Why Choose Orgainic Food?

1. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without the use of artificial fertilizers, chemical toxins and genetically modified organisms.

Pesticides are designed to kill living organisms and are therefore a threat to human health. In 1990, it was estimated that farmers in the United States applied 20 billion gallons of fertilizers and 2 billion gallons of pesticides to our food supplies. The National Cancer Institute states that 30% of insecticides, 60% of herbicides and 90% of fungicides are known to cause cancer. And that's just one negative side effect. These chemicals can also lead to damage of both the nervous and hormonal systems.

2. Our Children -
Children are even more vulnerable than adults to the dangers of agricultural toxins. After all, kids consume a higher percentage in relation to their size.
According to a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, children fed conventional supermarket produce had six to nine times higher levels of pesticides in their blood than those fed organic foods.
Children eating non-organic foods were switched for five days to an organic diet and pesticide levels were measured in their urine before and after the change. The study -- published this past fall -- found that some pesticides disappeared from the children's urine after going organic.We don't say that moving to more organic food will necessarily change your risk (of health problems)," said Richard Fenske, a professor with the UW's School of Public Health and one of the researchers on the study. "But it will change your children's pesticide exposure."

3. Organic Products Meet Stringent Standards

Before an item is slapped with an organic label, it must pass a certification process by the U.S. or state departments of agriculture. Organic certification is the public's assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures, without chemical inputs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's certified organic seal lets consumers know which products are certified organic, and assures them that the products have met government standards.

4. Certified foods cannot be genetically modified or irradiated.

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5. Organic dairy, poultry, meat and eggs are produced without growth hormones and antibiotics.

6. Organic Farms Respect Our Water Resources and Build Soil

The elimination of polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching, done in combination with soil building, protects and conserves water resources. Soil is the primary focus of organic farming. By building soil, organic growers help prevent soil erosion, which has become a major problem in U.S. agricultural centers.

7. Organic Farmers Work in Harmony with Nature and Strive to Preserve Diversity

Organic agriculture respects the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem: Wildlife is encouraged by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fencerows, wetlands and other natural areas.

The loss of a large variety of species (biodiversity) can have unforeseen and detrimental effects on our environment. Organic farmers and gardeners have been collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties for decades.

8. Organic Farming Helps Keep Rural Communities Healthy

Organic farming may be one of the few survival tactics left for the family farm and the rural community. By choosing organic practices, farmers create a value-added product that can be sold at a premium.

*Research from Consumer Reports' February issue concludes that some items are worth the organic price premium, but others might not be because their non-organic versions are less likely to be contaminated with pesticides, or they have weak standards associated with the organic label. See which FOODS ARE THE MOST CONTAMINATED AND SHOULD BE ORGANIC

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

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