What does Organic Mean? And Should I buy it?

What does ORGANIC really mean? What does Organic' mean and is it really worth my money? Organic food does have some benefits, but depending on what you've been told, some may be bigger than others. It's a sticky topic, but let's start with what exactly it means to be "organic," and then try to help you decide if you should buy organic or not. What are the benefits? Nutritional Value Organic foods have no substantial vitamin or mineral advantage (save phosphorous, which is in high abundance in human diets anyway) over foods that are conventionally grown. Environmental Impact One of the goals of organically grown and produced foods are to encourage environmentally friendly farming and growth practices, cycling of natural resources, and growing food without the need for harsh pesticides or chemical fertilizers. This makes many organic crops more volatile, but focuses on environmental sustainability as well as yield. Public Health and Antibiotics Organic foods-especially organic meats-have to contain 95%-100% organic materials, synthetic additives and antibiotics cannot be added to the animal feed. Studies had two things to say about contamination: that conventionally farmed meat and produce were more likely to be contaminated with antibiotic-resistant the bacteria, but both had equal risk of being contaminated overall. Pesticides and Chemical Additives Organic foods are much less likely to contain pesticides (consuming organics reduces risk of consuming pesticides by 30%) although both conventional and organic foods are shown to have pesticide traces well below USDA limits. That doesn't mean organic foods will supercharge your health – you'll just be at less risk of exposure to potentially harmful substances Taste Obviously, whether organic foods taste better is a matter of, well, taste. Many people swear by the difference in organic eggs, dairy, meats, and some produce. Others say that when blindfolded, those same people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between organic and conventional. There's incredibly little data on this topic, so we'll have to leave it up to you and your palate to decide. Price At most supermarkets, organic goods come at a premium price. Part of it is a matter of supply and demand, and part of it is that organic produce, meat, and dairy often require more money to grow than conventional goods. Scouting out a nearby food co-op, or even hitting your local farmer's market can all bring you high quality, often organically grown foods at great (even negotiable) prices. 3. 3. The choice is yours... We've given you all the data we could find but ultimately the choice is yours.. Go organic or don't? Source: http://lifehacker.com/5941881/what-does-organic-really-mean-and-should-i-buy-it facebook.com/PeelhamFarm PEELHAM FARM www.peelham.co.uk @PeelhamFarm