That argues for fresh being more important than organic. You may also be concerned with the welfare of the people picking and the farmers growing your produce, or you may be concerned about soil health—that would argue for organic too…. So it is possible to have it both ways.

Wilcox, Christie. Scientific American. July 18, Villacorta, Manuel. Huffington Post. July 12, This comes as a surprise to many as we seem to think now that everything not marked organic is chemically tainted. Finding pesticide-free non-organics is a great way to spend less money and enjoy natural produce.

The only downside—if you consider it one—is that you have to eat seasonally, meaning you have to stop expecting ripe tomatoes and avocados in February in many parts of the country.

This option will also reduce cost, as well as be pesticide-free. Regardless of the kind of produce you buy, please buy it. I believe the benefits that come from consuming fruits and vegetables will outweigh the hazards of conventional farming….

Smith-Spangler, Crystal, et al. Burke, Maria. Royal Society of Chemistry. Maeder, Paul, et al. Benbrook Charles. A Systematic Review. Larry Cohen et al. American Hospital Association, 2 Jan.

The author wishes to acknowledge the invaluable research assistance of Vanessa Hemenway in the preparation of this chapter. Good Corporation, Bad Corporation: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Global Economy Copyright © by Guillermo C.

Jimenez and Elizabeth Pulos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4. Skip to content Main Body. Source: Richard Smith, CC-BY 2. Many claims are made for the benefits of organic food—but is it really healthier? What are the pros and cons of growing and eating organic food?

The Organic Trend Consumers all over the world are becoming increasingly health conscious and are more than ever concerned about the quality of their food supply. Environmental Impact Pro Because organic farming is done without the use of pesticides and chemicals, toxic residues do not poison the land, water, and air.

Organic farming is a sustainable use of land and resources. Crop rotation promotes fertile, healthy soil. Pesticide use in conventional farming contaminates runoff, water flowing over land, which is a natural part of the water cycle. Pesticide residues are found in ground water, surface water, and rainfall.

This means that contamination may not be isolated in food produced with pesticides, but affects the environment as well. Healthy soil is a key component of organic farming. Organic farming seeks to protect and promote biodiversity. Conventional food production often involves thousands of miles of transportation from point of production to the grocery store, using oil and gas that contribute to global warming.

Con While one of the arguments for organic farming is the absence of chemical pesticides, natural pesticides may be used on organic farms, and these may also have potentially harmful effects.

Organic plants grown without chemical or natural pesticides or fertilizers may produce naturally occurring pesticides, called phenols, to protect themselves against insect infestation. The effects of phenols on humans is an ongoing area of research and debate, as those in favor of organics tout their benefits while those skeptical of organics purport their potential health risks.

Pesticide use makes more economic sense, and provides more food to more people. Organic farming is too costly in terms of its greater use of land and resources. In organic farming, weeds are removed without the use of chemicals.

However, mechanical cultivation—including turning soil between crops to reintegrate plant parts and physically removing unwanted plants—can actually damage soil structure, remove needed moisture, release carbon into the atmosphere, and lead to increased soil erosion.

As organic food carves out a greater share of the market and international markets expand, the carbon footprint of organic food distribution may exceed that of conventional food.

Health Impact As often happens when opposing groups look at the same data, they come to different conclusions. It also almost never contains high-risk pesticides. And while conventional produce can harbor multiple pesticide residues, that is rarely the case with organic produce.

Evidence suggests that fetuses exposed to pesticides have higher rates of neurodevelopmental problems and disorders, birth defects, autism, ADHD, asthma, and lower IQ. In one study, school-aged children who began a primarily organic diet showed no pesticide exposure after only five days.

Switching to an organic diet can thus have immediate and very beneficial advantages. Like fetuses and young children, other segments of the population, especially the elderly and people with degenerative diseases, are particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of pesticide exposure. Another area of pesticide use that cannot be overlooked is its impact on the health and safety of farmworkers who have higher levels of exposure with conventional farming practices than organic.

