I think added preservatives and pesticides play a huge role, because synthetic commercial farming is done in dirt, which the dirt creates the need for pesticides. I am 100% against synthetic farming in dirt. That's what hydroponics is for, if growing in dirt definitely grow organic.. Just my opinion... Because dirt was not made for chemical nutrients and it defeats the whole purpose of growing in dirt when you use chemicals. Here's a good article about foods that were tested. It touches base on how some foods are better grown organically while many are not worth the cost because synthetic was better. But, they do not compare hydroponically grown, which imo would be a better test, as stated above I do not like the fact of growing in soil and using synthetic nutes... Though I have grown many mother plants in miracle grow, I have never flowered them. I just grow them in mg for clones. I agree that it seems cancer has been more wide spread recently, but the reason I'm not sure of. Many people do not take care of thier body and in return can make you sick. I honestly blame big pharmacy for the wide spread cancers. If you think about it, the more medicine advances, the more people get sick. It could be a key factor, taking a pill to cure one thing and having it cause another problem. As seen in many medicine class action court cases about a certain medicine killing people. There's a lot to consider and it's nearly impossible to pin point the casue of many widespread problems because I believe that it's a combination of things.
"We decided to find out. We sent two samples of: lettuce, broccoli, chicken and milk to Sani Pure Labs in Saddle River, NJ to be analyzed. The testers did not know which ones were organic and which were conventional. What we found was surprising.
Ron Schnitzer of Sani Pure Labs revealed, “There was a really significant difference between the organic produce and the conventional produce.” As it turned out, the organic broccoli and lettuce had much higher levels of bacteria than the conventional. It’s not harmful bacteria, but it is bacteria that will spoil your produce much quicker. And what that means to the shopper who is spending more for organic, is the product will have a much shorter shelf life.
Well maybe we can live with lettuce that turns brown faster, but what about poultry? When I smelled the conventional chicken at the lab a week later, it had an odor. When I smelled the organic chicken the stench was almost unbearable. “A week later even held at zero degrees it’s putrid whereas its counterpart held identically, still is satisfactory” says Schnitzer.
Grossed out yet? We'll give you a break. The milk although often twice the price of conventional was identical. Schnitzer finds, “Microbiologically we couldn’t tell the difference between organic milk and conventional milk.”
We wondered why the organic almost always had a shorter shelf life. When you think of organic you think "straight from the farm." Anderson explains, "The distribution systems for organic products just aren’t as well developed as they are for conventional agriculture products.” So what that means is it takes longer to get to the market than the well-oiled conventional system. Anderson advises shopping at farmer’s markets to get the freshest organic produce possible. If you do buy organic from the supermarket make sure you check the produce for brown spots or spoilage and use the product as soon as you can. The same goes for poultry.
But many people shop to promote a better environment for our crops as well as for our livestock. One thing that cannot be tested is the way animals have been treated while used for producing a product.
Is it worth the price? That’s for you to decide.
What you saw on "Today"
Here's more about some of the foods discussed on the show:
Other organic foods worth considering:
Milk, beef, poultry
Reduce the risk of exposure to the agent believed to cause mad cow disease and minimize exposure to other potential toxins in non-organic feed. These foods containno hormones, and antibiotics, which have been linked to increased antibacterial resistance in humans. They often cost 100 percent more than conventional products.
No need to go organic with these foods:
Fruit
Bananas, kiwi, mangos, papaya, pineapples Vegetables
Asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, onions, peas
These products generally do not contain pesticide residue.Seafood
Wild or farmed fish can be labeled organic, despite the presence of contaminants such as mercury and PCBs. There are no USDA organic certification standards for seafood. Producers are allowed to make their own organic claims.Cosmetics
Having "organic" or "natural" in its name doesn't necessarily mean it's safer. Only 11 percent of ingredients found in personal-care products, organic or not, have ever been screened for safety.
Managing the high cost of organic foods
Why does organic cost more?
Growing the food is more labor-intensive. And even though organic food is a growing industry, it doesn't have the economies of scale or government subsidies available to conventional growers."
I aways love the summer times when the farm stands start selling food, I admit the fresh organic food is great and when purchased from a farm stand, it's not more expensive, mostly cheaper and healthier. And your lucky having traveled to Europe, it's on my bucket list. I've never traveled out of the US, besides Canada, but traveling is my favorite hobby. I've almost been to every state and love the diversity. It was great chatting and throwing around ideas Dr. Who. Feel free to chime in if this thread ever grows.
