So simple that a child can explain it — and she did!

Creative Commons License photo credit: williamcho

by Vic Shayne, PhD

One rumor I’ve heard floating around for years is about a person “that somebody’s friend knew” who ate all organic but got cancer anyway. A couple of points:

1. Sounds like a rumor started by Big Agra;

2. Organic eating is only one part of an important “clean” lifestyle.

Food that helps our bodies function best

The bottom line is that our bodies function best on real, whole, untainted, natural, pure foods. Organic foods are just one (important) part of the equation of good nutrition.

But here’s a list of foods you can eat that won’t build your health yet may still be organic:

• Organic pizza
• Organic crackers
• Organic bread
• Organic pasta
• Organic cake
• Organic sugar
• Organic vitamins
• Organic ice cream

The list can go on for quite a while, but you get the point. You can even eat beef six times a day and still be organic, but you won’t be healthy.

The secret to feeding your body what it needs for optimum function is real food. Processed foods, even if organic, are not good foods. By the way, the same foods listed above may also meet the qualifications for vegetarian fare, but they say nothing about being healthful. Many, many vegetarians are unhealthy because they eat these items.

So what constitutes a good organic diet?
The answer is simple, and it’s old news. However, we need to be reminded, so here goes: A good organic diet contains mostly a variety of vegetables, followed by a variety of fruits, seeds, nuts and a little meat (fish, beef and chicken, for example).

What is organic food good for?

Rumors have been started by Big Agra (commercial farms and food manufacturers) that organic food isn’t as good as sprayed foods from pesticide-drenched crops. Do you believe this? Do you believe that your body is meant to ingest bug spray that makes Black Flagg and Raid pale in comparison? Of course not. The poisons sprayed on foods cause cancer and other diseases.

Eat for health

It’s important to eat organic, but only if you also eat for health! Bon appetit!

SPONSORED BY:

This article sponsored by Green Nutrients, the all-organic, all food supplement that gives you your greens every day!

The only whipped cream I’d ever eat is Janice’s Organic Whipped Cream. It’s not in a store. It’s in our kitchen. My daughter Tasha makes it for our family (it’s actually my wife’s recipe) and there’s only three simple organic ingredients.

Did you know you can make your own whipped cream the healthful way? The stuff in the aerosol can isn’t good for you. It’s full of sugar and, especially if not organic, has all kinds of unnecessary chemicals. Don’t let big corporate food companies fool you into thinking that you can’t have great whipped cream without a boatload of non-nutritious, health-defying junk.

Nothing’s cool about Cool Whip

Cool Whip was introduced some decades ago (1967) in the big processed food boom that saw thousands of products passed off as foods. It’s not food and not nutritious. It’s bad for you.

Here’s what’s in Cool Whip:Cool Whip Original is made of water, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, skim milk, light cream, and less than 2% sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), natural and artificial flavor, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, and beta carotene (as a coloring).

See? Terrible stuff. Why all those bad ingredients when they are not necessary? Those chemicals and sugars don’t belong in your family’s bellies.

Other bad whipped cream ingredients

First bad ingredient: The can itself. You don’t need it and our planet doesn’t need it. There’s all sorts of junk in whipped cream, but here are some other common ingredients: sorbitan monostearate, artificial flavors, carrageenan, sucralose, mixed tocopherols and nitrous oxide.

The best whipped cream possible. Fresh and organic.

My daughter makes whipped cream very simply: Organic Valley carton of heavy whipping cream, add a little vanilla extract and a little honey to taste. Use an electric beater until it’s creamy. That’s it. No more. Three ridiculously simple ingredients and fresher than anything you can buy ready-made.

No suspense here. It’s Cuba.

A whopping 80 percent of Cuba’s agriculture is ORGANIC. If they can accomplish this, why can’t we? Okay, you’re right, politics doesn’t allow us to. With huge corporate agriculture influencing Congress and bullying the rest of the market, it’s a tough game to be in. Still, we can marvel over Cuba’s success in the organic arena.