Proponents of organic farming maintain that organic food is more nutritious than conventional food. Organic apples, strawberries, grapes, carrots, milk, and grains have been found to have higher levels of vitamin C, antioxidants, and phenolic acids as compared to conventional food.

Organic dairy products and meats contain an optimal balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Fats, consumed in the right amount, are crucial to human health.

They provide energy, are the building blocks of cell membranes, and can be converted into other essential substances, like hormones, which are necessary for healthy bodily functioning.

Diets higher in omega-6 and lower in omega-3 fatty acids can lead to a higher incidence of myocardial infarction and heart disease.

On the other hand, eating diets with the optimal ratio of omega-6 and omega-3, found in organic food, can decrease the risk of heart disease. Nonorganic dairies have a one-time opportunity to transition nonorganic animals to organic production over a month period.

Producers must feed livestock agricultural feed products that are percent organic, but they may also provide allowed vitamin and mineral supplements. Preventive management practices must be used to keep animals healthy.

Producers may not withhold treatment from sick or injured animals. However, animals treated with a prohibited substance may not be sold as organic. Ruminants must be out on pasture for the entire grazing season, but for not less than days.

These animals must also receive at least 30 percent of their feed, or dry matter intake DMI , from pasture. All organic livestock and poultry are required to have access to the outdoors year-round. Animals may only be temporarily confined due to documented environmental or health considerations.

Handling Standards The handling standards require: All non-agricultural ingredients, whether synthetic or non-synthetic, must be allowed according to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. Handlers must prevent the commingling of organic with non-organic products and protect organic products from contact with prohibited substances.

Labeling Multi-Ingredient Products Products sold, labeled, or represented as organic must have at least 95 percent certified organic content. Extreme close up of raw broccoli Getty Images. By Laura Stampler. May 13, PM EDT. Taylor Swift Is TIME's Person of the Year Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More?

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Member Download: Organic Opportunity Communications Toolkit. As the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America, we are the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9, organic businesses across 50 states.

Our Board of Directors is democratically elected by our members. Washington, D. The organic market grew despite challenging headwinds: inflation pressures tightening consumer wallets, supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and global political events, a proliferation of competing food labels in the grocery aisles, and a labor shortage felt acutely by organic producers.

Inflation heated up costs across the organic supply chain — indeed, the entire food supply chain — and boosted prices in the grocery aisles. As a result, the organic sector reflected the overall food sector, with the value of organic sales rising even as the growth in the volume of sales for some categories slipped.

Certified Organic now accounts for 6 percent of total food sales in the United States. Organic produce, often the entry point for new organic buyers, easily held its position as the top seller of all organic categories.

Many younger shoppers are reducing or eliminating alcohol, and these organic beverages are a celebratory and sophisticated alternative. Organic dairy and eggs now constitute close to 8 percent of the total dairy and egg market. While the growth pace of organic sales has predictably slowed from the barnburner rates during the pandemic, a wide and diverse smattering of organic products showed outstanding growth as consumers bring organic more fully into their lives.

The success of organic is not a new story. In the last ten years, organic sales have more than doubled as Americans are eating and using more organic products than ever before. Numerous data sources were compiled to create as complete a picture as possible of the organic industry which consists largely of private companies.

Inputs include but are not limited to point-of-sale data, expert interviews, annual report data, and in-depth direct survey data. About companies completed a significant portion of the in-depth survey.

Executive summaries of the survey are available to the media upon request. The full report can be purchased, and online orders can be placed on this page. The OTA Organic Industry Survey is available in full as a benefit to association members. Members can access your member-exclusive Organic Industry Survey full report here.

To learn more about OTA membership and its benefits, contact Director of Industry Relations, Membership, and Development Cassandra Christine at cchristine ota. About the Organic Trade Association The Organic Trade Association OTA is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America.

OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing more than 10, organic businesses across 50 states through membership and our Farmers Advisory Council. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others.

OTA's Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.

