Are organic foods the wave of the future?

Answer 1

One Opinion

Yes, with more nutrients in the fruits and vegetables people are realizing that the higher price tag is worth it over the herbicide and preservatives they put in regular lower cost produce.

Another Opinion

NO!

organic farming is not sustainable! it need the waste and unrecycled garbage produced by non organic farming to exist. To grow organically one cannot use fertilizer. They use compost instead which is fine. However, if all organic waste in the world would be recycled into compost and spread evenly over agricultural fields you would get less then 10 cubic meters per hectare per year. To grow organic you need 40-60 cubic meters per hectare per year. There are other problems as well. In a nutshell, organic farming looks at the past- where something came from, if its organic you can use it- while standard farming today looks at the present- if I make money its good regardless of what happens in the future. Both are non sustainable in the long run. The future will have hi-tech non-organic farming which minimizes the use of pesticides and creates a cycle which leaves the environment in at least the same condition it was when you started- in not better.

Another Opinion

No.

It's actually the wave of the past. Organic foods use methods that are consistently proven to be less efficient and spread disease at a greater cost to the consumer.

It cannot be sustained globally because it requires double the land for the same amount of food production. In addition, fertilizers that spread E. Coli and pesticides toxic to all species(including humans) . . . .

Clarification

It is apparent that organic food production has different meanings and different aspects in different countries. Human waste is not allowed to be used as a fertilizer in the United States.

Human waste is used in farming in developing countries as a result of poverty, lack of government regulation and ignorance. Human waste used as fertilizer by farmers in those countries does indeed spread disease. That's why travelers are advised against consuming produce in third world countries. Human waste contains bacteria, poisons, drugs, parasites and chemicals that have been ingested.

Although some fertilizer products are now in production that are made from treated sewage the use of those products is not allowed in the United States. Studies have shown that the temperatures used to treat sludge are not high enough to kill all the bugs that are harmful to people and heavy metals may also be present. Although those products have been advertised as being legal and safe, use by an organic farmer will result in a three year loss of certification and the resulting loss of income.

Of course, policing farmers will always be a monumental task and food product recalls will always be an aspect of American life. Food safety is of paramount concern.