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Why Buy Organic
Food?
It's common sense; organic food is good food. Good to eat,
good for the environment, good for the small-scale farmers and
farm workers who produce it. By the year 2000, the USDA
estimates that half of all U.S. farm products will come from
only 1% of the farms. The EPA says that agriculture is
responsible for 70% of the pollution to the country's rivers and
streams caused by chemicals, erosion, and animal waste runoff.
Organic farming may be one of the last ways to keep both
ecosystems and rural communities healthy and alive.
Small-scale organic farmers finance innovative research designed
to reduce agricultural impact on the environment. They preserve
biodiversity by collecting seeds and growing heirloom varieties
of plants. They naturally enrich the soil with manure and
compost. They rotate crops in the fields and plant cover crops
to stop weeds, nutrient leaching, and erosion. Consumer demand
is a powerful force for change. Between 1989 and 1996 sales of
organic products increased 20 percent annually. Every food
category now has an organic alternative and more non-food crops
are grown organically. As a consumer, you can help this trend
continue by continuing to ask for and purchasing organically
grown food, textiles, personal care, and other items.
Health Considerations
Pesticides are poisons, designed to
kill living things, and the accumulation of residues is greater
on conventional foods than on organic ones. Studies suggest that
low-level exposure to pesticides over several years can cause
halth problems. Pesticide-related illnesses among farmworkers
who handle these toxics are well documented. Immediate problems
include lung and eye irritation, nausea and short-term nerve
damage. Long term risks include cancer and Lou Gehrig's (ALS)
disease.
Most of the commonly used manmade
pesticides are potential carcinogens. Pesticides are also
endocrine disrupters that mimic or interfere with hormones. The
effect on our bodies is the topic of studies now underway. A
1987 National Academy of Science report suggested that many
common pesticides can cause birth defects, cancer and nerve
damage, as well as disrupting the immune system.
One of the most compelling reasons to buy organic foods is for
the health of your children. Their exposure to pesticides is
greater than an adult's. Children eat more fruits and vegetables
relative to their body weight. Their diet is less varied -- so
they may consume more of one pesticide than others, allowing it
to accumulate to toxic levels. Because children are exposed to
these chemicals early in their life, when their detoxification
system isn't fully developed, they have more years to accumulate
chemicals in their body tissue. A report released by the
Environmental Working Group, "Pesticides in Children's Food,"
concluded that the largest contribution to a person's lifetime
risk of cancer from pesticide residues occurs during childhood.
Environmental Concerns
There is no doubt that conventional
farming methods damage the environment. In 1995, U.S. farmers
applied 566 million pounds of pesticides to food crops and
growing fields. Much of it ends up in your drinking water and in
the water used by fish and animals. A summer, 1997, U.S.
Geological Survey found at least one pesticide in half of the
5,000 water samples it took from rivers and nearly all the
samples it took from wells.
Unlike organic farming, industrialized farming results in
topsoil erosion. Conventional farming is also leading to the
development of resistant strains of insects and pests. The
synthetic chemicals applied to the soil are persistent, often
remaining in the environment for years and putting us at risk
for decades to come. As conventional farmers rely on limited
varieties of crops, nutritional diversity declines and there is
a greater risk of total crop damage from blight or disease.
Certified Organic products (such as the MegaOmega™ Organic Sprouted Flax Products)
must be registered with the provincial ministry of Agriculture
and certified by a third-party, non-governmental organization.
Certification and verification of the organic claim covers the
crop, the land on which it is grown, the farmer and the food
processor. Initially, a three-year land transition period is
required before any crop harvested from that land can be
certified organic. Thereafter, all aspects of certified
operations are inspected at minimum annually. Farming practices
subject to inspection include long-term soil management,
buffered zones between organic and conventional farms, product
labeling and record keeping. Processing inspections include
review of the facility's cleanliness, pest-control methods,
transportation, storage, and record keeping.
Make educated choices that are good for your family, you and
the environment. Chose products that are certified organic, like MegaOmega™ Organic Sprouted Flax Products.
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