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Organic Food

The average conventionally-grown apple has 20-30 artificial poisons on its skin, even after rinsing.

Organic food is grown and stored without the use of artificial pesticides and fertilisers. The fact that residues remain on conventional foods and are consumed by us over decades, accumulating in our fatty tissues is well documented.

Organic food is, in general, food produced without the use of artificial pesticides, herbicides, and in many definitions genetically modified organisms (GMOs). At present, there is no universally accepted definition of organic food.

The USDA has identified for three categories of labeling organic products:

100% Organic: Made with 100% organic ingredients

Organic: Made with at least 95% organic ingredients

Made With Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30% including no GMO (genetically modified organisms)

Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may list organically produced ingredients on the side panel of the package, but may not make any organic claims on the front of the package.

Proponents of industrial agriculture state that synthetic biocides, soluble fertilizers and genetic engineering are necessary to feed the world’s growing population.

Data from the advanced agricultural economies of North America, Australia and Europe show that best practice organics can deliver equal to and significantly better yields than current conventional agricultural practices.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, all foods—whether organic or not—are exposed to the agricultural chemicals that are now present in nearly all rain and groundwater due to their overuse during the last 50 years.

For more organic food resources visit http://www.organicgardeningcentre.com.

This article may be used without permission as long as it is shown in its entirety with links intact.

Technorati Tags: apple, artificial poisons, rinsing, organic, organic food, pesticides, fertilisers

Diet - Nutrition - Organic Food

In the US, demand for organic food is outstripping the current supply. America’s appetite for organic food is keeping the supply low. The demand is definitely outpacing the supply. Clif Bar went to Spain for organic almonds.

Food must be grown without bug killers, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics or biotechnology to be categorized as organic. While the organic market is only 2.5 percent currently of the nations food market, the growth is expanding at a very fast pace. Each year the actual growth has been fifteen to twenty one percent. Total food sales have increased two to four percent during this period of time.

Supermarkets in the US are watching this success and rushing out to meet the demand. The Kroger Co, Safeway Inc., and Supervalu Inc., Albertson’s LLC, are selling their own organic brands. Wal-mart stated it would double its organic offerings this year.

Organic Manufacturers are looking outside of the United States for organic ingredients. Europe, Bolivia, Venezuela and South Africa are outpacing the supply grown in the United States. According to The Agriculture Department’s National Organic Program, the United States is importing far more than it exports in the organic food category.

How to fill the gap between supply and demand is a long debate within our booming organic industry. Organic food is a way to improve out food supply, the environment, and help small farmers in their business.

Organic food is a healthy way to eat. Do your due diligence to determine how you chose to eat.

Nan is an Accountant and Real Estate Profession with a lifelong interest in Diet

Technorati Tags: organic, organic food, demand, famers, chemicals, pesticides, supply, growth, healthy

Organic Honey

It’s pretty obvious to me that organic honey is fast gaining a strong foothold in the honey market.

When I first saw it on the shelves and its big price tag during my grocery shopping, I always wondered what it was and how different it was from the rest of honey varieties. It was only later that I found out that for honey to be certified organic, the manufacturer has to meet a set of very stringent organic standards and conditions during the honey production (set by a organic agriculture certification body), which include source of the nectar, honey bees foraging area, bees management, honey extracting process, transportation, processing temperature, and packaging materials. Organic honey is also tested to guarantee that it does not contain any residues of pesticides or environmental pollutants. Farming of organic honey has to meet rigorous and extensive monitoring and testing criteria of the certification body, for instance, the documentation of, and consultation with every land user within a five kilometer radius of the organic hives to ensure they are free of chemical residue; regular analysis and testing of honey samples; and hives have to be proven free of non-organic honey, sugar and antibiotics. Other than the reason that organic honey is a healthier choice, some ardent consumers of organic foods also feel that honey produced by organic farmers has a more superior taste than conventionally produced honey, and hence are more ready to pay for the extra cost.

I have been warned that some honey which has been packaged and proclaimed as organic may not be truly organic. It takes a lot of resources to ensure against contamination, either by wind or by bee travel, of the bees’ forage by non-organic pollen. Many beekeepers find it unfeasible for them to keep up with the stringent organic guidelines specified by the government. So, to be totally assured that I am paying for good quality honey that is really worth, I look out on the honey bottle for certification of IFOAM IFOAM the worldwide umbrella organization for the organic movement.

Source:http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/organic-honey.html

R. Tan is the owner of the website benefits-of-honey.com which is a rich honey resource community specially built for all the honey lovers and fans in this world. She has packed this website with a wide range of quality contents on honey based on her knowledge and experience with honey, so as to promote its invaluable benefits which she believes could bring many positive spin-offs in everyone’s daily life.

Technorati Tags: organic, organic food