Organic Food
Can you afford not to eat it ?
Yes , it is more expensive . That is the only downside. The real question here is , can you afford to not eat organic ? This could be the most important question I’ll ever ask you . Be patient, do your research and read all you can , for eating organic food, just might save your life.
Confusion reigns about organic food and I don’t feel the process has been entirely accidental. The big industrial agri- business corporations and their attorneys look at the organic food suppliers as an impediment to sales of their synthetic chemical pesticide ridden and potentially toxic GMO food. GMO meats, also contain growth hormones and much higher levels of chemicals and pesticides due to daily intake of industrially manufactured, treated grains and vegetables.
The Industrial agri business has funded the creation of “ bio engineered ” or “ Genetically Modified Food”. Thousands of scientists owe their livelihood to this industrial sector. Theoretically, it was a fantastic idea . If only the focus on the bottom line was better food and increased great health for all rather than increased great girth and the creation of the cheapest substances ( food) that could be marketed worldwide as edible food. Business is, after all about making a profit, and Americans are adept at it.
The Center for Accountability in Science has posted many articles that contradict sites that expose the dangers of GMO’s. You would think with a name like that, “ truth “ just might be their mission but they simply don’t bite the hand that feeds them. They employ far more scientists than the US Govt. , Organic and activist funded sites combined. Their very existence is funded by the GMO industry . The Industrial Agriculture corporate conglomerates have billions of dollars invested in GMO products or crops.With these billions at stake, profits and stockholders have taken the front seat and safety and real health concerns are in the back. Once you truly grasp these fundamental business concepts , you will no longer wonder why you keep hearing supposed truths that completely deny the truth of the other side. There is always a big business stance to every health question. Profits or the lack of them usually dictate the answer. Follow the money like we do in forensic accounting to find the truth. The GMO seed stocks from these vast farms often infect nearby non GMO and organic fields who often then are sued because they are then growing GMO crops. The farms that have been infected cannot afford the legal expenses and end up selling to the huge concerns. The organic and normal seed banks are being eradicated. The aquistion of small once organic farms around the country often happens in this manner. This said , ” I am a pro business with ethics kind of guy. We all understand the concept of buying low and selling high as long as no one gets hurt . Right ? Sounds pretty American to me !
Growing , buying and selling food a hundred years ago was a simpler process. Everything was natural and organic . You ate the local foods. If you lived near the ocean, you ate a lot of seafood. Eating was a much simpler and healthier process . You just ate the food without feeling like you’re a guinea pig in a science project.
Currently in the USA , we have normal organic food, pesticide sprayed bio engineered GMO food, which is ironically called ” conventionally produced ” , and then the idea of a 3rd group of food ( Treated and sprayed like GMO food but would not be genetically modified ) was actually the brainchild of a Mahareshi cult member,Peter Ligotti ,who initially bounced the idea of a Non GMO type of label at Whole Foods in 1997.
Friends and activists kept the idea going in different groups. I think they simply did not want to eat genetically modified science projects that were masquerading and marketed as food. This Non GMO food hasn’t been genetically modified or bio engineered, but is still sprayed with pesticides , has exposure to toxins and definitely isn’t organic.
The Non GMO Project was then actually started in 2007 as a non Profit by two food stores .I believe it was started with good pure intentions . The Natural Grocery Company in Berkely ,California and The Big Carrot Natural Food Market in Toronto, Canada, began working with Food Chain ID registering products. Eventually, they were doing sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars registering over 50,000 products and additionally selling the labels for these products. By testing or checking the list of ingredients in each product , they would determine if the food in question was genetically modified. There are Non- GMO certification costs and label costs.
Registering products and selling these labels to huge companies and corporations like Nabisco and General Mills has been immensely profitable. It’s obviously been profitable for many companies to assume a healthier marketing position (street cred) “for their food on supermarket shelves by displaying these labels. A controversial company, Cargill has partnered with The Non GMO Project to build a supply chain.
There has been so much press and marketing about Non GMO foods that customers have become confused.There are over 50,000 brands sporting this label now and they are everywhere in supermarkets. Non GMO foods are obviously always cheaper than organic because they are still mass produced in the same manner but there are definitely “ not organic “ and most likely have been sprayed mildly or heavily with Monsanto’s Roundup.I feel these foods are generally considered safer to eat than regular GMO foods. They certainly are in the eyes of the public. The labels are everywhere.
