If you were offered something that would both save the planet and be good for your health at the same time, would you take it? Of course you would. This is exactly what organic foods offer and something that every day is gaining more acceptance around the world.
One of its most recent proponents is Michelle Obama, first lady of the United States, who has started a campaign to encourage the people of the United States to eat more unprocessed fruit, meat and vegetables, free from pesticides. She has even gone so far as to plant a market garden in the grounds of the White House to feed her family.
Just like Mrs. Obama, millions of people support the cause of organic food, proclaiming their advantages when compared to conventional food. Even if there is no difference in nutritional value, products grown and harvested under natural conditions have the advantage of not being contaminated by pesticides.
Since pesticides first appeared on the market in 1850, voices have been raised in alarm in relation to their association with diseases such as cancer, as well as with problems associated with the immune system, damage to the nervous system or organs such as the liver, kidneys and brain.
In 1985 a study in the United States analyzed blood from 3,000 people; the results were eloquent: 99% of samples contained detectable levels of one or more pesticides, with a concentration 300% greater in the fatty tissue. In addition, mass poisonings as a result of chemicals applied to crops have been reported in India, Egypt, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates.
Unfortunately, most of the poisonings are not properly diagnosed, because the symptoms exhibited by those affected are very common and are often associated with other diseases. We are talking about pain in the head or stomach, weakness and fatigue.
In addition to the benefits for the people who consume them, we have to add the environmental benefits. Those familiar with these issues tell us that using biological cultivation methods maintains the earth’s fertility in the long term, guaranteeing effective management of harmful insects, stimulating the recycling of waste and restoring nutrients to the planet. And this is without taking into account the contribution that this makes to keeping waterways clean.
The campaign for organic foods has achieved such a high rate of success in recent years that by 2008, according to figures published by the Organic Monitor, an Internet publication specializing in these types of products, there were 30.4 million hectares on the planet dedicated to organic agriculture. The organic food business is worth the not inconsiderable sum of 40,000 million dollars.
Nevertheless, those who have not allowed themselves to be carried away by this organic fever and who maintain a more neutral stance towards it, are convinced that even these clean cultivation systems are not sufficient to guarantee that the products are satisfactory. In their view, this same “cleanliness” is not followed through into the processing of the food.
These voices have been heard among the large food manufacturers. Just to take one example let us examine canned tomatoes produced by Hunts. The company uses more than 55 varieties of fruit, which are carefully cultivated and monitored following organic principles.
Once harvested, they are steam peeled, as opposed to the method normally used by other companies that use chemicals for this process. Finally, they are subject to the Field Fresh Processing System, thanks to which Hunt’s tomatoes take less than eight hours between harvesting, processing and canning. This guarantees that the product is natural and fresh and this has been verified by international organic organizations.
As well as the health and environmental benefits, organic foods have also had a positive impact on society, as they are normally associated with rural development projects that produce employment for the growers. So the next time you bite into a piece of delicious organic fruit, you can ponder how you are not just helping your own health and the planet’s, but also the hundreds of people who have adopted an agricultural lifestyle. |
