Carlie Arneson
Mrs. Bonow
Seminar Comp
24 October 2014
Persuasive Essay
Organic Foods: Are They Really Better?
With a new health craze, organic foods have grown in popularity. While the number of
people buying these products is steadily growing, others have begun to question if the benefits of
organically grown food is worth the heavy price tag for the minute amount of benefits offered
from them (Appendix A). Many people who do buy organic foods do not know what the term
organic entails and how much of the product has to be organic to be labeled so. Although some
people believe that organic foods and agriculture have more nutrients and are better for your
health, conventional agriculture contains substances from pesticides that are found naturally in
one’s body and use techniques that do not harm the environment and land, making conventional
methods a better way of preserving the environment and one’s health.
The term organic and how it is used on labels of food products differs from what most
people believe, creating people buying organically to be essentially “buying blindly.” A product
labeled “organic” does not essentially mean that it was made with all organic materials (Laufer).
As long as 95 percent of the materials are organic, the USDA allow*s the producer to put the
organic label on the product (Laufer). Products with the label “made with organic ingredients”
are required to be made up of only 70 percent organic materials (Laufer). Even with a label
stated that a product is organic, it still does not guarantee that the ingredients were grown
without any pesticides (Laufer). Only items with the “100 percent organic” stamp of approval
ensure that the product was made completely with organic ingredients (Laufer). Even though on
the surface organic foods may seem as a better choice, a small amount of items are actually
completely organic and verified by the USDA.
While some claim that organic foods contain more nutrients and are better for one’s
health, statistics show that this is not true. In 240 studies from 2012, data exhibited that on
average the nutrition values were no higher than conventionally grown agriculture (Miller). The
same studies also showed that bacteria, such as E. coli or salmonella, were as likely to
contaminate organic foods as they were to contaminate conventional foods (Miller). While as the
pesticide residue was higher on conventionally grown foods, in 99 percent of cases the levels did
not cross the safety boundaries created by regulators (Miller). Individuals consuming organic
foods to limit the amount of pesticide residue they take in are still consuming pesticides that
occur naturally in those organic foods. Scientists such as Bruce Ames have concluded that,
“99.99 percent (by weight) of the pesticides in the American diet are chemicals that plants
produce to defend themselves. Only 52 natural pesticides have been tested in high-dose animal
cancer tests, and about half (27) are rodent carcinogens; these 27 are shown to be present in
many shown to be present in common foods” (Miller). So, people buying organic foods for the
promise that they were grown with zero pesticides are focusing ideally on the 0.01 percent of
pesticides consumed that are unnaturally found in one’s diet.
Organic farming uses techniques that affects the soil and land and also has less of a yield,
which could have a malignant impact on the future of our land and agriculture if we resort to all
organic techniques. Manure is the main source of fertilizer in organic farming; it is put into the
ground before planting (“Organic Farming Is Not Sustainable”). This leads to higher levels of
nitrates in the ground which has led into some of our groundwater (“Organic Farming Is Not
Sustainable”). Using manure and compost as a fertilizer also emits off high amounts of
greenhouse gases into the air, and may leave bacteria on the food, leading to more cases of food
poisoning (“Organic Farming Is Not Sustainable”). Producing and growing organic foods can not
only contaminate our groundwater, but can also harm our health by ingesting these products.
Organic farms, on average, produce a great deal less food per unit of land and water (“Organic
Farming Is Not Sustainable”). They produce 20-50 percent less of the product compared to
conventional agriculture, wasting a lot of materials (“Organic Farming Is Not Sustainable”).
Organic farming also depends on tilling or hand-weeding for the disposal of the weeds (“Organic
Farming Is Not Sustainable”). Using tilling offsets the preferred approach to enhancing the soil
quality: leaving it alone (“Organic Farming Is Not Sustainable”). This affects our soil, making it
less fertile for the next crop grown. Another issue with organic farming is that it does not
produce nearly enough as the population requires. By 2050, the population is expected to have
grown to nine billion; using all organic techniques would not provide enough for the population
as a whole (Roberts). Earl L. Butz believes that, “Before we go back to an organic agriculture in
this country, somebody must decide which fifty million Americans we are going to let stare or go
hungry” (Roberts). If all conventional farming techniques were banned, people would be affected
and there would be a shortage on foods throughout the world.
In comparison to conventional foods, organic foods offer no real distinct benefits to the
individuals consuming them. Most do not understand the requirements of a product to be labeled
organic. Also, the nutrition values are no higher in organic foods and although pesticides are not
used, plants produce their own pesticides so one is still consuming them. Organic farming takes a
toll on our land and produces less of a yield; it would not be able to provide for every person in
the world. The growth in organic foods because of the recent health craze is illustrating itself to
be a hype, with the benefits of the products not outweighing the price.
Works Cited
Miller, Henry I. "The Myth of Organic Agriculture." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 12 Jan. 2014: B.1.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
Laufer, Peter. "5 Myths About Organic Food." Washington Post. 22 Jun. 2014: B.2. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
Henry I., Miller. "Organic Farming Is Not Sustainable." The Wall Street Journal [New York
City] 15 May 2014: n. pag. The Wall Street Journal. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.
Roberts, Jack L.. Organic agriculture protecting our food supply or chasing imaginary risks?.
Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books, 2012. Print.
Appendix A
Kindy, Kimberly, and Lyndsey Layton. "Purity of Federal 'Organic' Label Is Questioned."
Washington Post (Washington, DC). 03 Jul. 2009: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 24 Oct.
2014.