Letter in response to Al Clarke’s column, Organic foods are grossly overrated, impractical, Jan. 8 edition of The Creemore Echo.
Al,
I often find your column to be of interest and informative, and although I agree with your comments regarding the quirky regulations and labelling of organic foods, I have to say sir, on the topic of the value of buying organic, you are ill-informed and I dare say out to dejeuner!
I spent a good part of the weekend on the internet trying to find these illusive French and Swedish studies you mention citing that there is no proof organic food has any higher nutritional content than conventionally farmed food. What I did find however was that the majority of articles on the subject had quite the opposite view. With the exception of carrots, the overwhelming conclusion was that the veggies we eat today contain anywhere from 25-50 per cent diminished nutritional profiles compared to those consumed 50 years ago.
Why you possibly might ask? Well, it seems that the “modern farming techniques” you mention have a lot to do with this scenario. Modern intensive agricultural methods have stripped increasing amounts of nutrients from the earth’s soils. Farms are becoming larger and ecologically significant hedgerows are being eliminated to make more room. Organic farming, on the other hand, builds soils via cover crops, manure, crop rotation and no-till practices. Crops have more developed root systems, which are able to take up nutrients of the soil in which they are grown. Local, organic is even better as the produce is picked in its prime, delivering optimal nutritional punch. Sadly, I totally agree that an alarming amount of food is wasted – conventional and organic. My husband Ian and I witnessed firsthand many a fine apple still hanging in a commercial orchard late this past fall because they didn’t quite make the specs.
I know that you are rather fond of spuds, and we have some amazing locally grown organic potatoes at home at the moment.
I am happy to share some with you so that you can do a taste test for yourself.
One could argue that it is difficult to do these studies as there are so many variables, but nutritional content and taste aside, there are many other reasons to buy organic.
You must be aware of the dramatic decline of the honeybee and the monarch butterfly. Although you would still be able to eat your beloved frites, you certainly would not be able to enjoy your “Red Prince” apples and fresh OJ were it not for the pollination services of honeybees and other native pollinators – unless of course you are prepared to travel around with a tiny paintbrush. Organic farmers are not permitted to use synthetic pesticides and seed coated with neonicitinoids – major players in the decline of pollinators. “Round Up ready” seed is also not permitted. One of the most effective ways for the consumer to say no to GMOs is via their fork. (Hopefully Al, you don’t see GMOs as being a good thing!)
It’s not just about the veg. Small-scale organic meat and dairy operations afford non-factory farmed critters a measure of a more dignified life. I am aware that buying organic meats can become costly, but you could apply your OJ principal on that front.
In closing, I must fess up that as well as buying local and organic whenever possible, I do wear Birkenstock inserts in my footwear for comfort, but I certainly don’t drink bottled water and don’t really get the correlation. It is a rather sad state of affairs that these days being an informed consumer is almost a full time job. But it’s all about taking care of the planet you see.
FYI, if you are out of toilet cleaner, Coke makes a fine substitute and the last time I checked, Dasani is owned by the Coca-Cola corporation.
Viki Reynolds,
Not So Hollow Farm, Mulmur.