In organic agriculture, production is usually lower due to the lack of synthetic fertilizers. This is the most alarming fact related to organic food. Sometimes, you may not be able to find organic food in a nearby store. Organic agriculture requires much more manual work.
In organic farming, weeding is often done by hand and pests are controlled by introducing natural predators of those pests into the crop. This requires much more labor, which again increases the price of organic food. The shelf life of organically produced crops is often much shorter compared to normal products. This is because conventional products are treated with waxes and preservatives to maintain their freshness during the shipment of the products.
Sometimes transparent film is also used to further extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Organic foods do not receive these treatments and, therefore, spoil faster. This has another drawback: a part (or even all) of the shipment of an organic crop could be lost if the crop is delayed or mistreated during transport. In this case, everything the farmer has produced may never reach the consumer.
Synthetic pesticides can still be used in organic agriculture, but this is only in special cases. Farmers who can demonstrate that the natural pesticides used have not worked enough to control the pest in their crops can use synthetic alternatives. These farmers must demonstrate that their organic farming practices and other organic practices have failed several times. Only then can they switch to synthetic alternatives to avoid losing the entire crop.
This also means that some organic foods that are sold as organic may have been exposed to the same chemicals and processes as conventional crops (so always wash fruits and vegetables before consumption, even if they are organic). Although the consumer still has to pay the price, as if it were an organic crop. Discover the difference between organic foods and their traditionally grown counterparts when it comes to nutrition, safety and price. Organic foods, once found only in health food stores, are now a common feature in most grocery stores.
And that has created a small problem in the produce aisle. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established an organic certification program that requires that all organic foods meet strict government standards. These regulations control the way in which such foods are grown, handled and processed. Some data show the possible health benefits of organic foods compared to foods grown using the usual (conventional) process.
These studies have demonstrated differences in foods. However, there is limited information to demonstrate how these differences can provide possible general health benefits. Non-organic foods can be grown in regular batches like organic foods, but they will produce more crop per acre. This also means that normal foods can contain a lot of pesticide residues and, since not all available foods are organic, wash them all before consumption to avoid ingesting pesticides and the possible impact this could have on your body.
One of the biggest differences between organic and non-organic foods is that the amount of pesticide residues in organic foods is between 94 and 100% lower compared to non-organic foods. While organic foods are definitely more beneficial to health than non-organic foods, the former require that the certification be legally labeled as “organic” before being sold in markets. Any food that contains less than 70% organic ingredients can be referred to as “non-organic” food. Since non-organic foods do not require such certification, markets can sell food as it is packaged.
This gives non-organic foods a huge advantage over organic foods because the latter are very expensive and quite exclusive. Organic agriculture has very high standards and farmers must undergo a lengthy certification process to obtain certification as organic. Since the rise of organic food, many companies have tried to discredit all non-organic foods by promoting organic foods, fruits and vegetables through popular social media sites and young influencers. So while there are certainly great benefits of organic products, there's no doubt that these disadvantages will make you think.
If you're convinced by the idea of going organic (like my husband) but you're not ready to go completely organic (like me), you can always choose. .
