The Ethics of Organic

For millenniums, humans have survived off of natural sources of food, whether it came from hunting and gathering, or grown agriculturally like wheat and corn. But with a never-ending shortage and demand for food due to population growth, new agricultural solutions from man-made fertilizers to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have become essential to our survival. The question of whether organic-grown food is the healthiest choice nutritionally has been a tough, if not controversial battle.

But what is organic?

The defnition of an organically-certified product differs between the laws of each country. In 1999, the United Kingdom Parliament defined organic farming as products which largely excluded growth hormones and feed additives, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for livestock and farm-grown crops respectively. By 2005, in addition to the above definition, the United States’ Electronic Code of Federal Regulations added and classified GMOs to be non-organic, since they are not produced naturally.

Is organic healthier?

A 2006 review article states that there is a lack of data to suggest that our recent new conventions in agriculture affect the nutritional value in any significant way, arguing that organic foods are preferred due to ethical reasons rather than concerns for health. It was also noted that the most worrisome factors of recent agricultural changes would have to be the use of antibiotics in livestock, which has been linked to increase the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Another study showed no nutritional difference between livestock that were fed GMOs rather than organic feed. The study also noted that conventional farming of GMOs often include the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture, which have been proven to be safe as the compounds must undergo rigorous FDA-approval. If it is any consolation, we learned from the Chemistry 341 article at UBC that humans are exposed to 10,000 times more natural pesticides by weight than man-made ones.

Even with a lack of long-term studies on non-organic versus organic diets, these studies argue that there is no significant difference between the nutritrional value of two similar products. Nutrition is irrelevant to whether they were organically or non-organically produced.

Then why should I eat organic?

It was previously hinted that although organic food may not be healthier, it is often chosen over alternatives because of ethical reasons. New York Times food columnist, Mark Bittman, looks into not what, but how we are eating wrong in the following Ted talk:

And the debate of organics still rages on today, and new evidence being found for both sides. There are many good ethical reasons behind organic food production, but conventionally grown products are important too, because if we can genetically modify plants to increase agriculture production, why wouldn’t we do so to feed those who need it? Ultimately I can see an importance to both of them, and for me, the bottom line is that non-organically grown fruits and vegetables are still safe to eat and buy against popular belief, but I will think twice now before choosing cheaper meats than those that are organically certified.