Introduction
Following the increase of the world's population continuously, there is high demand for food than ever. This increase in food demand also calls for more efficient ways of growing and providing the food. Organic and Conventional methods are two methods that are very controversial since others support the organic method due to its known benefits while others feel that the organic method is an overinflated industry that robs consumers out of their money. The commonly held view is that Organic foods are better than Conventional foods simply because they are better for the environment, more beneficial to the human body and do avoid the use of chemicals.
Benefits of Organic Foods
Organic foods are naturally produced and processed thus they are free from chemicals. Such food is good for an individual's health as well as environmentally friendly. Organic farming methods avoid the use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides but instead rely on natural methods. As opposed to organic foods, conventional foods are produced by use of chemicals to help keep crops from being destroyed. Due to the excessive use of chemicals, studies show that the foods produced are unhealthy and people who consume the conventional foods for a long period could suffer from degraded health and stunted growth. Chemicals such as Alar used to ripen apples and Atrazine used as a herbicide are proved to be carcinogenic and reduce sperm counts in males respectively. Studies also show that pesticides are partly responsible for the rising cancer rates and congenital disabilities among children.
Health Benefits of Organic Foods
I agree that organic foods are very vital in protecting our bodies against illnesses and body mechanism abnormalities because they contain natural nutrients and minerals that our bodies need for growth, disease resistance, and energy production. As opposed to organic foods, conventional foods cause weight problems, eating disorders, obesity, and other related illnesses. This occurs because chemically modified hormones administered to plants or animals to enhance quick growth and maturity have artificial chemical nutrients which when consumed are not fully broken down leading to side effects in the long term.
Benefits of Organic Meat
In beef production organically raised animals are not given antibiotics, growth hormones or fed animal byproducts. As Magnusson (2003) have noted, feeding livestock animal byproducts increases the risk of mad cow disease (BSE), and the use of antibiotics can create antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Organically-raised animals are given more space to move around and access to the outdoors, which helps to keep them healthy. Animals raised conventionally are administered with artificial hormones such as trenbolone, melengestrol, and zeranol which are synthetic. When beef is consumed, it poses a potential health risk to the body of a consumer. These artificial hormones lead to a hormonal imbalance in the body. This eventually will lead to body development problems such as interfering with the reproductive system worst of all leading to the development of colon, breast or prostate cancer. Thus people are advised to go for organically produced animals which are safer.
Genetic Modification and Health Concerns
Also, organic food is GMO-free. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or genetically engineered (GE) foods are plants whose DNA has been altered in ways that cannot occur in nature or traditional crossbreeding, most commonly to be resistant to pesticides or produce an insecticide. In most cases, GMOs are engineered to make food crops resistant to herbicides or to produce an insecticide. Some animal studies have indicated that consuming GMOs may cause internal organ damage, slowed brain growth, and thickening of the digestive tract. GMOs have also been linked to increased food allergens and gastrointestinal problems in humans.
Taste and Nutritional Benefits of Organic Foods
Organic foods have a better taste compared with the conventional foods. The reason is mainly that organic foods are naturally free from chemicals such as pesticides, fertilizers, fungicide and preservatives which affect the taste of food. These are grown on healthy soil which has complex molecules which give a good flavor to the food. Moreover, they are grown locally this will ensure that they are fresh at the time of consumption. For various fruits and vegetables, based on the idea that fewer pesticides and organic growing methods allow for more nutrients in the soil, and therefore could raise the nutritional content of organically grown foods. As opposed to organic food, in convention food production artificial hormones that are administered to interfere with the flavor of the product.
Environmental Benefits of Organic Foods
In addition, organic food virtually eliminates the risk of chemical residues. Strict avoidance of all chemicals in all stages of production makes organic food much more environmentally friendly because the use of all natural production methods eliminates the risk of soil and underwater contamination, and helps preserve biodiversity and wildlife both of which have been seriously affected by the human actions, primarily urbanization and intensive agriculture. Organic farming also improves animal welfare because organic farms are required to keep their animals in a certain environment and provide them access to sunlight and outdoors, for instance. In the end, organic food helps reduce the carbon dioxide emissions and fight the global climate.
Health Risks for Farm Workers
In the words of Katie McReynolds, Wynn Gillan, and Millie Naquin (2018), farm workers who work in fields that produce conventional foods put their health at risk since some pesticides or the chemicals they use appear to cause some cancers or even health-related complications when inhaled. As opposed to conventional food farm workers, those who work in organic food farms are exposed to minimal risk since they use natural methods to produce organic foods.
Cost Comparison of Organic and Conventional Foods
Researchers have long assumed organic foods are more expensive than conventional foods. The reason is that organic food is more labor intensive since the farmers do not use pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or drugs. Organic certification is expensive and organic feed for animals can cost twice as much. Organic farms tend to be smaller than conventional farms, which means fixed costs and overhead must be distributed across smaller production volumes without government subsidies. Although I agree with them up to a point, their assumption may be wrong since price alone does not show the whole picture. You may pay less for conventional food, but if you take into account the damaging effect of conventional food-producing practices on the environment and clean-up costs, organic food is less expensive. Organic food producers do not have any costs for pesticides, artificial fertilizers, and other chemicals, while organic animal farms save their money on veterinary expenses because animals are not raised at high stocking density and are less likely to be affected by diseases claimed Smith-Spangler (2012).
Conclusion
In conclusion, how your food is grown or raised can have a major impact on your mental and emotional health as well as the environment. Organic foods often have more beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants, than their conventionally-grown counterparts. Organic food diet saves people costs incurred in curing eating disorder diseases such as obesity, cancer, and diabetes among others and have healthy people in the country; it contains fewer pesticides, it is environmentally friendly, often fresher among other benefits as compared to genetically modified foods which contain harmful chemicals.
Works Cited
Magnusson, Maria K., et al. "Attitudes towards organic foods among Swedish consumers." British food journal 103.3 (2001): 209-227.
Smith-Spangler, Crystal, et al. "Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives?: a systematic review." Annals of internal medicine 157.5 (2012): 348-366.
McReynolds, Katie, Wynn Gillan, and Millie Naquin. "An Examination of College Students’ Knowledge, Perceptions, and Behaviors Regarding Organic Foods." American Journal of Health Education 49.1 (2018): 48-55.