80% is a phenomenal success

Trevor Reichman, writing for treehugger.com, reports: “50% of Cuba’s agriculture now comes from urban farms. In the smaller towns, they produce 80 to 100% of the vegetables they need, eliminating the need to transport food long distances. The move back to a human and animal powered harvest, instead of heavy machinery, quickly created 140,000 new jobs in a country with a population 30 times smaller than the USA. In order to produce food without the use of fossil fuels, It was a matter of reclaiming land from the large scale industrial agricultural corporations. According to the documentary, The Power of Community, 80% of Cuba’s agricultural production is now organic!”

In 2001, the BBC reported that Cuba’s annual production of fruit and vegetables was growing at 250% a year.

Back in 1993-1994, Cuba was teetering on the brink of nationwide starvation due to severe food shortages. The Cuban government made organic farming a priority and handed over eighty percent of state-owned land to private shareholder enterprises. The success is impressive to say the least, but especially so for a third world island nation.

Bravo!

photo credit: Romtomtom

Marantha is excellent for wholesomeness and quality.

First off, the product pictured at the right is an excellent one. It offers what it promises: no unnecessary ingredients and no sugar.

If you don’t like the idea of eating pesticide residues and artificial ingredients that poison your body, you’ve probably discovered organics. But organic foods aren’t what they used to be, so beware.

You can’t trust that organic foods these days are as pure as you’d like them to be.

In short, you have to be vigilant and read all the labels.

Beware of eating at Whole Foods

One of the biggest cheaters is Whole Foods, the mega, so-called health food store, chain. Whole Foods has a salad bar and buffet, but the ingredients of these foods are not organic, sustainable or the most healthful you can buy. Why not? Complain to the manager.

In short, Whole Foods does not operate an organic restaurant within their stores. You can’t even get a cup of organic coffee at most Whole Foods around the country.

Peanut butter gone astray

Next stop, peanut butter. Peanut butter, even when organic, is not what a health-conscious consumer would hope it to be. The label should boast of only two ingredients: Peanuts and Salt. But many organic brands add sugar, honey, palm oil or some other kind of oil and other ingredients.

You want the brand that states peanuts and salt on the label, with no other ingredients. One brand that offers this is Marantha. Here are the ingredients on their label: 100% organic dry roasted peanuts, sea salt. Even the salt is healthful!

Click here for the company’s website
Shame on Whole Foods for not living up to the standard
Whole Foods has its own food branding called 365 Organic. Again, beware because the peanut butter contains sugar, which is quite worrisome.

Organic foods used to have a higher standard, but things have changed. The way to be sure you are eating the quality you want is to carefully read the labels then register a complaint when you spot ingredients that have no business in your organic foods.

Creative Commons License photo credit: BlatantNews.com

The Organic Consumers Association reports that every year 220,000 people are killed by pesticides worldwide.

“We are witnessing a massive corporate genocide – the killing of people for super profits. To maintain these super profits, lies are told about how, without pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), there will be no food. In fact, the conclusions of International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development, undertaken by the United Nations, shows that ecologically organic agriculture produces more food and better food at lower cost than either chemical agriculture or GMOs.” — Vandana Shiva, “The Killing Fields Of Multi-National Corporations”, The Asian Age, July 14th, 2010

“The high costs of genetically-modified (GM) seeds and pesticides are pushing farmers into debt, and indebted farmers are committing suicide. If one adds the 200,000 farmer suicides in India to the 25,000 killed in Bhopal, we are witnessing a massive corporate genocide – the killing of people for super profits. To maintain these super profits, lies are told about how, without pesticides and genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), there will be no food. In fact, the conclusions of International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development, undertaken by the United Nations, shows that ecologically organic agriculture produces more food and better food at lower cost than either chemical agriculture or GMOs.” — ASIAN AGE

