10 Top Reasons to Go Organic
| Published: 12th September 2006 23:31 |
2. Fresh organic produce contains on average 50% more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients than intensively farmed produce. Science says that it's good for you.
3. Going organic is the only practical way to avoid eating genetically modified (GM) food. And by buying organic food, you are registering your mistrust of GMO's and doing your bit to protest against them.
4. If you eat dairy or meat products, going organic has never been more essential to safeguard you and your family's health. Intensively-reared dairy cows and farm animals are fed a dangerous cocktail of anti-biotics, growth promoting drugs, anti-parasite drugs and many other medicines on a daily basis, whether they have an illness or not. These drugs are passed directly onto the consumers of their dairy produce or meat., which must be a contributing factor to meat-related diseases like coronaries and high blood pressure.
5.About 99% of non-organic farm animals in the UK are now fed GM soya. And there has never been a reported case of BSE in organic cattle in the UK. Common sense says that organic is safe food.
6. Organic produce simply tastes so much better. Fruit and vegetables full of juice and flavour, and so many different varieties to try! There are about 100 different kinds of organic potatoes in production in the UK, and that's just potatoes!
7. Organic farms support and nurture our beautiful and diverse wildlife. Over the last thirty years, intensive farming in the UK has led to dramatic erosion of the soil, a fall of up to 70% of wild birds in some areas, the destruction of ancient hedgerows, and the near extinction of some of the most beautiful species of butterflies, frogs, grass-snakes and wild mammals.
8. Organic food is not really more expensive than intensively farmed foods, as we pay for conventional foods through our taxes. We spend billion of pounds every year cleaning up the mess that agro-chemicals make to our natural water supply. And the BSE crisis cost us 4 billion pounds. Go organic for a genuine more cost-effective future.
9. Intensive farming can seriously damage farm workers' health. There are much higher instances of cancer, respiratory problems and other major diseases in farm workers from non-organic farms. This is particularly true in developing countries, and for agrochemical farms growing cotton. So go organic if you care about other people.
10. And if you simply like the idea of your children and grandchildren being able to visit the countryside and play in the forests and fields just like we did when we were young, go organic for the sake of all of our futures.
by Ysanne Spevack, OrganicFood.co.uk
Did you know...
More and more people are choosing organic for a whole variety of reasons. Research has shown that people buy organic food because they believe it is healthier and tastier, as well as better for the environment and animal welfare.
• For health - on average, organic fruit and vegetables contain higher levels of vitamin C, essential minerals and cancer-fighting antioxidants
• No nasty additives – among the many additives banned by under Soil Association organic standards are hydrogenated fat, aspartame (artificial sweetener), and monosodium glutamate
• Avoids pesticides – over 400 chemical pesticides are routinely used in conventional farming, and residues have been found on one in three non-organic foods tested each year.
• Avoiding GM – there is insufficient evidence to prove that GMOs are safe, and some animal feeding trials have revealed unexpected toxicities. Organic standards ban the use of GMOs
• High animal welfare standards – no system has higher levels of animal welfare standards than organic farms working to Soil Association standards
• Organic farming is better for wildlife, causes lower pollution from sprays and produces less carbon dioxide, the main global warming gas.
JOIN THE SOIL ASSOCIATION TODAY
The Soil Association is a membership charity. As public support for the Soil Association continues to grow, our ability to influence the thinking and policies of government and big business grows with it. In this way we help to develop a truly healthy and sustainable future. You can join today and help us to continue campaigning for sustainable food consumption and human health. You can join the Soil Association via the website click here or call on 0117 914 2447.
For local suppliers of organic produce visit the London Organic directory
You also have the Queens Park Farmers market on Sundays click here for more info
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