Organic vs Conventional

 

Are you team organic or conventional? If you’re not quite sure and feel a little lost when browsing the supermarket aisles seeing labels like ’organic’, ‘natural’ or ‘made with organic ingredients’, I’m here to help you shop with more ease and confidence.

Once found only in health food stores, organic food is now a regular feature at most supermarkets which can make it easier to get to but also a lot more confusing. Often times you can’t really tell the difference just by looking at the produce. On one hand you have conventionally grown apples and right next to them you see the organic ones. They’re both shiny, red and looking delicious. So what’s the difference?

Unlike conventionally grown produce, organic produce has strict regulations against the use of synthetic pesticides. Choosing organic produce reduces exposure to these chemicals, but you don’t have to buy organic all the time; some produce is more likely to have pesticide residue than others.

Let’s define organic and conventional

Organic: food produced through more traditional, sustainable methods that align with the natural rhythms of the land. Organic regulations prohibit the use of antibiotics, hormones, GMOs, sewage sludge as fertilizer, synthetic insecticides and herbicides and irradiation to preserve food or eliminate disease or pests.

Organic farming practices are designed to meet the following goals:

  • Enhance soil and water quality

  • Reduce pollution

  • Provide safe, healthy livestock habitats

  • Enable natural livestock behavior

  • Promote a self-sustaining cycle of resources on a farm

  • Help encourage biodiversity through crop rotation

Conventional: sometimes referred to as industrial agriculture, this describes a system of growing food that uses technology and synthetic chemicals to help increase yields. Conventional farming may include growing the same crop on the same plot each year (monocropping), genetically modified organisms (GMOs), confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and synthetic chemicals that target insects and weeds.

Why choose organic?

Any fruits and vegetables are better than no fruits and vegetables, but there are a few compelling reasons for choosing organic. Even if nutrient content is similar, here are additional reasons to consider organic produce:

  • Organic produce may be significantly higher in antioxidants, particularly in terms of polyphenols, when compared to conventional produce.

  • Conventionally cultivated produce may have up to four times more pesticide residue than organic produce.

  • There is also a major environmental factor to consider – organic foods/practices help nourish the soil and keep it viable for future harvests, whereas conventional methods are more taxing on the environment

And what about GMOs?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are plants, animals, microorganisms or other organisms whose genetic material has been modified in a laboratory using genetic engineering or transgenic technology. Foods are typically altered to become resistant to pests or herbicides, which can help increase agricultural yields and feed the growing population, but also have a negative impact on biodiversity and that they disrupt delicate ecosystems.

If you want to avoid GMOs, you may want to be aware of which products are typically modified. Since foods labeled “organic” aren’t allowed to have GMOs, you may consider purchasing these foods organically. According to the Environmental Working Group, these are the foods most likely to include GMOs:

  • Sugar beets

  • Soy

  • Canola

  • Corn

  • Papaya

  • Potatoes

  • Yellow summer squash/zucchini

  • Animal products

How to understand food labels?

  • 100% Organic: You guessed it! This means the product is completely organic.

  • Organic: The product must be at least 95% organic.

  • Made with Organic Ingredients: At least 70% of the ingredients in the product are considered organic.

  • Natural: The product contains no artificial ingredients or added color and was minimally processed. This label is controversial, though, because there aren’t clear standards describing what “minimal” processing includes.

  • Certified Naturally Grown: This is a grassroots labeling movement in the United States for foods that are produced using organic methods, but the farm isn’t certified as organic.

“The Dirty Dozen” List

Buying all organic may not be necessary or accessible for many of us, however certain foods may benefit from being organic. For example, you may splurge for organic spinach, which tends to be high in pesticides, while purchasing conventionally produced avocados, which tend to be low in pesticides. The Environmental Working Group creates lists ranking produce based on the amount of pesticides they contain. “The Dirty Dozen” includes the fruits and vegetables that tested highest for pesticides (for example spinach, kale, strawberries, apples) and the “Clean Fifteen” lists the produce ranked lowest in pesticides. If purchasing all organic is difficult, items from the “Dirty Dozen” list may be the better investment. You can find more info and both lists here.

Sources:
- The Environmental Working Group. (2020). EWG’s 2020 shopper’s guide to pesticides in produce.
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4141693
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition
- Fagan, J., Antoniou, M., & Robinson, C. (2014). GMO myths and truths (2nd ed.). London: Earth Open Source.







 
Veronika KamenickaComment