FROM THE ORGANIC CONSUMER ASSOCIATION

The Myth of Natural Food, Farming, and Products

Walk down the aisles of any Whole Foods Market (WFM) or browse the wholesale catalogue of industry giant United Natural Foods (UNFI) and look closely. What do you see? Row after row of attractively displayed, but mostly non-organic “natural” (i.e. conventional) foods and products. By marketing sleight of hand, these conventional foods, vitamins, private label “365″ items, and personal care products become “natural” or “almost organic” (and overpriced) in the Whole Foods setting. The overwhelming majority of WFM products, even their best-selling private label, “365″ house brand, are not organic, but rather the products of chemical-intensive and energy-intensive farm and food production factories. Test these so-called natural products in a lab and what will you find: pesticide residues, Genetically Modified Organisms, and a long list of problematic and/or carcinogenic synthetic chemicals and additives. Trace these products back to the farm or factory and what will you find: climate destabilizing chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and sewage sludge-not to mention exploited farm workers and workers in the food processing industry. Of course there are many products in WFM (and in UNFI’s catalogue} that bear the label “USDA Organic.” But the overwhelming majority of their products, even their best selling private label, “365,” are not.

What does certified organic or “USDA Organic” mean? This means these products are certified 95-100% organic. Certified organic means the farmer or producer has undergone a regular inspection of its farm, facilities, ingredients, and practices by an independent Third Party certifier, accredited by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). The producer has followed strict NOP regulations and maintained detailed records. Synthetic pesticides, animal drugs, sewage sludge, GMOs, irradiation, and chemical fertilizers are prohibited. Farm animals, soil, and crops have been managed organically; food can only be processed with certain methods; only allowed ingredients can be used.

On the other hand, what does “natural” really mean, in terms of farming practices, ingredients, and its impact on the environment and climate?

To put it bluntly, “natural,” in the overwhelming majority of cases is meaningless, even though most consumers do not fully understand this. Natural, in other words, means conventional, with a green veneer. Natural products are routinely produced using pesticides, chemical fertilizer, hormones, genetic engineering, and sewage sludge. Natural or conventional products-whether produce, dairy, or canned or frozen goods are typically produced on large industrial farms or in processing plants that are highly polluting, chemical-intensive and energy-intensive. “Natural,” “all-natural,” and “sustainable,” products in most cases are neither backed up by rules and regulations, nor a Third Party certifier. Natural and sustainable are typically label claims that are neither policed nor monitored. (For an evaluation of eco-labels see the Consumers Union website http://www.eco-labels.org). The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service provides loose, non-enforced guidelines for the use of the term “natural” on meat–basically the products cannot contain artificial flavors, coloring, or preservatives and cannot be more than minimally processed.

On non-meat products, the term natural is typically pure propaganda. Companies (like Whole Foods Market or UNFI) are simply telling us what we want to hear, so that we pay an organic or premium price for a conventional product. Perhaps this wouldn’t matter that much if we were living in normal times, with a relatively healthy population, environment, and climate. Conventional products sold as natural or “nearly organic” would be a simple matter of chicanery or consumer fraud. But we are not living in normal times. Pressuring natural and conventional products and producers to make the transition to organic is a matter of life or death. And standing in the way of making this great transition are not only Fortune 500 food and beverage corporations, Monsanto, and corporate agribusiness, as we would expect, but the wholesale and retail giants in the organic and natural products sector, UNFI (United Natural Foods) and Whole Foods Market (WFM).