We see the consumer putting a higher value on the non-GMO than the organic label.
—Vernon Peterson, owner of Abundant Harvest Organics
Organic sales have been hurt by this movement.
The Project’s intentions might have initially been pure, but often when the $$ quotient gets this high , energy, priorities and marketing
departments determine new directions. They still are emboldened by the idea of promoting non bio engineered crops.
However , you shouldn’t not be fooled by the non GMO label. It is certainly not identifying organic food. This new label simply confuses people and hurts “organic” farmers. Perhaps in the long run it will help in simply creating more awareness about what people put in their mouths ? I hope so.
The food contains technically less than 0.9 % GMOs but it does not guarantee the neurotoxin hexane wasn’t used in processing. It doesn’t guarantee that synthetic pesticides weren’t used on the food (lymphoma and leukemia worries?) It does not signify that ractopamine was not used; ractopamine is banned in dozens of countries.
It certainly does not guarantee that Roundup Glyphosate herbicides were not used on the foods. In fact, the practice of using Glyphosate as a desiccant ( a drying agent ) on non GMO grains is widespread . it’s residues are often found on non GMO grains. It’s not used on GMO crops as a desiccant because it would not kill the plants. Misleading Labeling and this Glyphosate use led to a lawsuit against a major cereal company. If for instance the grains were oats, and the food product is plain oatmeal with no artificial flavorings added, you would have the right to call it natural. Because GMO oats don’t exist, you would have the right to call it “ GMO free ” as well.
In general regards to non GMO crops,
The label does not guarantee that growth promoting antibiotics or sewage sludge (human waste contaminated with heavy metals and endocrine disruptors) were used in the production of the food. No folks, non-GMO does not mean ORGANIC!
The Non GMO Project has no governmental authority.
It’s Non GMO label is not a legally defined term.
All USDA / Organic food is Non GMO . Do not be fooled. Organic food contains much lower levels of pesticide residue. Only food with the USDA / ORGANIC label pictured below can be considered 100% truly organic.Again, organic food does not allow for spraying with Roundup.
In the U.S., organic crops must be grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers, and or sewage sludge-based fertilizers.
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Organic vs. Non-Organic |
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Organic produce: |
Conventionally-grown produce: |
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Grown with natural fertilizers (manure, compost). |
Grown with synthetic or chemical fertilizers. |
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Weeds are controlled naturally (crop rotation, hand weeding, mulching, and tilling). |
Weeds are controlled with chemical herbicides. |
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Pests are controlled using natural methods (birds, insects, traps) and naturally-derived pesticides. |
Pests are controlled with synthetic pesticides |
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Organic meat, dairy, eggs: |
Conventionally-raised meat, dairy, eggs |
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Livestock are given all organic, hormone- and GMO-free feed. |
Livestock are given growth hormones for faster growth, as well as non-organic, GMO feed. |
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Disease is prevented with natural methods such as clean housing, rotational grazing, and healthy diet. |
Antibiotics and medications are used to prevent livestock disease. |
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Livestock must have access to the outdoors. |
Livestock may or may not have access to the outdoors. |
Farmers that sell less than $5K annually of organic food could be a great source of food for you. Talk to them. They don’t have to pay exorbitant fees to grow organic food if they keep it on a small level . The concept of charging farmers fees to keep their food pure and natural is beyond me. I’m sure it’s nothing to do with protecting the corporate big agriculture GMO food business profits ! ( sarcasm ! )
A lot of my friends and the general public just don’t see what the big fuss is all about. They have bought big agribusiness marketing concepts “ hook , line and sinker ” . “It’s just regular food and it tastes OK to me ” is what I hear from most people. They try to eat a balanced diet , stay away from fried foods and not drink too much .They just want to eat . and not have to start thinking about it needlessly. If the FDA says it’s safe to eat, then so be it. I have other opinions. For me ,it’s important to maintain a slim body and good health asI must “ walk it, like I talk it ”. I have every intention of doing so as I spread the word ( and my book ) far and wide !
Go to ” The Oraganic Conundrum Part II …
Quotes
I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food !
W.C Fields
As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices: take it
or leave it.
Buddy Hackett
“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.”
— Thomas Edison
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