Organic food: Really better for you, or just overpriced wallet drainers?

Many consumers choose organic food just because they heard that it is better for their health, but few people know exactly what organic means and how you can ensure that the organic food you buy is in fact really organic and not just sold as such.

People want no additives or other chemicals in or near their food. And if the store says that the food is organic, then why would it not be?

Consumers are very shocked every team a test is done and they find out that a product they thought was organic was in fact not. In one of the most recent cases, tests showed that “organically grown lettuce” was in fact treated with a fungicide, which cancelled its “organic” status.

The fact is that consumers specifically choose organic vegetables because they have not been treated with any chemicals. Consumers are willing to pay more for organic food, but if you are not sure that the food is indeed organic, then what are you paying for?

It is expensive to farm organically because it is more expensive to prepare to start organic food production, while it is also more labour intensive and produces smaller crops. The land must also lie fallow for longer, while the accreditation process is also expensive.

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What is organic food?

According to the Food Advisory Consumer Service (Facts), an independent food and nutrition service for consumers, organic food is produced without the use of artificial fertilizers, chemical pesticides, substances that accelerate growth and feed additives for livestock.

Organic food will therefore have less residue from agrochemicals than food coming from conventional farms. However, due to general environmental pollution, these products cannot be totally free of residue.

Farmers produce organic food by traditional methods, such as crop rotation, fertilisation, reuse of substances produced on the farm, such as livestock manure, weed control by hand, pest control that does not harm the environment, homoeopathic agents and free-range animals. The main objective of organic farming is to ensure that the soil, plants, animals and people in the ecosystem function interdependently in a good way.

The term ‘organic’ describes the farming method rather than the characteristics of the food and therefore the flavour, nutritiousness and health benefits of organic food are no better than food coming from conventional farming. The same production processes, content standards, labelling and food safety standards applicable to food from conventional farms also apply to organic food.

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Organic or conventionally farmed food?

Consumers usually choose organic food because they believe it is better for their health and the environment.

According to FACTS, there are three issues involved that you need to think about: how safe the food is, how nutritious it is and how healthy it is when you decide to add organic food to your shopping cart.

How safe is organic food?

Farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides and therefore consumers believe they should be less present in organic food. However, biopesticides may still be present, according to FACTS, along with substances that pollute the environment.

Another important fact to remember is that when livestock manure is used as fertiliser, it can contaminate food and even the soil and surface water with pathogens that cause disease.

It is therefore important to wash the food before use and cook it well to get rid of micro-organisms and for farmers to properly manage the use of compost and livestock manure.

Insect damage to organic plants can also be the cause of fungi growing on them or the secretion of toxins, which can cause food poisoning, but this risk is no greater than with food coming from conventional farms.

Is organic food more nutritious?

Scientists have found no scientific proof that organic food is more nutritious, but the biotechnology used on conventional farms may play a role.

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Is organic food healthier?

According to Facts, scientific research shows that the health risks associated with disease-causing pathogens are greater than the risks associated with the remains of pesticides on your food. Good farming practice should be the focus in all farm production to ensure that there are less harmful substances on food.

Facts also warns that consumers need to look out for marketing that makes it seem that organic automatically means healthier, as the substances naturally found in food can be unhealthy whether the food is organic or not.

For example, the fat content of cheese remains the same, whether the cheese is made from organic milk or milk from a conventional dairy.

Are consumers protected against dishonest labelling?

South Africa has no legislation on the production of organic food, but the Department of Agriculture has been trying for many years to introduce regulations in terms of the Agricultural Product Standards Act.

The local industry therefore uses international regulations issued by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM) and farmers must be certified by international bodies such as SGS, Ecocert or the British Soil Association.

The requirements for a product to be organic is that it meets the standards for organic farming from production to processing, packaging, transport and distribution. Certified organic products all have an official certification number on the packaging.

Is free-range the same as organic?

Free-range and organic do not necessarily mean the same thing when referring to animal products.

According to Facts, animals that can roam in a large, open place are free-range, such as for organic livestock, but they can still be treated with veterinary drugs and fed with feed containing additives, while animals farmed by organic methods receive only plant nutrition and are treated with homoeopathic drugs.

How to choose what is right for you

When deciding whether you will eat organic, you need to think about how good the farming practice is for the environment and how animals are treated. And of course: how does your wallet feel about it?