UNFI & Whole Foods: Profits at Any Cost

UNFI and Whole Foods Market are the acknowledged market and wholesale distribution leaders in the $70 billion organic and natural foods and products sector. Companies or brands that want to distribute their products on more than just a local or regional basis must deal with the near-monopoly wholesaler, UNFI, and giant retailer WFM. Meanwhile retailers in markets dominated by Whole Foods have little choice but to emulate the business practices of WFM-i.e. sell as many conventional foods, green washed as “natural,” as possible. Unfortunately neither UNFI and Whole Foods are putting out the essential message to their millions of customers that expanding organics is literally a matter of life or death for public health, climate, and the environment. Neither are leading the charge to double or triple organic food and farming sales by exposing the myth of natural foods, giving preference to organic producers and products, and pressuring natural brands and companies to make the transition to organic. Neither are the industry giants lobbying the government to stop nickel and dime-ing organics and get serious about making a societal transition to organic food and farming. The reason for this is simple: it is far easier and profitable for UNFI and WFM to sell conventional or so-called natural foods at a premium price, than it is to pay a premium price for organics and educate consumers as to why “cheap” conventional/natural food is really more expensive than organic, given the astronomical hidden costs (health, pollution, climate destabilization) of conventional agriculture and food processing.

UNFI has cemented this “WFM/Conventional as Natural” paradigm by emulating conventional grocery store practices: giving WFM preferential prices over smaller stores and coops-many of whom are trying their best to sell as many certified organic and local organic products as possible. Compounding this undermining of organics is the increasing practice among large organic companies of dropping organic ingredients in favor of conventional ingredients, while maintaining their preferential shelf space in WFM or UNFI-supplied stores. In other words the most ethical and organic (often smaller) grocers and producers are being discriminated against. WFM also demands, and in most cases receives, a large quantity of free products from producers in exchange for being distributed in WFM markets.

The unfortunate consequence of all this is that it’s very difficult for an independently-owned grocer or a coop trying to sell mostly organic products to compete with, or even survive in the same market as WFM, given the natural products “Sweetheart Deal” between UNFI and WFM. As a consequence more and more independently owned “natural” grocery stores and coops are emulating the WFM model, while a number of brand name, formerly organic, companies are moving away from organic ingredients (Silk soy milk, Horizon, Hain, and Peace Cereal for example) or organic practices (the infamous intensive confinement dairy feedlots of Horizon and Aurora) altogether, while maintaining a misleading green profile in the UNFI/WFM marketplace. Other companies, in the multi-billion dollar body care sector for example, are simply labeling their conventional/natural products as “organic” or trade-marking the word “organic” or “organics” as part of their brand name.

The bottom line is that we must put our money and our principles where our values lie. Buy Certified Organic, not so-called natural products, today and everyday. And tell your retail grocer or coop how you feel. HERE’S A WAY TO SEND WHOLE FOODS A MESSAGE (CLICK HERE)

The Organic Alternative: A Matter of Survival

After four decades of hard work, the organic community has built up a $25 billion “certified organic” food, farming, and green products sector. This consumer-driven movement, under steady attack by the biotech and Big Food lobby, with little or no help from government, has managed to create a healthy and sustainable alternative to America’s disastrous, chemical and energy-intensive system of industrial agriculture. Conscious of the health hazards of Big Food Inc., and the mortal threat of climate change and Peak Oil, a critical mass of organic consumers are now demanding food and other products that are certified organic, as well as locally or regionally produced, minimally processed, and packaged.

The Organic Alternative, in turn, is bolstered by an additional $50 billion in annual spending by consumers on products marketed as “natural,” or “sustainable.”  This rapidly expanding organic/green products sector–organic (4% of total retail sales) and natural (8%)–now constitutes more than 12% of total retail grocery sales, with an annual growth rate of 10-15%.  Even taking into account what appears to be a permanent economic recession and a lower rate of growth than that seen over the past 20 years, the organic and natural market will likely constitute 31-56% of grocery sales in 2020.  If the Organic Alternative continues to grow, and if consumers demand that all so-called “natural” products move in a genuine, third party-certified “transition to organic” direction, the U.S. will be well on its way to solving three of the nation’s most pressing problems: climate change, deteriorating public health, and Peak Oil.

Sales statistics and polls underline the positive fact that a vast army of organic consumers, more than 75 million Americans, despite an economic recession, are willing to pay a premium price for organic and green products. These consumers are willing to pay a premium because they firmly believe that organic and natural products are healthier, climate stabilizing, environmentally sustainable, humane for animals, and well as more equitable for family farmers, farmworkers, and workers throughout the supply chain.

