"Organic" a Scam or Fraudulent Phrase?

[rekees4300]

I see Organic labelling as mostly hype and a way to get more for doing nothing different.

BINGO, you hit the nail on the head. Our food supply and soil are contaminated with hundreds of chemicals, true organic food no longer exists ... thank you Monsanto!

 

[charlz]

Always amazed me that some people believed organic could be some how be more nutritious than non-organic. If you grew two of the same squash plant side by side, one using organic methods and one using 'traditional' methods.... the organic one is supposed to magically be a different, more nutritious plant?

The benefit of organic is you know it is not coated in pesticides, herbicides etc. I (mostly, some per-emergence herbicide in corn) grow my garden the same way except I do use commercial fertilizer in limited amounts applied directly where needed.

The danger in organic we have seen: e-coli etc. Since organic crops can't use commercial fertilizer they rely on manure etc. which can introduce food safety issues if not properly used/applied. This happens with traditionally grow crops as well if they use manure etc.

 

[DFB]

Organic in itself is just a word which is definitely interpreted to mean different things with different people.

By itself, the general definition of organic farming features cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. And synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers are not used.

Obviously USDA NOP has a set forth guidelines and there are state by state certifying programs for farms that adhere to them to allow the use the official USDA organic seal.

But that shouldn't be interpreted simply as a more nutritious product than conventional agriculture practices can provide (though it more than likely was produced with less chemical input) considering pesticide usage is not completely disallowed by no means in organic production either,

Regulations are constantly being watered down at the federal board level must against many purist demands. There are usually public hearings for rule changes.

Obviously as with most any financial endeavor there will be certain factions of a populace or an industry that will flaunt rules for personal gains. The organic community farmers I personally know are very dedicated people both to the land and sustainable environmental practices and to their customers. People can make all kind of claims to certain practices at stores, farm stands or farmer markets so there is a buyer beware aspect to your purchase. I know this too well I work in the industry

Even more vague, confusing or misinterpreted by many consumers are all the marketing buzz words of local, free range, pasture raised, grass fed, no spray, low spray, etc.

I got story to share here one day at work a customer asked if the fruit was orgainic and the boss's son says yea they're organic...I looked at him and said "What are you saying, we don't grow organic here we are strictly a conventional operation."

He goes..."No, no, no they're organic" and he walks outside points into the orchard and says "because they come from those trees that are growing in the soil out there.

Oxford Dictionaries

organic. [orˈɡanik] ADJECTIVE

1.of, relating to, or derived from living matter:
"organic soils"

synonyms: living, live, animate, biological, biotic

Guess he's right hey

 

[motownbrowne]

Organic is an arbitrary term like "Lite". The USDA has its definition of organic but it is not binding on everyone.
The problem with organic is what was the soil used for before starting the organic crops. How long does soil have to be chemically free before the crop are chemically free. Were chemicals used to start the crops and then stopped before harvest?

Buyer be ware

Three years. It's part of the organic standards. It's not arbitrary, and it is binding. To get the label, you must meet the guidelines. There's dozens of organic certification agencies. All of them must meet USDA standards, but may also have their own guidelines that producers must meet. Like anywhere else in the business world, there is fraud in organic production. The cornucopia institute out of Wisconsin is a great organic industry watchdog. Check out their reports on fraudulent organic production by Horizon organics in particular.

The word natural means nothing in marketing. Organic has a strict definition. Are there producers who don't care about the health or environmental benefits of organic growing? Of course. Are organic milk and organic maple syrup different than their conventionally produced equivalents? Yes. It's up to us as consumers to determine how different each product or producer is. Labeling is helpful when you don't have a chance to personally meet the people who grow your food. That said, it increases cost of production and price on the shelf. Organic food takes criticism for being too expensive. To that end, one option is to find a grower who has chosen to produce for without synthetic chemicals and chosen to forgo certification. Our farm is an example of this. We save the cost of certification and record keeping and pass that on to consumers. We grow food in keeping with organic standards, but don't offer proof. If you want to verify that for yourself, give us a call. We'll have you out for lunch and you're welcome to look at every aspect of our operation. Many fans operate this way.

 

[Sodo]

When the term "organic" becomes lucrative enough (it probably is already) then industry lobbyists will bribe your elected legislators to change the laws to allow their industry's product to be included as "USDA Organic". This is our country now, and lots of folks who are reasonably wealthy, non-cancerous as yet, and distracted by intense media manipulation are OK with it.

The old term "Natural" met a similar fate. Some food chemicals now labeled as "Natural" must be handled with respirators and special haz-mat training and eqpt prior to applying it our nations food supply. If you've avoided cancers thus far you might make it farther. Heck Grizzly Adams made it to 74.

In general, the dangers are subtle, this is more for your kids and grandkids to worry about than for you.

 

[JD15302155870]

Seeing the much higher prices for items labeled Organic, I thought it was just a different way to spell sucker. BTW, My three favorite foods are high fruitcose corn syrup, Aspartame, and Gluten.

 

[JFoy]

I have a degree in Biology and an interest in nutrition. Is organic food more nutritious? Not really. Depends more if the fields were laid fallow, cover crops tilled in, etc. Is organic food healthier? Hmm.. That's a good question as our bodies can filter out a lot of stuff. To me, I think it is a matter of moderation when it comes to exposure to chemicals. The body can filter out stuff so long as we don't overload it. I say the same applies to smoking, drinking, sweeteners, etc. Do I eat organic? Some. I have a top 10 list of foods, drinks, additives, etc. I consume every day and those I get organic. Frankly, it costs way too much to go all organic. So, products I use every day such as my tea, sugar, bread, cheese, etc. I get organic. Will it make a difference in me? Jury is out as there are not valid long term studies. In my case, I'll spend a little more to err on the side of caution.

As part of my degree in Biology, I learned how to read a scientific study. I can tell you that many studies are crap. Either they were done wrong or they're bias to start with. You'll hear about 'meta studies' and in my opinion, those are some of the worst ways to spend tax payer money. A meta study is where a scientist goes through a stack of other people's research that have a small degree of commonality and he then tries to draw a conclusion based on the overall topic. To put it in context, Joe needs a 50HP tractor to pull his plows through his field which is very sandy. Sam needs a 50HP tractor to pull his plows through his field which is mostly clay. Thus, a 'meta study' would conclude that every soil type has the same resistance and every farmer needs a 50HP tractor. But wait, Joe is pulling 5 plows and Sam is only pulling 3 plows. A meta study usually doesn't factor that.

A related topic is sweeteners. Take an organic chemistry class and you'll definitely think twice about Splenda aka sucralose. The body can work with "sucrose" aka table sugar but "sucralose" is splenda and a whole different metabolic ballgame.

My conclusion of organic? No harm in it and maybe some long term benefit. As for all the "studies", good and bad? Take a hard look at the background of the scientists writing the papers. They're usually bias in some way.

(stepping off my soap box)

 

[mx1alex]

My problem with the term "organic" is that so many people believe that because the product was grown organically that it must be better for them and for the environment when in many cases that is not true.

 

[smstonypoint]

If the SKU number on the product starts with a 9 then it is certified organic. If the SKU number starts with an 8 then it is GMO. If the SKU starts with 3 or 4 then it is conventionally grown.

Source(s)?

I believe you are thinking of PLUs -- Price Look Up codes. See PLU-codes

Steve

 

[bcp]

SKU numbers are assigned by the company for internal use and can start with anything they want.

Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) Definition | Investopedia

UPC numbers have a standard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Product_Code#Number_system

Bruce