2008 Woodie Awards
Organic food: Worth the price?
Taylor Woods
Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: Opinion
After the traditional Sunday night lift for the winter off-season football program, Scott Russell walked into the Commons to buy chocolate milk. After bypassing the whole milk version from Hershey's, his only choice left was to select a carton of organic milk. Two boxes worth cost 3.78- roughly double the price he would have paid last year for non- organic Shenandoah Farms milk. What gives?
Café 77 (hereafter known as the co-op) now offers organic products ranging from frozen enchiladas to chocolate peanut butter cups. This infusion came at the beginning of the year, when managers at the co-op responded to a call from students for healthier food. Now, organic bars have acquired hegemony over their PowerBar competition and organic products are prominent throughout the store. But at what cost? Does organic really mean 'healthier'? Are organic products more socially conscious?
Organic food in its modern, commercialized form revolves around farmers getting 'certified' that their products were produced organically. According to California Certified Organic Farmers, farmers cannot deploy pesticide on their crops, feed their animals artificial hormones or antibiotics, use 'synthetic' fertilizers, or plant 'bioengineered' seeds if they want to be certified. Therefore, 'organic' doesn't refer to the product on the shelf so much as the farming process that produced it.
However, in regard to our own Café 77, it must be noted that none of the arguments for and against organic food involved the health or safety of the food. Despite the restrictions on farming methods, the organic food industry admits there is no evidence that organic food is any safer or healthier than regular food. After all, it's difficult to believe that pesticides used to produce a corn tortilla still matter after cooking enchiladas in the oven at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Even uncooked foods such as fruit are just as safe and equally nutritious when produced conventionally.
Despite the "social conscience" of organic growers and buyers, organic farming isn't always the best method for society. Because organic farms don't produce high yields on their crops, they require more land. Thus, if organic farming spread through the world, the current amount of farmland would have to expand massively, almost certainly at the expense of wildlife. Also, organically grown plants require a greater quantity of fertilizer than conventional crops, which is problematic for organic farmers' neighbors.
Café 77 (hereafter known as the co-op) now offers organic products ranging from frozen enchiladas to chocolate peanut butter cups. This infusion came at the beginning of the year, when managers at the co-op responded to a call from students for healthier food. Now, organic bars have acquired hegemony over their PowerBar competition and organic products are prominent throughout the store. But at what cost? Does organic really mean 'healthier'? Are organic products more socially conscious?
Organic food in its modern, commercialized form revolves around farmers getting 'certified' that their products were produced organically. According to California Certified Organic Farmers, farmers cannot deploy pesticide on their crops, feed their animals artificial hormones or antibiotics, use 'synthetic' fertilizers, or plant 'bioengineered' seeds if they want to be certified. Therefore, 'organic' doesn't refer to the product on the shelf so much as the farming process that produced it.
However, in regard to our own Café 77, it must be noted that none of the arguments for and against organic food involved the health or safety of the food. Despite the restrictions on farming methods, the organic food industry admits there is no evidence that organic food is any safer or healthier than regular food. After all, it's difficult to believe that pesticides used to produce a corn tortilla still matter after cooking enchiladas in the oven at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Even uncooked foods such as fruit are just as safe and equally nutritious when produced conventionally.
Despite the "social conscience" of organic growers and buyers, organic farming isn't always the best method for society. Because organic farms don't produce high yields on their crops, they require more land. Thus, if organic farming spread through the world, the current amount of farmland would have to expand massively, almost certainly at the expense of wildlife. Also, organically grown plants require a greater quantity of fertilizer than conventional crops, which is problematic for organic farmers' neighbors.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Joseph
Joe Naftel
posted 2/02/07 @ 6:58 PM EST
actually, there are health benefits to eating organic, as well as other benefits to the planet that grow exponetially as one eats locally produced organic from family farms. (Continued…)
Debbie O'Meara
posted 2/04/07 @ 10:49 PM EST
Joe's right. There are benefits to our own health as well as the health of the environment, soil, waterways, etc. For every "authority" that says there's no difference, there are others who offer evidence to the contrary. (Continued…)
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