Many of the most committed organic consumers are conscious of the fact that organic food and other products are actually “cheaper” in real terms than conventional food and other items-since industrial agriculture’s so-called “cheap” products carry hidden costs, including billions of dollars in annual tax subsidies, and hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to our health, the environment, and climate. Strengthening the argument for organic food and farming, scientists now tell us that it will take a massive conversion to organic agriculture (as well as renewable energy, sustainable housing and transportation) to drastically reduce climate-destabilizing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million and to cope with the advent of “Peak Oil,” the impending decline in petroleum and natural gas supplies.

Organic food and a healthy diet and lifestyle are obviously key factors in preventing chronic disease, restoring public health, and reducing out-of-control health care costs. While in 1970, U.S. health care spending appeared somewhat sustainable, totaling $75 billion, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project that by 2016, health care spending will soar to over $4.1 trillion, or $12,782 per resident.

Millions of health-minded Americans, especially parents of young children, now understand that cheap, non-organic, industrial food is hazardous. Not only does chemical and energy-intensive factory farming destroy the environment, impoverish rural communities, exploit farm workers, inflict unnecessary cruelty on farm animals, and contaminate the water supply; but the end product itself is inevitably contaminated. Routinely contained in nearly every bite or swallow of non-organic industrial food are pesticides, antibiotics and other animal drug residues, pathogens, feces, hormone disrupting chemicals, toxic sludge, slaughterhouse waste, genetically modified organisms, chemical additives and preservatives, irradiation-derived radiolytic chemical by-products, and a host of other hazardous allergens and toxins. Eighty million cases of food poisoning every year in the US, an impending swine/bird flu pandemic (directly attributable to factory farms), and an epidemic of food-related cancers, heart attacks, and obesity make for a compelling case for the Organic Alternative.

Likewise millions of green-minded consumers understand that industrial agriculture poses a terminal threat to the environment and climate stability. A highly conscious and passionate segment of the population are beginning to understand that converting to non-chemical, energy-efficient, carbon-sequestering organic farming practices, and drastically reducing food miles by relocalizing the food chain, are essential preconditions for stabilizing our out-of-control climate and preparing our families and communities for Peak Oil and future energy shortages.

Decades of research confirm that organic agriculture produces crop yields that are comparable (under normal weather conditions) or even 50-70% superior (during droughts or excessive rain) to chemical farming. Nutritional studies show that organic crops are qualitatively higher in vitamin content and trace minerals, and that fresh unprocessed organic foods boost the immune system and reduce cancer risks. And, of course climate scientists emphasize that organic agriculture substantially reduces greenhouse pollution. Organic farms use, on the average, 50% or less petroleum inputs than chemical farms, while generating drastically less greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. Moreover diverse, multi-crop organic farms sequester enormous amounts of CO2 in the soil. Agronomists point out that a return to traditional organic farming practices across the globe could reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 40%. In other words, America and the world desperately need an Organic Revolution in food and farming, not only to salvage public health and improve nutrition, but also in order to literally survive in the onrushing era of Peak Oil and climate change.

Scientists, as well as common sense, warn us that a public health Doomsday Clock is ticking. Within a decade, diet and environment-related diseases, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer-heavily subsidized under our Big Pharma/chemical/genetically engineered/factory farm system-will likely bankrupt Medicare and the entire U.S. health care system.

Likewise, climate chaos and oil shortages, unless we act quickly, will soon severely disrupt industrial agriculture and long-distance food transportation, leading to massive crop failures, food shortages, famine, war, and pestilence. Even more alarming, accelerating levels of greenhouse gases (especially from cars, coal, cattle, and related rainforest and wetlands destruction) will soon push global warming to a tipping point that will melt the polar icecaps and unleash a cataclysmic discharge of climate-destabilizing methane, fragilely sequestered in the frozen arctic tundra.

