Advertising professionals everywhere rejoice! The new buzzword organic has hit the streets! Market all your products as organic, regardless of the truth, and earn triple the profits!
Welcome to my series of diatribes about things suburbia needs to get straight. I'm not out to offend anyone. Actually, this idea was born after being offended by a (suburban) family member.
My sarcasm is obvious, but the facts tend to be as clear as mud when it comes to organic vs. non-organic food/farming. I blame the media, largely, for this marketing ploy.
Organic, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is defined as: of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/organic)
As you can see, that does not mean there are NO fertilizers, pesticides, growth stimulants or antibiotics...just none that are chemically formulated. In fact, a recent study showed that although foods grown with chemically formulated fertilizers and pesticides did have residue from the chemicals used in their growth...so did organic food (but only 1/3 as much). Another study showed that a common "organic" pesticide, when injected into rats, caused Parkinson's Disease. Granted, they have also shown NutraSweet to cause cancer in rats, and that's not shutting Diet Pepsi down any time soon. Hedge your bets accordingly, I suppose.
I am SICK and TIRED of being blamed for single-handedly giving people cancer. Someone said to me recently, "I've seen what Round-Up does to weeds growing in my driveway, I'd hate to think of what it would do to my esophagus." This same person drinks Coke like it's going out of style...Coke...the same product used to clean toilets and eat up the residue from oil spills on the interstate...where is the LOGIC, people?
Since when did eating organic vs. non-organic become a moral compass? In the 1950s, people were shunned because they had pre-marital sex. Now, you can screw all you want, but God forbid you eat an apple not grown with manure for fertilizer! How can you fault someone for wanting a certified, tested, albeit chemical, fertilizer on their apples instead of POOP?!
Most people, myself included at one point, have no idea what constitutes an "organic" label. The people (government) who say what can be classified organic are the very same people (government again!) who administer all the tests of the "evil" chemical fertilizers, and approve them for use on products intended for human consumption. This "moral dilemna" is mind-numbingly insane.
For those of us who live in rural areas, often times, there is little or no access to organic foods within a 50 mile radius. So even if we wanted to eat organically-grown produce, it's not reasonably available.
From a farming standpoint (and yes, our farm does use those demon chemicals), it is very, very costly to farm organically. Not just because the fertilizers and pesticides cost more to manufacture and therefore purchase but, also, because of what the lack of chemical products does to your fields. The weeds that crop up (no pun intended) are almost unbearable, and many times ruin the products you're spending so much money to grow. Even if they don't ruin your fields before the food is ready to harvest, they most certainly will afterwards. Again, this is not a moral decision, this is a financial and labor-related decision. So sue me. Just quit telling the world I'm responsible for cancer. That's ludicrous!
Look, I will never EVER judge someone for what type of foods they choose to consume. It's America. We have that right. I applaud those of you who are healthy, active, informed consumers who care about your bodies enough to want to prevent disease, obesity and anything else. Where I have a problem is when people assume that only those eating organic foods fall into that group. There is NO right or wrong answer. Can't we all just get along?
(910): then he said the sex was...
1 year ago
