ORGANIC FOODS ON THE RISE!

An increasing number of people agree that all the issues concerning our food supply have them concerned about the safety of the food we eat.  Food frights such as mad cow disease, genetic engineering, E. Coli contamination, additives and pesticides have put food safety on the public's front burner. Almost three-quarters of Canadians and USA residents have tried organic food, though it may cost from 20 to 200 per cent more, and about 40 per cent buy it fairly often.  There has got to be some real concern among these consumers for them to pay a little extra to buy organic!  I for one am one of those consumers.  I feel that most of the commercially produced foods are contaminated and toxic – and they are not healthy for our consumption. 

Organic food sales at the retail level totaled $10.4 billion, according to Katherine DiMatteo, executive director of the Organic Trade Association

This year, retail sales of organic foods are expected to exceed $15 billion — with more than $32 billion projected by 2009. While the conventional food industry still dwarfs the organic sector with $550 billion in yearly sales, it is producing an unappetizing 2 to 3 percent annual growth rate, while the organic industry has savored several years of 17 to 20 percent growth.

“Once you have Kraft marketing an organic product, albeit through another brand, you really can't be more part of the mainstream than that,” said Don Montuori, editor of Packaged Facts, an industry publication.

Kraft owns Boca Burgers, and other mainstream food companies and supermarkets want a piece of the organic pie. Other big players are going organic, including Coca-Cola, which bought Odwalla natural beverages, and General Mills, which have Cascadian Farm. Wal-Mart and Costco are now among the 700 U.S. companies selling organic as well as conventional food products.

All this competition means organic prices have dropped — often to the same levels as conventional food. But you can still drop $65 on an 18-pound organic turkey.

The organic industry is big and still growing. The newest Whole Foods Market in New York city is more Costco-sized than Manhattan cramped — it boasts 60,000 square feet. The $4 billion-a-year organic food giant is poised to get even bigger on the national level, riding — if not leading — the wave of the organic boom.

“Organic is just plain better for you,” said Nina Rothschild, on a recent shopping trip. “So I feel that I'm doing the right thing.”

Consumers can expect to see the mass marketing of organic foods, drinks and other products to continue, especially in everyday supermarkets.  Supermarkets accounted for 37 percent of organic sales last year, and they're also eliminating obstacles to wider market penetration — including price, quality and distribution.

Even organic ketchup has gained popularity – and rightly so!  This very common everyday condiment has so many more healthy attributes when produced organically.  Take a look at the following facts:

A team of U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists stationed at the Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California studied the lycopene content of 13 commercially available brands of ketchup in six major national brands, three organic brands, two store brands, and two brands sold in fast food restaurants and/or vending machines (Ishida and Chapman, 2004). They measured the micrograms of trans-lycopene per gram of ketchup. Lycopene helps protect against breast, pancreatic, prostate and intestinal cancer, especially when eaten with fatty foods. Also evidence that it can reduce the risk of heart attacks (New Scientist, 23.12.2000).

  The average level in the organic brands was by far the highest at 174.2 micrograms per gram of ketchup. The major national brands averaged 110.7 micrograms per gram, the store brands 112.3, and the fast food/vending brands, 102.5. So the average level in the organic brands was 57 percent higher than the national brands and 55 percent higher than the store brands.

Now that is just studying one product!  Imagine the important and substantial difference between organic and non-organic foods.  One huge difference that affects every organic food is the quality of the food.  It is a simple fact that organic foods have higher nutrient content minus the detrimental affects of pesticide, fungicide and herbicidal residues.  For that simple fact organic foods lower health risks!  Undesired substances and organisms in food can be the reason for allergies, but also cause serious diseases like cancer. Scientists from the research project "Food Turn-around" have now used a new procedure to rate these substances by comparison and have estimated the damage to society. The result: BSE and hormonal substances are among the biggest food risks to society, but genetically modified food, pesticides, bacteria, viruses and drugs are similarly damaging. The study shows that the risk potential is approximately halved by organic food. The upshot is that organic food contains appreciably fewer health risks.

Organic Credibility?

Credibility for organic growers and processors rests on obtaining "certification" from a registered organic certifier. And that means complying with standards set by the organic industry and the Canadian General Standards Board or State Organic Standards in the USA.  Organic farmers cannot use synthetic pesticides, fertilizers or genetically modified organisms and cannot give animals growth hormones or antibiotics except in the case of extreme illness. Farmers must protect soil and water by rotating their crops and properly composting and storing manure. Organic food processors cannot use chemical preservatives, coloring agents, waxes or irradiation treatment.  Processed food labeled organically certified contains 95 per cent organically grown ingredients, says Arran Stephens, president and founder of Delta, B.C.-based Nature's Path Foods, the world's largest organic cereal company. Processors may use up to five per cent non-organically grown ingredients such as salt, yeast and lecithin, Stephens says, because these ingredients can't be found in organic form.

