Why Organic Isn't Better

I often feel vaguely guilty when I go grocery shopping. Why? Because I bypass the organic fresh vegetables, only taking a cursory glance at small apples, oddly shaped carrots, and knobby potatoes all with the "organic" label and almost double the price. I buy regular store brand pasta like I've been doing for years, skipping the higher-priced, better-packaged versions touted as organic. Just regular cereal for me thanks, I don't need the gold-plated organic stuff.

Like I said, I always felt slightly defensive. Food is food, I thought, and we have a budget; but inside I wondered if I was somehow missing out, or worse, harming my kids by not jumping on the organic bandwagon.

Some research has come to light that makes me feel a bit better about bucking the popular trend. Most people think of farms, and family orchards, and cows peacefully grazing, I think, when they think about organic food. Nothing could be further from the truth. Organic is as big a business as any other type of food, and there is very little of the peaceful, Amish-style life about growing it.

First of all, over the years, people have become very wary of pesticides. And rightfully so; after all, overexposures to chemicals like DDT have caused ongoing health problems. But the chemicals used today are tested, tested and retested for safety. The American people demand it. So the pesticides used in conventional or "unnatural" food farming might not be as harmful as some organic proponents would have you believe that it is.

And organic farming uses chemicals. The rules that govern organic farming simply states that such chemicals be in their natural form, and not a synthetic version. So the organic food has the same exposure to neurotoxins and carcinogens as the regular stuff, they are just considered "natural pesticides."

And then for the eww factor: what many organic farmers use as fertilizer is the real thing. Cow manure is liberally spread all over that healthy-looking batch of vegetables sitting in the over-priced section of the farmer's market. Now, cow manure is supposed to be composted for at least 120 days at 131 degrees minimum in order to kill any of the dangerous bacteria lurking in fecal matter. But, organic farmers are like anyone else: they get busy, get rushed, they need fertilizer right then, and go dump some e.coli on your vegetables.

Yes, e. coli exists in any fecal matter, including the so-called "natural fertilizer" used in organic farming. And e. coli can kill people. In fact, the recent spinach scare and recall was due to e. coli. When tests have been done on organic foods, the ones that have contained the most bacteria have been sprouts, and pre-bagged greens and lettuce.

But the warm fuzzies involved in buying and eating organic abound. Surely growing and eating organic is better for the planet, right? Well, if we all had our little plot of land and grew for ourselves, the food and the planet might be healthier. But organic farming as it is beginning to exist, just uses more resources. Organic farming uses more land per bushel, due to losses by weeds and insects. Of course, they charge more to make up for that, but I don't see how that helps our earth any.

It's almost become a reflex by now to wince when I voluntarily pass by the organic offerings in favor of foods that are easier on my budget. But hopefully I can ditch the guilt. And so can you.