Download Organic Food vs Non Organic Food - The Facts

Organic Food vs Non Organic Food - The Facts
There are several differences between food grown in an organic manner and food grown
by conventional farming. Read the organic food vs non organic food chart, which is given
below, to compare the facts about organic foods and non organic foods.
Fact
Non Organic Food
Organic Food
Nutrients
During processing, non organic foods
Organic foods contain more
lose some nutrients and such
nutrients, that is, a higher amount
nutrients have to be artificially added
of minerals and vitamin C.
back to the food.
Chemical fertilizers are used to
provide nutrients for the growth of
crops in conventional farming.
Natural fertilizers like green
manure and compost are used for
the plants and soil in organic
farming. If the question is of
chemical fertilizers vs organic
fertilizers, then chemical fertilizers
are obviously more harmful.
Pesticides
In conventional farming, there are
over 450 pesticides which are
permitted for use. Many of these
pesticides are toxic.
Pesticides are not allowed in
organic gardening or farming. In
certain cases, they maybe allowed
but only after considering factors
like necessity, effect on human
health and environmental health.
Herbicides
Herbicides are used in non organic
farming to protect crops from insects
and weeds. Herbicides sometimes
leave a harmful toxic residue on the
plants.
Methods like crop rotation and
hand weeding are used instead of
herbicides in organic gardening and
farming.
Sewage
Sludge
Human waste is used as a fertilizer to
grow crops in conventional farming. Use of sewage sludge is not
This contaminated sewage sludge
permitted in organic farming.
may cause diseases.
Irradiation
Non organic food is irradiated, to kill
harmful bacteria and other
Irradiation is avoided in organic
microorganisms. Such radiations
farming.
might cause diseases in human
beings.
Nitrate
Amount
Fertilizers contain nitrate as a
common ingredient and this nitrate
Organic food contains lesser
gets converted to nitrosamines, which
amount of nitrates in it.
may be retained in the food and be
cancer causing.
Fertilizers
Genetic
Engineering
Genetically modified seeds are used
in non organic farming. Such seeds
are expensive and difficult for
farmers to afford. Such seeds give
high yields crops, but such plants
may be deficient in nutrients.
Animal
Welfare
Good animal husbandry standards
are maintained in organic farming.
No antibiotics are used on animals,
Animals are given antibiotics against but homeopathic medicine is used,
diseases. Intensive farming methods in case an animal gets sick. If a
are used to grow chicken quickly and farmer gives any antibiotic to an
most of the time the animals are kept animal, he loses the certificate for
indoors.
organic farming. Livestock are
handled properly and given a
proper diet, and adequate exposure
to the outdoors.
Hormones
Animals are injected with hormones
for stimulating growth, so that they
can be sold in the markets.
No hormones are used in organic
animal husbandry.
Effect on
human body
As animals are given antibiotics in
conventional farming, human body,
when sick does not accept the same
antibiotics, thus reducing the body's
immunity in the long run. Exposure
to pesticides is harmful to humans
and especially harmful to women's
health.
Organic farming is not permitted to
use such harmful chemicals. Thus,
when you measure the pros and
cons of organic food vs non
organic food, organic food is
better, as it has lower health risks.
Food
Poisoning
There are more chances of food
poisoning with conventional farming
Possibility of toxic pathogens is
food products because of the use of
very less in organic foods.
chemicals in the form of fertilizers
and pesticides.
Use of pesticides damages aquatic
life. Herbicides and pesticides
contain toxic chemicals, which has
resulted in lesser number of birds,
insects and wild plants on the
Environment
farmland. Earthworms are essential
Pollution
for good soil health and using
pesticides and insecticides reduce
earthworm population. This leads to
increased dependence of the soil, on
pesticides.
Organic farming selects healthy
seeds by seed testing.
Organic farming uses crop rotation
to prevent pests, by creating a more
diverse ecological system to
naturally grow the pest's predators.
For increasing the quality of soil,
natural manure and composting is
done. Thus, the benefits of organic
farming are more long term and
benefit in fighting problems like
degradation of the environment.
Soil Erosion
Due to productivity and cropping
regimes in conventional farming,
there is more soil erosion.
Use of green manure and good
topsoil management, prevents soil
erosion in organic farming.
Cost
The pros and cons of organic
farming shows us that organic food
Non organic food contains many
is more expensive. But with the
hidden cost like taxes and the cost of
number of farmers shifting to
the treatment for the harm caused to
organic farming and increased
the environment by conventional
government funding, the prices will
farming.
come down. Also, organic food has
lesser hidden cost.
Organic food decays earlier, as
there are no preservatives added.
Also, it looks similar to non
organic food, but sometimes might
have different shapes and color.
Appearance
Non organic food is treated many
times with preservatives.
Quality
Standards
All non organic food products have
All organic food should have a
the normal quality approval labels on
USDA organic label.
them.
Food Safety
Many a times harmful preservatives
are added to non organic foods.
Organic foods are safer and better,
as they don't use any toxic
chemicals.
Availability
If you measure the availability of
organic food vs non organic food,
most non organic foods are easily
available.
Some organic foods are imported
from other countries and therefore,
you cannot be assured of the
quality of imported organic food.
Number of
Consumers
Maximum consumers buy non
organic food, as it is cheaper and
easily available.
Consumers are shifting towards
buying organic foods, with
growing awareness.
Organic food is better as it uses natural farming techniques. It is similar to preferring
natural remedies when suffering from a disease as compared to eating chemical
antibiotics. So, the question of organic foods vs non organic foods – which is better, is
clearly answered by the above table that organic food surpasses the conventionally
produced food in several ways. Though, more studies are required to establish facts about
organic foods and their long term effects.