If we care about our children and the future generations, we obviously must reverse global warming, stabilize the climate, and prepare for petroleum shortages and vastly higher oil prices. The only way to do this is to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 90% by 2050, by shifting away from petroleum and coal-based energy to radical energy conservation and making a transition to renewable solar and wind power-not only in transportation, housing, and industry, but in farming, food processing, and food distribution as well.

In the food sector, we cannot continue to hand over 88% of our consumer dollars to out-of-control, chemical-intensive, energy-intensive, greenhouse gas polluting corporations and “profit at any cost” retail chains such as Wal-Mart. The growth of the Organic Alternative is literally a matter of survival. The question then becomes how (and how quickly) can we move healthy, organic, and “natural” products from a 12% market share, to becoming the dominant force in American food and farming. This is a major undertaking, one that will require a major transformation in public consciousness and policy, but it is doable, and absolutely necessary.

But before we overthrow Monsanto, Wal-Mart, and Food Inc., we need to put our own house in order. Before we set our sights on making organic and “transition to organic” the norm, rather than the alternative, we need to take a closer, more critical look at the $50 billion annual natural food and products industry. How natural is the so-called natural food in our local Whole Foods Market, coop, or grocery store? Is the “natural” sector moving our nation toward an organic future, or has it degenerated into a “green washed” marketing tool, disguising unhealthy and unsustainable food and farming practices as alternatives. Is “natural” just a marketing ploy to sell conventional-unhealthy, energy-intensive, and non-sustainable food and products at a premium price?

Every once in a while a new “report” comes out saying organic foods may be no better than non-organic. Really? So it’s better to eat pesticides and chemicals? Is this really a believable position? Personally, I’d rather not consume pesticides and other toxic chemicals from a variety of sources and let them enter my bloodstream and internal organs. This goes against any semblance of logic.

It’s also rather tedious to continually hear reports by dietitians working for medical centers speaking off the tops of their heads without any proof or substantiation. Go to the dietitian’s website and see who their financial backers are and you’ll get an idea why they are so down on organics. It’s beyond obvious. Certainly, not all dietitians subscribe to the political bias shown by the American Dietetic Association. Consider their corporate sponsors by going to their website. When dietitians like the person cited below come up with anti-organics statements, it’s more than suspicious to the logical mind.

Consider this load of nonsense (note that there are no studies cited):

“Organic foods are grown without the use of chemical fertilizer or pesticides and have not been processed using irradiation or added hormones,” says Ashley Mullins, R.D., L.D., CNSC, a registered dietitian at Baylor All Saints Medical Center. “As with any product, it’s important to check the label to determine exactly what you’re getting.” Products labeled “100 percent organic” must contain only organic ingredients with the exception of water and salt, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Products labeled “organic” must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Products that are made with at least 70 percent organic ingredients are allowed to be labeled “made with organic ingredients.”

The Bottom Line While organic food can cost up to two or three times that of regular foods, it may not be any better for you, Mullins says.
“From a nutrition standpoint, there isn’t enough research to show that organic foods are more nutritious than regular foods. The levels of pesticides currently used haven’t been found to be harmful,” she says. “Of course, there may be other benefits to buying organic, such as it being more environmentally friendly and, in some cases, fresher.”

It really comes down to personal preference and budget, adds Mullins. [No, it comes down to whether you want toxins poisoning your body and your children's bodies and the planet]. Whatever you do, don’t let your choice inhibit your ability to get the nutrients you need. “The most important thing to consider is the health benefit of consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables every day—whether or not they’re organic,” says Mullins. “That’s the biggest payoff.” (Is Organic Overrated? ScienceDaily, May 23, 2009)

AND NOW FOR THE FACTS:

After £12M and four years of study, it has been announced that organic fruit, vegetables and milk are more nutritious than non-organically produced. They may also contain higher concentrations of antioxidants which ward off cancer and heart disease.Apparently, “the health benefits were so striking that moving to organic food was the equivalent of eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables every day.”

