all these commercials for organic food but now that I have read this, i will know not to believe them. My mom buys a lot of organic food and I told her about what I just read. She was very surprised because she has been wasting money on things she thought were "healthier". It may still be a little healthier but it would have been nice to know that there are still pesticides in the food. In class before this topic was brought up but I didn't really believe it until I read this. I think they should let people know what really is in these organic foods.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to question 2: I do think that these organic farmers are keeping it away from us because they know if they told us, their sales would go down. Eventually everyone will find out about the pesticides. I think they should do the right thing but if I was in their position, I think I would keep it a secret too.
Opinion/Reflection: Wow! This article truly shocked me! I cannot believe that there are harmful pesticides in organic foods, because I thought that organic food was healthier due to the fact that they don't use pesticides. I wonder what makes organic foods a lot more expensive though, because it always struck me to be because they were healthier. The fact that between 1900-2001, 10,000 people became sick possibly from the organic food is very surprising to me. I always thought that if conventional food became to unhealthy, that I could fall back onto organic food, but that is obviously not the case because organic food is just as unhealthy. I agree with Grant when he says that he feels as though we have been lied to. This is upsetting. In science class, we just learned about the difference between organic farming and conventional farming, and it seemed as though organic farming was much better. Growing up, I have been raised with both conventional food and organic food, and I never really had a preference on taste. I always liked the organic food better though, because I thought it was healthier. Like Grant, I hope there is a way to make both types of foods healthier.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Question #3: No I do not! If there were to be a completely healthy, non-pesticide use of farming, then the farmers would not make as much money. I am sure it is very expensive to make very healthy food and I believe that farmers do not think it is worth it. With the economy how it is these days, they seem to be just looking for a way to get money rather than a way to keep people healthy. I really hope there will be a change in farming style to make it all healthy food, but I highly doubt that will happen any time soon.
Opinion: This areticle shocked me so much! I did not expect organic farming to still use pesticides. Also the government doesn't check if pesticides are being used on organic farms. I have been to an organic food store before. Organic foods are much more expensive too. I learned in this article that it is not worth it to buy organic foods. Pesticides are still being used and it is much more expensive. I can relate this article to me becuase my mom shops at Trader Joes. Trader Joes is an all organic food shop. I always thought that organic food was so good but after this article I will stick to regular foods. I believe organic farmers should let people know what they use in their foods.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to number 1: After this article I would much rather buy refular food from Giant. Organic foods arn't much better for you if any. Also organic food is much more expensive. We learned in science that organic foods are more expensive because it is not mass produced like regular foods. So after this article I would deffinately choose to buy regular foods.