Whenever I
visit the grocery store and saunter down the produce aisle, I see a variety of
people shopping: some calculating if it's cheaper to buy the head of lettuce
than the bag, rolling their eyes at the expense of organic, reaching for the
sale item with no questions asked, knocking on watermelons... While I do admit
commercial grocery stores are expanding their organic produce selection, it
still remains much smaller compared to the rest: GMO and conventional.
What does
this mean? According to supply and demand principles, the market for organic
produce consumers is smaller than that of it's conventional and GMO
counterparts. Why? The answer is quite simple: America is misinformed. Has the
difference between the three growing methods ever been taught to anyone in
school? Not once in my fourteen years spent in the education system. Are there
commercials on TV? If that were the case, my mom would be an expert considering
she spends all of her free time watching it. Coverage on popular news networks
such as CNN, ABC, NBC and FOX? If so, don't you think more people would know
better? For the large majority of America, it boils down to one thing: price.
My own, beloved grandfather proved this to me one night. My family had gotten
together, and someone had brought a container of strawberries. I politely
declined, because they are one of the fruits I don't eat unless organic due to
their water content and thin skin (the ability to retain chemicals heightens
with these factors). My grandfather's response, "You know she only eats
that organic stuff! Must be nice, but it's too expensive for me. I'll go for
the other stuff, cheaper in price and the exact same thing". Not to be
disrespectful, but you are sadly mistaken, pop-pop.
GMO,
Genetically Modified Organism:
Most popular crops include soy, cotton, sugarbeet and corn. These are plants
that have had their DNA altered/combined with the DNA from another organism to
form more desirable, "efficient" traits. For example, there has been
a tomato plant engineered with Alaskan Salmon DNA. This way the tomato can be
grown out of season and won't freeze. May I make note that hybrid and heirloom
seeds are NOT GMOs. The process used to create a GMO is always done in a lab,
does NOT occur naturally, and the long-term effects on the human body are
collectively and best described as unstudied and unknown. While scientists who
were hired and paid by the same company that created GMO seeds did a
fast-tracked study claiming they were safe for consumption, independent studies
have been done by other scientists all over the world proving GMO seeds
contribute to disorders and diseases such as tumors, cancer, Alzheimer's,
infertility and birth defects. Companies in America are not required to
label whether or not a product contains GMOs, but more than likely you are
eating them since these and conventional crops are the most populous and
therefore the least expensive. There are also GMO seeds engineered to be
"pest resistant" that go by the name of "Bt" or
"Round-Up Ready", which attempts to eliminate the use of pesticides,
herbicides and insecticides. However, nature (bugs, weeds, etc.) knows how to
evolve, develop tolerance and find an alternate route to survive. Most of the
time GMO crop owners will have to purchase extra pest/herb/insecticides,
conveniently manufactured by the same company as the seed. Let's also not
forget that the company who decided to create and patent this technology,
Monsanto, was originally (and still is) a chemical company, creator of the
chemical warfare used during the Vietnam War, Agent Orange. This might just be
my personal opinion, but I don't think any human being has the right to put a
patent on Mother Nature. There is an obvious reason as to why over sixty countries
worldwide have banned the possession, growth and distribution of these
seeds.
Conventionally
Grown: These crops
come from a plain old, non-GMO seed, however farmers spray them with
herbicides, insecticides and pesticides. If the plant you're eating doesn't
fall under what I listed as a popular GMO crops, it comes from a conventional
one. Tolerance is built amongst nature in these sorts of crops, too, and thus
the strength and/or amount of chemicals increases overtime. These crops, along
with GMO, are most commonly associated with the phrase, "feed the
world" because they apparently produce more yield than organic. Taking a
closer look at crop yield, these sorts of numbers come from commercially owned,
mono crops. Mono crops are when one type of plant/seed on a farm is grown for
miles and miles. Organic farmer's yield is lower only because they understand
the importance of diversity when growing food, and therefore have many
different crops on the same piece of land. Different plants enrich and take
different nutrients from the soil, but when you constantly grow one type of
crop on one piece of land you don't get that sort of diversity, resulting in
nutrient deficient produce. Chemicals also contribute to the death of very
important fungi and microorganisms in the soil, and yet again depriving the
food you eat of essential nutrients. Any coincidence that seven out of the ten
leading causes of death in the United States are diet related with the majority
of it's citizens eating these sorts of foods?
Organic:
Organic crops are those that are grown with a normal seed, and without the use
of conventional chemicals. According to the USDA's website, organic certified
farmers must, "preserve natural resources and biodiversity, support animal
health and welfare, provide access to the outdoors so that animals can exercise
their natural behaviors, only use approved materials, do not use genetically
modified ingredients, receive annual on-sight inspections and separate organic
food from non-organic food". Organic food is more expensive than
conventional and GMO due to the fact that they don't get nearly as many, if
any, subsidies because not as many people purchase them. Also, organic farmers
must pay for inspection and labeling in addition to typical farming expenses,
and then still need to make a paycheck. In conclusion, the growing process is
not what makes organic food more expensive. Think about it, organic farmers
don't pay for pesticides or patented seeds like the other two options, so that
alone cuts costs! No to mention, when you buy organic you're supporting
smaller, family-owned businesses versus large corporate companies who could
care less about your health, so long as they're generating a profit.
Hopefully I've
done my first blog post justice and informed everyone well enough to make more
conscious decisions when visiting the grocery store! Just remember what you are
spending your money on speaks volumes: it is one of the most powerful decisions
you can make in showing who/what you support. The picture below explains how to
find which types of produce according to their stickers. Until next time!
Sources:
https://www.organicconsumers.org/old_articles/monsanto/agentorange032102.php
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=organic-agriculture.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282929.php
http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/08/10-scientific-studies-proving-gmos-can-be-harmful-to-human-health/
Documentary Films:
-Food Inc.
