Organic for your growing family
| Published: 30th August 2007 14:52 |
Existing regulations on the amount of pesticide residues that non-organic foods may contain are based on 'acceptable' levels of consumption.
But according to the Soil Association, babies and young children are at greater risk because the immaturity of their organs and body systems makes them more vulnerable to toxins. And because their diet is often restricted to just a few types of less processed food - apples, potatoes, carrots, etc, they may receive higher exposures. The official safety standards do not always take babies and children's greater vulnerability into account.
From conception until one year of age, children are at their most vulnerable. During this critical stage of development, cells are multiplying at their peak, yet the body has a limited diet to draw upon. A baby's digestive system is also more efficient than that of an adult at absorbing foods, enabling nutrients to be used more quickly, but also making the body more vulnerable to toxins.
download a factsheet on organic food for children
Avoiding GM and pesticides
GM crops and ingredients are not allowed under Soil Association organic standards. Over a million tonnes of GM crops are imported to feed non organic livestock that produce much, if not most, of the non organic pork, bacon, milk cheese and other dairy products in our supermarkets.
Over 400 chemical pesticides are routinely used in conventional, non-organic farming - compared to just four allowed by the Soil Association - and residues are often present in non-organic food. The UK government has recently found high levels of pesticide residues in non-organic baby food, spinach, dried fruit, bread, apples, celery, and chips.
