Papola 1 Cenna Papola Ms. Gardner H. English 10, period 4 10 May 2016 To Be Organic Or Not To Be Organic Prices have gone up while quality has gone down. In the world today, most people are more concerned about the price of their food rather than where it came from and how it was made. All people see now is how, “o rganic foods are more expensive —and often significantly more so—than nonorganic” (Watson). Organic foods have to be raised without pesticides and typical fertilizers which slows down the production rate and increases the cost to raise them. Conventional foods, on the other hand, are heavily sprayed with chemical pesticides and fertilizer that is prohibited from organic agriculture. The conventional system has come across some problems with the pesticides being used; certain cancers, such as Parkinson’s disease, autism, respiratory diseases, and reproductive problems, have been caused by these pesticides (Olson). We need to have more research done to truly ensure the benefits of conventional foods so that we may make decisions for ourselves whether or not conventional is better than organic. Conventional foods should not be encouraged because they can harm organic farms with the overspray caused by the spraying of chemicals, they have not been fully researched or tested for health benefits, and their use of chemicals and fertilizer may harm humans. Those in support of conventional foods believe they are better for the environment, wallet, and over all better for people. Some studies have shown that although, “...organics do have some safety advantages over conventional foods, nutritionally speaking they (organics) Papola 2 have little extra to offer” (Tatar). A study published by the renowned journal Nature in 2012 also said, “ “...overall, organic yields are typically lower than conventional yields” ranging from 5 to 34 percent lower yields based on the system and site characteristics.” Yields can be an environmental concern depending on on their size; the more land needed to “produce a commodity”, the larger the negative effect on the environment will be (Tatar). Based off of these ideas, conventional supporters believe they are making the better choice of foods, but also they found that, “o rganic foods are more expensive —and often significantly more so—than nonorganic” (Watson). Some believe that conventional foods have the power to end world hunger because they can grow fast, are less expensive, and can grow in smaller areas. Also, they may not be exactly the same, but conventional and organic foods have roughly the same nutritional values, allowing one to say that conventional foods are as healthy or even healthier than organic in some cases. As it seems, supporters may say conventional agriculture is better than organic agriculture because of its cost and fast growth; however, conventional agriculture should not be encouraged because of its extensive use of chemicals, lack of research found and tested, and sceptical health effects. Admittedly, conventional foods are grown faster and can be sold cheaper than organic foods, yet this does not make them better. Complaints have been filed from organic farmers about the overspray of pesticides and other chemicals coming from conventional farms. This overspray can destroy an organic farmer’s crop and profit. For instance, Mr. and Mrs. Dunham live in Iowa and run a small organic farm. They are surrounded by larger conventional farmers who use pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides for their corn and the Dunham’s have experienced large clouds of chemicals that have destroyed their asparagus crops. Likewise, most Papola 3 of the smaller organic businesses are surrounded by these conventional farms and have been experiencing the same problem. The Dunham’s can no longer sell their asparagus as organic because it has been contaminated. These chemical clouds have the power to completely dismantle an organic business by their ability to expose organic foods to conventional products. Organic farmers have found loopholes or “buffers” for their issues. They can sell their contaminated foods as conventional or simply mow down the affected produce, but either way their business is damaged. “The aerial spraying industry and pesticide manufacturers, meanwhile, say they've made big strides in controlling drift through pilot education and new technologies”, yet, “organic farmers also worry about a new Dow AgroSciences weed control system awaiting federal approval called Enlist partly because it uses 2, 4D, an old herbicide that's been prone to drift” (“ Organic Farms Plagued by Pesticide Drift From Neighbors” ). If the conventional farms are allowed to continue spraying their neighboring organic farms, then the organic farms will fail to keep their proper label. More action must be taken in order to figure out new ways of safely keeping overspray off organic produce. If not, what will happen as conventional farmers continue to spray? What will happen when all of the organic growers are victims to this crisis? As it seems, the health benefits of conventional foods have not been fully researched. Dr. Hauser, mentioned in the article Organic Food No More Nutritious than Conventionally Grown Food , that she believes, ““just because these foods aren’t going over what they call an ‘acceptable limit’ doesn’t mean they’re safe for everyone...”” She also adds, ““there haven’t been enough studies evaluating pesticide exposure to confirm the health effects, particularly in children and pregnant women”” (Watson). “Researchers have not yet found much proof that Papola 4 organic foods are indeed more nutritious or make a difference in people's health” ( "To Go Organic or Not to Go Organic?" ). Obviously, the results of the tests that have been done are unanimous and read that conventional and organic foods are about equal nutrition wise, with organic having slightly better qualities. As a result, people on the opposing side of the argument cannot confidently say that conventional foods are a healthier choice than organic foods. Correspondingly, the use of chemicals such as herbicides and insecticides have been known for having harmful side effects on humans. In particular, conventional foods that are consumed for a short or long period of time have been resulting in some cases of cancer development. Similarly, the chemicals on the conventional foods could be dangerous to pregnant women and young children. “There haven’t been enough studies evaluating pesticide exposure to confirm the health effects, particularly in children and pregnant women…” (Watson) This implies that there needs to have more research done before we can safely give these products to customers. Otherwise, people could become severely ill resulting in a possible lawsuit for the food company or, more importantly, someone could die from a poisonous chemical. Therefore, more precautions should be taken while dealing with these chemicals to ensure the safety of all consumers. In conclusion, conventional foods should not be advertised as the right choice because we, the consumers, are all still learning about them. There are risks and unknowns that come with conventional foods; overspray polluting organic foods, insufficient amount of safety tests, and the effect on our health. Overusing conventional agriculture and marketing it as healthier will wrongly teach people that foods isolated from nature’s wonders are the way to go, ultimately destroying the organic farmers and eradicating organic foods from our diet. We must be willing Papola 5 to wean off of our preconceived notions that conventional food is the right choice because it is the new advancement in agriculture and it is less expensive to purchase and produce. This “advancement” must be tested and proven to be 100 percent the wise choice for the world to consume, otherwise, our health, environment, and agricultural businesses could be at risk without anyone knowing it. Papola 6 Work Cited Olson, Samantha. "What Happens To Your Body When You Switch To Organic Food [VIDEO]." Medical Daily . N.p., 22 June 2015. Web. 03 May 2016. "Organic Farms Plagued by Pesticide Drift From Neighbors." Newsmax . N.p., 7 Sept. 2014. Web. 3 May 2016. Tatar, Emiliano. "Organic vs. Conventional Foods: Environmental Impact, Nutrition, Taste." The Inquirer: Daily News . N.p., 7 Jan. 2016. Web. 3 May 2016. "To Go Organic or Not to Go Organic?." University Wire . 10 Feb. 2016: n/a. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 03 May 2016. Watson, Stephanie. "Organic Food No More Nutritious than Conventionally Grown Food Harvard Health Blog." Harvard Health Blog RSS . N.p., 05 Sept. 2012. Web. 03 May 2016.