Organic Food

 

Today almost everyone is suffering from health problems related to stomach, indigestion, loss of energy, and general tiredness. When you compare the health and appetite of our ancestors and our previous generations, the difference is obvious. Almost all mothers complain that their children are not eating well enough. We feel heavy even if we’ve consumed small portions of food. Almost everyday new scientific evidence is being produced that link many dreaded diseases such as diabetes, heart strokes, cancers, etc. to the food presently being produced and consumed. A large number of young professionals today gain weight even if they are eating very little. 

 

Organic food is a sincere attempt to improve the quality of life through the food we eat. While it is contamination-free in terms of toxic chemicals, it is also handled in a manner that makes it absolutely adulteration-free. The certification process across the value chain requires that at each stage of the value chain, i.e., cultivation, procurement, storage, processing etc is verified through third party independent inspection cum certification agency. In the end, it is also required to be sold in a packed & sealed form showing the logos of the certification. Possibly no other food, in terms of its quality, is as closely monitored as organic food. This is also the reason why today certified organic food has the highest credibility in the eyes of even the most quality conscious consumer.

 

There are many more reasons for worldwide acceptance of organic foods. For many it tastes better. Farmers use traditional varieties of seed, and organic food is grown in traditionally suitable cultivation areas, delivering the true taste of the product, not like the synthetic taste of crops grown with artificial inputs. There are many more reasons for the quality conscious modern consumers to prefer organic foods, even if it is slightly more expensive, as they know that the best does come at some extra cost.

 

The average consumer is becoming more and more cautious about the quality of food, be it at home and/or commercial food served at restaurants, hotels and by catering services. Some consumers have almost adopted organic as a lifestyle statement. The research conducted among 1,000 consumers in India has the following to say regarding the benefits of organic foods:

 

 

  • Organic food production helps protect future generations:

  The average child is exposed to carcinogenic pesticides in food more than four times the level as compared to an adult’s tolerance limits. Switching to chemical free organic food is a step taken towards preserving the health of the children and also of future generations to come.

  • Organic food is free of artificial additives:

  Organic food contains no toxins, artificial or preservatives which are believed to be responsible for heart diseases, osteoporosis, migraines and hyperactivity. Use of antibiotics, anti-microbial, hormones and other growth promoters are prohibited in organic production. Similarly use of synthetic chemicals as preservatives & colouring are prohibited in the processing of organic foods.

  • Chemical residues are either non-existent or are at very low levels in organically produced food:

  Studies have indicated that most conventionally farmed foods have pesticide and other chemical residues. Over 400 chemicals are routinely used in conventional farming and research shows that 60% of herbicides, 30% of insecticides and 90% of fungicides are known to cause cancer. These chemicals can also lead to nervous and endocrinal problems. Organic growers do not use toxic and artificial chemicals so you can rest assured that your food is chemical free.

  • Organic food has lower nitrate levels:

  Use of soluble chemical fertilizers has resulted in high nitrate concentration in conventionally farmed food especially fruits and vegetables. The leaching of these fertilizers has also resulted in increasing nitrate contamination of drinking water systems across the world. Not only are these nitrates carcinogenic, they have even been known to impair the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. The nitrate content of organically grown food is significantly lower than in conventionally grown produce.

  • Organic food is not irradiated:

  Many food products, especially those that are to be sent long distance, are irradiated to kill microbes. Irradiation is believed to cause changes even at the molecular level. Organic foods are not permitted to be irradiated and are completely natural.

  • Organic food has higher levels of nutrients:

  When compared to conventional food, organic food is far superior in vitamin, mineral and nutrient content.

  • Organic foods offer more diversity:

  Many people today complain about loss of food diversity in their everyday meals. The same is true even when they are eating outside. Many foods having mild flavours have lost their taste due to excessive emphasis on their quantity production and due to utter disregard for their quality parameters. Many food products in the past were consumed because of their strong flavours, but present day cultivation methods and commercial considerations have turned them into products with bitter tastes. Most commercial eating outlets deliver food with limited choices and are usually bland to taste. A large number of consumers have accepted the limited variety in choice of food. For any adventurous consumer, new choices are just not being offered by the market. Organic offers these very things.

 

While on one hand, the world is giving credence to the benefits of organic food, the scientific community on the other, holds it view that there is no evidence of a nutritional difference between conventional and organic food. Why then should anyone consume organic food? The motivation for consumers up till now is linked to the simple belief that organic food will at least not cause any harm, and they are quite correct in this regard.

 

 

 

Organic philosophy is inherently beneficial to the Earth, environment & thus our future. Organic production & processing is based on a number of principles and ideas generally defined as Standards. They cover organic production at farm, processing, storage, labelling, and marketing activities, i.e., the complete value chain from farming to food. Organic agriculture also aims to minimize the use of external inputs to reduce the cost of cultivation, thus benefiting both the producer as well as the consumers.

 

Organic agriculture covers all kinds of food & fibre production systems and can be defined as essentially a chemical-free farming system to produce uncontaminated farm produce of high nutritional quality in sufficient quantities. It also allows agriculture producers to meet their needs by obtaining adequate returns, satisfaction from their work and a safe working environment. It aims to further create an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable system of food and fibre production.

 

   

The principal aims & objectives of organic production and processing, are as follows:

 

  • To produce sufficient quantities of high quality food, fibre and other products.

 

  • To work compatibly with natural cycles and living systems through the soil, plants and animals in the entire production system.

 

  • To recognize the wider social and ecological impact of, and within the organic production and processing system.

 

  • To maintain and increase long-term fertility and biological activity of soils using locally adopted cultural, biological and mechanical methods as opposed to reliance on external inputs.

 

  • To maintain and encourage agricultural and natural biodiversity on the farm and its surroundings through the use of sustainable production systems and the protection of plant and wildlife habitats.

 

  • To maintain and conserve genetic diversity through attention to on-farm management of genetic resources.

 

  • To use, as far as possible, renewable resources in production and processing systems and avoid pollution and waste.

 

  • To foster local and regional production and distribution.

 

  • To create a harmonious balance between crop production and animal husbandry.

 

  • To provide living conditions that allow animals to express the basic aspects of their innate behaviour.

 

  • To utilize biodegradable, recyclable and recycled packaging materials.

 

  • To provide everyone involved in organic farming and processing with a quality of life that satisfies their basic needs, within a safe, secure and healthy working environment.

 

  • To support the establishment of an entire production, processing and distribution chain

 

    which is both socially just and ecologically responsible.

 

  • To recognize the importance of, and protect and learn from, indigenous knowledge and traditional farming systems.

 

 

With the above objectives, there is no wonder that the whole world is now talking about organic agriculture as a truly sustainable farming system.