Buying organic food could hurt you and the environment

chaiz

Tue, Jun 10 2014, 1:04 am

Orchid wrote:

As to the claim (which I read when it came out) that organic food has no measurable health benefits over conventionally produced food, again, no one claimed otherwise. We organic eaters don't say organic carrots have more Vitamin A than conventional carrots. But it does not have chemical pesticides, which by all measures are bad for us.

Really? I have seen way too many times claims how organic produce is more nutritious, such as has more vitamin a than "conventional" produce.

Orchid

Tue, Jun 10 2014, 6:01 am

Miri1 wrote:

"Organic animal production also can cause problems. Unlike conventional farms, organic farms usually let animals wander around. No surprise that animals then do their business wherever nature calls.

Rain, in turn, washes waste into local streams and rivers. Think of that next time you see free-range something on the menu. "

This makes no sense to me. There are millions of non domesticated animals and birds roaming through our countryside - and no one is controlling their bathroom habits. So we have to rope in the cows to protect our water?

Exactly. This article is claiming "free range" animals "do their business" everywhere, so it's bad for the world- as opposed to the conventional animals, ie, those that stand in their muck all day?

Anyone know what farm raised tilapia feed on? Their own feces. But I guess that's better than "free range" or "wild" ones where they "do their business" everywhere.

Orchid

Tue, Jun 10 2014, 6:01 am

chaiz wrote:

Really? I have seen way too many times claims how organic produce is more nutritious, such as has more vitamin a than "conventional" produce.

Well that's interesting. I thought all the claims were how bad chemical pesticides are for human consumption.

Mrs Bissli

Tue, Jun 10 2014, 3:42 pm

studying_torah wrote:

I've heard about Monsanto but no idea what it is.
I don't like the idea of genetically modified produce or animals/fish. Creeps me out, makes me feel like a science horror experiment and frankly we don't know how it will/ won't affect us

If you don't like the idea of genetically modified foods, I hope you are not eating potatoes, sweetcorns, oatmeals or wheat products, not to mention more recent hybrids such as nectarines. Modern version of these crops are genetically modified (albeit over a very long time through natural selection and intentional breeding) from the original species. Would you reject other benefits of science that you don't understand (which would cover majority of cutting-edge biologic drugs)?

ElTam

Wed, Jun 11 2014, 12:06 pm

I'm not debating GMO issues, but if you would see all the chemicals that big, conventional farmers use in the course of bringing a crop to market, it's scary.

And non-organic meat? They have to give the chickens massive doses of aspirin because they are now bred to be so top heavy that they drop dead of heart attacks from carrying their own weight around. Beef is pumped full of antibiotics and tons of other drugs because they are kept in such close quarters that it's the only way to keep the whole herd from dropping dead of disease. There's one anti-parasitic drug they give to cows in their feed, and in order to make sure they get enough, it's engineered so when the animals have enough in their bloods stream a bright purple streak appears on their backs.

I know all this from subscribing to Farm and Ranch Living, which is a magazine for farmers and ranchers. Not a pro-organic farming mag.

Orchid

Wed, Jun 11 2014, 12:28 pm

ElTam wrote:

But Eitam, OBVIOUSLY it's just so much worse for animals to "do their business" everywhere than all this you describe. Rolling Eyes