Researchers on the European Union study grew both organic and regular fruit and vegetables side by side on a site in Northumberland and compared factors such as nutritional quality. Produce compared included cabbages, lettuces, carrots, potatoes and wheat. The early results of the study carried out by Newcastle University show that organic fruit and vegetables have up to 40 per cent more antioxidants than non-organically grown produce. Also found in greater quantities in organic produce were vitamin C, and trace elements such as iron, copper and zinc. Even greater contrasts were found for milk, with organic milk containing between 50% and 80% more antioxidants and healthy fatty acids. The Food Standards Agency has so far refused to acknowledge any benefits of eating organic, but have now said that they will review the evidence.

The Real Bottom line: If you are logical and intelligent then it doesn’t take much to come to the conclusion that manmade poisons do not belong in your body, and that food should not be irradiated or altered in any other way from its natural state.  Further, not all organic food costs two to three times more than nonorganic food. This nation has serious health problems that parallel the introduction of chemical farming. Cancer and other diseases have risen. The cumulative load of eating a diet full of chemicals toxic enough to kill bugs will certainly adversely affect your body. The last point to consider certainly shows that the above-cited dietitian is out of touch with reality. Why? Because she somehow fails to realize that if something is poisonous to the environment than it is also poisonous to us humans who are dependent on the environment. How can non organic be bad for the environment but good for you to eat?

Eat organic if you know what’s best for your health. If you own a restaurant, consider switching to organic sources. It may be more money, but the alternative is unsettling, to say the least. When you find out how non-organic cattle are treated, you’ll THINK TWICE before biting into your next steak or burger. Top on the list is the fact that cows are ruminants and are, biologically speaking, NOT MEANT to eat meat. But if you’re beef is not organic, your cattle are eating pork, horse, grease and all kinds of other cheap feed, not only making them unhealthy, but passing along this ill health to you, the consumer.

Unlike producers of “natural” meat products, which are minimally processed and free of preservatives and additives, organic producers must be certified annually for compliance with organic standards to raise, feed and process their livestock. Organically raised cattle also must be tracked from birth to consumption.3 Conventional beef is much, much worse, with hardly any oversight. It’s astounding how cattle, which you end up eating, are treated.

James A. Riddle, Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems, University of Minnesota, writes, “It is totally unnatural to feed them animal by-products and manure, but that is exactly what high output industrial factory farms, especially dairy farms, are doing, since these are cheap sources of protein. Farmers, including organic farmers, that feed pasture, hay, silage, and grain concentrates are taking steps to minimize risks of BSE… There are significant differences between organic and industrial, non-organic meat production. To begin with, there is an absolute ban on the feeding of mammalian and poultry slaughter by-products to organic mammals and poultry. This contrasts with non-organic regulations, which still allow the feeding of cattle and other slaughter by-products to cattle and other livestock. The FDA banned the feeding of cattle brain and spinal tissue to cattle in 1997, and have publicly stated that they will ban blood, poultry litter, and human food wastes, but they still allow the following materials to be fed to non-organic cattle:

• Gelatin (rendered from the hooves of cattle and other species
• Fats, oils, grease, and tallow (from cattle and other species)
• Poultry and poultry by-products
• Rendered pork protein
• Rendered horse protein
• None of the items listed above may be fed to organic cattle or other organic livestock.

Non-organic milk replacer commonly contains spray dried blood plasma and blood serum from cattle and hogs. The FDA is now moving to ban this practice. Research in Europe has shown that BSE can be transmitted by blood, which is why any U.S. citizen who has traveled to a country with BSE is prohibited from donating blood.”1

On the contrary,  organic calves are fed organic whole milk. If milk replacer is ever used, it’s only for an emergency supplement and the National Organic Program (NOP) regulation requires that the milk replacer contain no non-milk products, no antibiotics, and no products from rBST treated animals. NOP regulation, section 205.236.c, requires that all organic livestock operations must maintain records “sufficient to preserve the identity of all organically managed animals and edible and non-edible animal products produced on the operation.” Section 205.103 further requires that all organic operations, including those with livestock, maintain records which “fully disclose all activities and transactions” and “demonstrate compliance with the Act and regulations.”1