Scientists connect pesticide and herbicide use to an increased risk for Parkinson’s disease!

In two papers published in the journal "NeuroToxicology" in the December 2004 and February 2005 issues, the group describes how polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) disrupt dopamine neurons, which are the cells that degenerate during the course of Parkinson's disease.

Researchers also show that low levels of maneb, a fungicide commonly used in farming, can injure the antioxidant system in those same types of cells.  Environmental contaminants might make dopamine cells more vulnerable to damage from normal aging, infection, or subsequent exposure to pollutants, researchers say.  The investigation is part of a nationwide effort to better understand every aspect of Parkinson's disease, which affects up to one million Americans.

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological disorder that occurs when certain nerve cells die or can no longer produce the brain chemical dopamine. A lack of dopamine is what causes patients to experience tremors, stiffness in the
limbs and trunk, and impaired movement or balance.

So there is a connection between Parkinson’s disease and pesticide chemicals.  This raises a few more questions and concerns in my mind about other diseases such as MS, ALS and other neurological and nervous system ailments.  In my mind I can see chemical overload and toxicity causing all those disorders.  Our environment is at an all time high for chemical toxicity, farmers use pesticides, herbicides,  and fungicides constantly.  These products are created to destroy fungus, weeds and pests by attacking the foundation of the organism, the central nervous system. They are on the foods we eat and in the air that we breathe!  Our bodies are exposed almost everywhere we go.  The nervous system and neurological system of our bodies are our very foundation of functionality!   Why should we put ourselves at risk, when in most instances there is a choice?

BSE

All humans and animals, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) of the central nervous system (CNS) have common pathological features. Since bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE & CJD) emerged in 1985, similar TSEs have been diagnosed in domestic cats and captive wild animals in England.  TSEs have a common infectious agent with over 20 different strains.  Common findings are vacuoles in the CNS, with each strain being identified by the vacuole distribution in the brain and by the incubation period. The BSE strain of the agent is unique in these properties.

Something strikes me and makes me think deeply about BSE and CJD.  If this disease in animals and humans attacks the central nervous system, it could be very likely that this BSE crisis could be renamed to TOXIC ANIMAL AND HUMAN CRISIS.  Take the cow for example, it grazes all day long on manufactured grain and grass at a chemical laden farm, could this build up chemicals in the cow be the real reason for BSE?  You then have a chain reaction of health detriment, when humans consume a large quantity of beef each year; humans who are also toxic eat toxic meat, which can easily overtake a susceptible body.  Wow, now that is food for thought!

Ten most important reasons to eat organic:

1. It's healthy. Organic food tends to contain higher levels of vitamin C, cancer-fighting antioxidants, and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium.

2. No nasty additives. Organic food doesn't contain food additives that can cause health problems such as heart disease, osteoporosis, migraines and hyperactivity.

3. It avoids pesticides. More than 400 chemical pesticides are routinely used in conventional farming and residues are often present in non-organic food.

4. No genetic modification. Under organic standards, genetically modified (GM) crops and ingredients are not allowed.

5. There is not a reliance on drugs. Organic farming standards prohibit the routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones in farm animals.

6. There are no hidden costs. As taxpayers, we pay for chemicals to be removed from our drinking water - including the pesticide runoff from conventional farms.

7. There are high standards. Organic food comes from trusted sources that are inspected to ensure compliance to organic standards.

8. Organic methods provide for animals. Animal welfare is taken very seriously under organic standards.

9. It's good for wildlife and the environment. The UK government has said that organic farming is better for wildlife, causes lower pollution from sprays, produces less carbon dioxide - the main global warming gas - and less dangerous wastes.

10. It's flavorful. Many people prefer organic food because they say it tastes better. 

Knowing this why is it we don’t eat more organic foods when possible?  Perhaps it is because the majority of us still follow the “authorities” when they say our food is safe.  Perhaps because organic foods are a little more expensive, or that you don’t have the time to find organics.  Well I urge you to do your research, find inexpensive sources for organic foods, perhaps you have an organic farmer close buy or you could join a food co-op.  But for your health, do find good food sources, you will not be disappointed.

Some Information sources:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6638417/

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/healthier021405.cfm

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/healthier021405.cfm

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/pcbs021005.cfm

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/organic20705.cfm

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