What Is Organic Food And Should I Buy It?

http://www.articlesbase.com/recipes-articles/what-is-organic-food-and-should-i-buy-it-2366806.html by Dominic Milner (caution, there is also a money making scheme behind this person's web page)

Is this a rose tinted view of organic food? Or an American view? The author first gives a definition (or  tries to give one) of organic food:

Organic food is the food derived from animals and plants that have been grown and raised in accordance with the strict guidelines associated with government’s definition of the term, “organic.” In order to be certified as an organic food, food must be grown without the use of products such as manufactured fertilizers, synthetic or man-made pesticides, additives that control or modify growth, antibodies, and/or and livestock feed containing additives.

There is no mentioning of the more ideological definition of organic food. There is no mentioning of animal welfare. Of art-specific animal treatment. "Government's definitions" are changing towards making it easier for big corporations (read: "Tax payers") to join the booming organic food market. Government can and will (and already does) bend the rules in a way which still allows big corporations to make a good profit with organic food. Is organic food really what the government defines? Or rather should it be what we as the consumers think it should be?

It wasn’t that long ago that “eating organic” was something only a relatively small number of people did. Back in the 1960′s, life was changing. Women were beginning to work outside the home and the trend then was convenience. Processed foods meant a good meal could be delivered to the table in a fraction of the time. The market for frozen and processed foods literally took off.
Organic food was definitely not something that most people gave much attention to especially since there no longer was enough time to visit the butcher, the produce vendor and the dairy farm. A quick trip to the supermarket could now provide a family with enough food for several days. And that’s how life continued, fueled by the need for speed and convenience.

So the author seems to agree that organic food should be unprocessed food.  How then is it possible that processed food is sold as organic? Again, big food factories using organic ingredients to come up with a processed frozen organic food. Aren't they riding the organic food movement?

Lately, people’s feelings towards the foods they eat are changing once again. This time, the change is being fueled by the feeling that people no longer know what they’re putting into their bodies. The news today is filled with stories of E. coli outbreaks, genetic food engineering, the potential dangers of eating foods that are shot up with growth hormones to make them bigger and better, and other frightening information. Tired of feeling out of control, eating organic has become chic and has definitely become the latest trend in eating among people from all levels of society.

Isn't that what our New Zealand government tells us about raw milk products? Isn't this an example of them just using these potential threats as a tool to manipulate us? As long as it suits them to tell us that this food is dangerous and this food isn't they have a way to direct us to the food they want us to eat. Isn't it convenient to tell us raw milk is dangerous and we can be killed by drinking just one glass of it but not telling us that most of the lactose intolerances a lot of us suffer under comes from, the consumption of processed homogenized milk? How many people sadly die from consuming modern (safe?) food? Nobody tells us that. But they tell us if in Austria 7 people died from consuming raw milk cheeses. And use this to show us how dangerous it is. Thousands are meanwhile dying from diabetes, heart diseases and cancer most often caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Not to mention the thousands of people becoming sick or dying because of food manufacturers trying to make more profit by using illegal additives and other ways to increase their profit. Because that's their only goal: make money and lots of it!

True organic food is more expensive than non-organic food, but the trade-offs are well worth the additional cost. Not only is organic food better for those who consume it, the people who eat organic foods claim these foods actually taste better than those grown and raised without this strict definition. In fact, eating organic is the best way and really is the only way to feel 100% confident about the foods that are consumed.

 Why is it by definition that organic food has to be more expensive? This is really what upsets me about organic food producers. It is more expensive by definition. Meaning: "We can make a bigger profit with organic food". Again, I am missing the ideology of people. I am missing the "Hippie-ness" of organic "Tree-Huggers" who saw organic food as good food for good people. All I see is businesses making profit. All I see is that some rich people can afford to serve organic food at their posh dinner parties. Where are the organic businesses who want to make a living (there is a difference between making a living and making profit). Where do I see the savings from not buying in artificial fertilisers and agro-chemicals? Yes I know it is often more work, more time consuming. But still, you save a lot of money by not buying in a lot of "input" into your production. Shouldn't the savings counter-balance some of higher effort? Surely this could (or should) be reflected in the price somewhere.

Today, organic food is big business and an ever-growing segment of the food industry. Farmers are changing the way they grow their foods to take advantage of this increased demand. Unfortunately for produce growers, it can take up to 2 full years for the land to cleanse itself of the synthetic pesticides and fertilizers that have been applied during all the years prior to growing organic. But the wait is a worthwhile trade-off as well.
Organic foods are so popular that it’s no longer necessary to shop for them at specialty stores. In fact, large grocery store chains are constantly devoting more shelf space to meet the ever-growing needs of organic food devotees.

Doesn't this sound familiar? Wasn't this the case as well when big supermarkets grew like mushrooms and  pushed the small producers and grocery stores over the edge? What is the future of organics if it seems to be dominated by big corporations in the future? It already is. Organic food is the biggest growing sector in the food industry. Kraft, Nestle, Coca Cola to name just a few are big players in the organic markets. Do they do this  for the love of healthy food for healthy people? Or for their profit? And will they upkeep the organic philosophy or rather try to maximize their profit with all available means? What do you think?

To me this is just one example how organic food became a money making scheme. The real organic food will disappear slowly because government regulations will make it more and more difficult and expensive for small producers to keep going. Show me a situation where our New Zealand government supports small organic producers. There aren't many!