In organic production, livestock cannot be fed plastic pellets for roughage, or formulas containing urea or manure. They cannot be given antibiotics or growth hormones. All of these are allowable practices in conventional agriculture. For an animal to be raised for organic beef, its mother must have been fed organic feed for at least the last third of gestation.2

The Organic Trade Association reports, “Organic certification, by a U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved agent, is required for the farm and the processing and handling facilities prior to delivery to retail outlets. Because farmers and handlers must keep extensive records as part of their farm and handling plans in order to be certified organic, the organic production system offers traceability of the animal from birth to marketing of the resulting meat. Thus, when one purchases organic meat, there is a guarantee of traceability.”2

Riddle says, “This means that records kept by organic livestock producers must track all animals, including the source(s) of the animals; the sources and quantities of feed; all medications; and all products produced and sold. These records are reviewed at least annually by an inspector representing a USDA-accredited certification agency. In order to produce organic livestock feed, feed mills must be inspected and certified. If they produce both organic and non-organic feed, they must implement procedures, documented with written records, to prevent the commingling of organic and non-organic feed. This includes steps to clean storage bins and mixing and bagging equipment prior to producing batches of organic feed. Organic feed mills also must prevent the contamination of organic feed with antibiotics, hormones, slaughter by-products, and insecticides which may be added to non-organic rations. They must also ensure that rodenticides and insecticides used in the facility do not contaminate organic feed.”1

There is also a big difference when it comes to slaughtering of cattle. Organic beef must be slaughtered in slaughterhouses which are certified organic, requring clean, empty equipment without any contact with non-organic meat or any materials that are prohibited. Strict records are required “to protect organic integrity. If a plant can prove that it can segregate organic animals and meat products and take all steps necessary to protect organic integrity, then it can be certified.”1

Too many people believe, or have faith in the “fact,” that our government is protecting us from cattle-borne diseases. This simply is not so. Riddle points out, “Nearly 36 million cattle were slaughtered in the United States in 2002, yet only less than 20,000 were tested for BSE. In the first 7 months of 2003 in Washington state, USDA tested no cattle for BSE. At Washington state’s largest slaughterhouse and at two facilities owned by Tyson, there were no BSE tests in 2002 or 2003.” BSE is the bacterial disease that infected the brains of cattle in an epidemic only a few years ago. By comparison, 100% of cattle are tested in Japan. About 75% are tested in Germany and France. All cattle over 36 months are tested in the United Kingdom, but only HALF OF A PERCENT of U.S. cattle are tested.

Other than giving up beef altogether and going vegetarian, Riddle advises, if you are going to eat beef, “Know the farmers who raise your meat. Buy meat from farms which do not feed animal by-products, including organic farms. Shop at your local food coop. Look for local, grass fed meats at the farmers market. Ask your butcher where the meat comes from and how the animals were raised. Demand that country of origin labeling be implemented. Demand that the practice of feeding animal by-products to ruminants be strictly prohibited. After all, cows are vegetarians!”

Sources:

1. Riddle, James A., “Why Eat Organic Meat? University of Minnesota, misa.umn.edu/vd/whyorgmeat.html
2. Organic Trade Association, “Facts Concerning the Production of Organic Beef,” 2008
3. Doering, Christopher, Organic Consumers Association, “American Consumers Hungry for Organic Beef,” Jun 04

Over the past 24 years, James A. (Jim) Riddle has been an organic farmer, gardener, inspector, educator, policy analyst, author, and consumer. He was founding chair of the Independent Organic Inspectors Association, (IOIA), and co-author of the IFOAM/IOIA International Organic Inspection Manual. He has helped train hundreds of organic inspectors throughout the world.