Add your voice to shape the future of organic food and farming. Get expert regulatory guidance and consumer education tools. Connect to a vibrant community of organic business professionals.

Skip to main content. Search form Search. Advocacy Advocacy We serve as the unifying voice of the U. Critical Issues Farm Bill Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards New Standards Update: Strengthening Organic Enforcement Are you SOE ready?

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Sunset Review Process. USDA Certified Transitional Program Resources for Retailers Materials Review Organizations. Aquaculture Pet Food Hydroponics Apiculture Personal Care. Membership We bring farmers, processors, distributors, retailers and others together to promote and protect the growing organic sector.

OTA Members Find. Organic Business Directory Get Involved in Member Communities Farmers Advisory Council Farmstead Membership. Dairy Council Members. Dietary Supplements Council Members. Diversity Council Members.

Fiber Council Members. Retailer Council Members. Produce Council Members. Sustainability Council Members. Wine Council Members. Task Force Request Form. Member Forum Request Form. Given ideal weather conditions, we will see more production, more interest and more foods developed that utilize organic ingredients and whole foods, as the popularity and continued growth of the organic industry in will be motivated by a younger consumer demographic.

Lastly, we predict the implementation of more rigorous standards for organic certification in the United States. Joe Ennen CEO of SunOpta. In , organic loyalists will remain committed to health and wellness, purchasing and preparing organic food for their families.

With ongoing supply chain challenges, it is now more important than ever for manufacturers to work closely with farmers. In , I think a refocus on soil and the centrality of organic family farms — as the stewards of this soil — is going to happen.

This is being represented by two things: the launch of a plethora of new Regenerative Organic Certified packaged food products and the rise of the Real Organic Project.

This allowance has foundationally shaken the integrity of the organic seal, and the USDA has taken a major step backward. In the year ahead, a significant number of consumers are going to become soil allies, especially young people.

JP Tournoy CEO of Ciranda. Inflation will have a real impact on the purchasing power of consumers, which could moderate growth in by reducing trial and use of organic foods.

Supply chain challenges, on the other hand, will pressure smaller producers who rely on export markets as a source of income and growth. As a result, it will be critical for brands to source from companies that maintain strong relationships with their producers in order to maintain supply.

The good news is that the fundamentals supporting organic remain stronger than ever, especially with Millennials who have an affinity for both personal wellness and planetary health. To that end, will be about transparency throughout the entire supply chain — to ensure the authenticity of organic foods, to understand its role in human rights and to measure its impact on areas of growing concern, such as soil health.

Rodrigo Bedoya Co-Founder of La Grama. With organic expanding beyond a niche market, a business model based on high production and low costs has taken too much out of the organic industry, diluting its integrity and making it a victim of its own success. That will lead to the growth of stricter certifications that sit on top of USDA organic, such as Biodynamic or Regenerative Organic Certified.

In the year ahead, more voices will also be talking about true cost accounting and the positive cost of real organic food. Lastly, as the global transportation crisis continues to disrupt supply chains, it will be vital for organic companies to have very skilled people in logistics.

With gratitude,. Max Goldberg, Founder. The U. Food Systems Summit put biotechnology at center stage, although agroecological innovations offer greater promise for sustainability. The New York Times finally takes a look at the perilous road ahead for small organic dairy farmers.

UNFI has enlisted a pair of digital commerce platforms to ready its thousands of private-label products for the virtual shelf.

Germany's new agriculture minister said that "junk prices" drive "farms into ruin, prevent more animal welfare, promote the extinction of species and pollute the climate. This user-submission study showed that organic chicken may come from plants with high salmonella rates. More than a third of fruit and vegetable products in France are thought to be sold in plastic wrapping, and government officials believe that the ban could prevent a billion items of single-use plastics from being used every year.

On January 1st, new organic rules in the EU went into effect, with the goal of ensuring fair competition for farmers. Want to share this newsletter on social media? You can use this link: Newsletter Link. The material in this newsletter is copyrighted and may be reprinted by permission only.

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