Organic food
Why should I bother?
Wikimedia Commons image by zabdiel licensed under the creative commons license.
Does it have more nutrients?
“A major EU-funded study has found that nutrient levels
were higher in organic foods. It found that levels of
nutritionally desirable compounds, such as antioxidants
and vitamins, were higher in organic crops…….”
(May 2009)
“According to a new, independent study funded by the
Government’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) there is
little, if any, nutritional difference between organic and
conventionally produced food…….”
(July 2009)
Answer: not proved either way
Does it taste better?
People who grow their own
food using no chemicals
often say that the food tastes
much better. Some people
choose organic food because
they believe it tastes better
but each person may have
different opinions when
tasting food so there is little
proof available.
Answer: not proved either way
Image by Flickr user justinKnol and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons license
Does it contain less chemicals?
Several studies have
found that 25% of
organic food carries
synthetic pesticide
residues, in comparison to
77% of conventional
food.
Answer: organic food contains less chemicals
Wikipedia public domain image from the US Federal Government
Does it look better?
On many conventional farms, the
farmers are forced to grow certain
varieties of plants that always look
perfect – any that don’t, are
rejected by the powerful
supermarkets that buy most farm
products.
On many organic farms, the farmer
is less concerned with the
appearance of the fruit or
vegetable and may grow varieties
which are supposed to taste better.
Answer: What do you think?
Wikimedia Commons images by FoeNyx and Stu Spivack licensed under the creative commons license.
The ‘perfect’ tomato
Organic
tomatoes
Does it cost less?
Milk
Tesco organic semi-skimmed: 0.7p/litre
Tesco pasteurised semi-skimmed: 0.5p/litre
Mince
Organic Beef Mince 500g: £2.26
Non-organic beef mince 500g: £1.15
Fruit and Vegetables:
Organic broccoli 1kg: £2.39
Non-organic broccoli 1kg: £1.29
4 organic Gala apples: £1.49
4 non-organic Gala apples: 88p
Answer: organic food costs more
Can organic farming feed everyone?
The amount of food that a farmer
produces from each crop is called the
yield. On conventional farms, the yields
of all the crops is high as farmers use
powerful chemical fertilisers to make the
crops grow and they lose little of the
crop to disease or insect damage as
they spray the crops regularly with more
chemicals.
On organic farms, the yields are lower
as the farmers use only natural fertiliser.
In addition, it is more difficult to prevent
plant diseases and damage from
insects so some of the crops may be
lost or damaged.
Answer: organic food cannot produce enough
food to feed everyone in the UK
Wikimedia Commons image by Surachit and licensed under the creative commons license.
Does it help wildlife?
There is lots of evidence to show that birds,
animals and insects such as bees and butterflies
are much more common on and around organic
farms since these farms don’t use any chemicals.
On conventional farms, the farmer
kills all bugs and insects so there is
no food for birds to feed on. There are
few animals since there is little shelter
– the farmers have often removed
hedges and trees to make fields
bigger. They have also removed
ponds and marshy areas so no frogs,
newts or dragonflies.
Answer: more wildlife on organic farms
Butterfly image by Flickr user TexasEagle, dragonfly image by Flickr user kretyen and hare image from Wikimedia by Fmickan, all licensed under the creative
commons license.
Is it better for our water supply?
On conventional farms many of
the chemicals that are sprayed on
the crops get washed into the soil
and into rivers. This means that
the water becomes polluted.
Sometimes it turns bright green in
summer because the algae feed
on the chemical fertiliser.
The water companies who take
water from underground or from
rivers have to remove all the farm
chemicals to make our tap water
safe to drink.
Organic farms use no
artificial chemicals so the
water supply is kept pure and
clean.
Answer: organic farms are good for clean water
Image by Flickr user Andy matthew and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons license
Is it better for the planet?
On a conventional farm, most of the
artificial chemicals are made from
fossil fuels, particularly oil. The
chemical works where the fertilisers
and pesticides are made produce
greenhouse gases which cause
global warming and pollute the air
that we breath. They can also cause
acid rain which kills trees and also
fish and other wildlife in lakes and
rivers.
Answer: organic is much better for the planet
Wikimedia Commons top image by lovecz and bottom image by analogue kid and licensed under the creative
commons license.
Is it better for the animals
and birds on the farms?
On conventional farms, many birds and
animals are kept indoors, sometimes in
very cramped conditions. There is no
natural light, no space to move and they
are fed on chemicals and artificial food.
On organic farms, the birds and animals
have to be given freedom to move around,
go outside and behave naturally. They are
given a natural diet.
Answer: organic is much better
for the birds and animals
Clockwise from top left: Image by Flickr users bobcatnorth, sunfox,
Farm Sanctuary, treehouse1997 and Farm Sanctuary and licensed for
reuse under Creative Commons license