Organic Food MythBusters

—

by

James Walters
in

Here we look at 5 organic food myths. This is part of our campaign to #VoteWithOurMoney with 6 Steps to Help Stop Climate Change, and part of our series on Eating Sustainably.

The choice of consuming organic food is becoming increasingly popular all over the world. Not only does it allow you to meet your healthy self-improvement needs but it also helps with minimising the worst impacts of climate change.

However, it can be confusing for people to find accurate facts about organic food. That’s where this guide comes into place. It busts five of the most common myths that people believe about organic food.

What Does Organic Food Actually Mean?

Organic food refers to the food that’s produced from organic crops and farms that avoid the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. The Soil Association is the largest organic certification body in the UK. According to the Soil Association, organic foods are about a way of production that works with nature.

It includes sustainable management of the natural environment and land, use of natural pesticides instead of artificial fertilisers or manufactured herbicides, and higher levels of animal welfare. Additionally, all products with an organic label must come from certified organic food manufacturers and farms.

Myths About Organic Food

Eating organic food is one of the best ways to help climate change and improve your health. The following are the most common myths about organic food that you need to know.

Myth 1 – Organic Food Isn’t as Good for Environment as Vegan Food

We all know that climate change is one of the biggest problems that humanity is currently facing. According to the World Wildlife Fund, both animals and humans are facing new challenges for survival due to climate change.

We’re experiencing more intense and frequent droughts, warming oceans, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and heatwaves. All of these calamities wreak havoc on people’s livelihoods and directly harm animals by destroying their natural habitats.

That’s why we need to change the way we produce and consume food. It includes focusing on food from UK-grown livestock and eating less and better meat. It’ll allow us to minimise the harsh environmental impacts caused by intensive animal agriculture.

In organic farming, livestock graze on pastures that support carbon sequestration by storing carbon in the soil and capturing it from the atmosphere. Not only does it increase soil health by storing organic matter, it also helps with crop rotation and recycling nutrients.

When farmers and manufacturers use fossil-fuel-hungry fertilisers, imported from other countries, to produce conventional food, it increases pollution, damages soil, and harms wildlife.

Myth 2 – Organic Food Isn’t Based on Scientific Research

Many people believe that organic food is just for hippies and it doesn’t have any scientific basis, but that’s far from the truth. Although organic agriculture revolves around more traditional forms of farming, it uses scientifically driven methods to increase agriculture yields and improve soil health.

Organic farmers work with nature to develop healthy farm ecosystems. These methods don’t rely on dangerous chemicals such as synthetic pesticides. The main focus of organic farmers is to devise closed-loop organic farming systems. These scientific methods help organic farmers to recycle all organic matter and nutrients back into the soil.

Myth 3 – Organic Food is Expensive Without Any Reason

The Soil Association is working with the UK government to subsidise and incentivise organic farming. It’ll make it easy for people to switch from non-organic to organic food products.

There are several reasons why organic food is sometimes more expensive than non-organic food items including the following:

Better for Animals

Organic milk and meat products are often costlier than their non-organic counterparts. That’s because the animals that produce organic milk and meat often live in smaller herds than conventional farming systems. These free-range animals need more attention and care to enjoy the highest welfare standards.

Organic farmers also don’t use antibiotics for their animals. The hard work the farmers put in to raise their animals can increase the price of organic foods. But it also enhances the quality of these products to help our health and offer the best value for money.

Needs More Time, Care, and Effort

Organic food production requires a real commitment. The time and effort that organic farmers need to put into taking care of animals and crops can increase the price tag of organic foods.

Due to the synthetic pesticides used in non-organic farming, conventional produce often comes with pesticide residues.

Organic Comes with Certification

All organic foods must be certified and comply with the UK’s organic food standards. To get the certification organic farmers and manufacturers need to meet organic standards and pass inspections from authorised certification bodies.

Important Note: It’s important to note that organic foods aren’t always more expensive than non-organic products. The cheapest way to buy organic products is to get them directly from farmer shops and markets.

Myth 4 – Organic Food Isn’t Enough to Feed Everyone

The yields on organic farms can be less than conventional farming, but it’s not the only factor to consider.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, about one-third of food produced in the entire world is wasted. Additionally, the Soil Association reports that over 50 percent of oil crops and cereals in Europe are fed to chickens and pigs.

This means that the problems with the current food system go beyond just yields. So, we need to manage food wastage and follow organic practices. The EAT-Lancet Report suggests that we should follow the ‘livestock on leftover’ approach where safe food leftovers are fed to animals as another way to reduce food wastage.

The report also recommends that people should eat a diet consisting of less yet better meat, and increase the consumption of healthy food like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes to achieve sustainable development goals.

Myth 5 – Organic Food Isn’t More Nutritious than Conventional Food

Many studies show that organic foods offer a better nutritional value than conventional food.

According to a scientific study, organic tomatoes are over 6% richer in antioxidants, and over 30% in vitamin C. In addition, another study shows that organic milk and meat come with 50% higher amounts of healthy omega-3 fatty acids than traditional milk and meat.

Final Words

If you want to minimise your impact on the environment and start eating healthy, organic food is the way to go. The best way to start is to make conscious buying decisions and choose the best organic foods in order to help climate change. It’ll also allow you to improve your health.

Here Is What You Can Do

Want to Continue Your Journey?

Where Next?

There is so much inspiring information to give you ideas of how to help climate change by growing, eating, and living sustainably, you can:

  1. Read Our Articles
  2. Sign-Up to Our Free Email Newsletter
  3. Get Started and Vote with Your Money
  4. Try the Sustainability Roadmap
  5. Use the Company Directory
  6. Support Nafford Junction

Help Us Inspire Others

If you are passionate about helping climate change, please consider supporting Nafford Junction, you can:

  1. Become a Patron to Give Regular Contributions
  2. Buy Me a Coffee to Make a One-Off Contribution
  3. Create for Us and Publish Thought Provoking Content
  4. Become an Inspiring Leader and Advertise with Us
  5. Go to NaffordJunction.co.uk/support

Sources Used to Create This

  1. https://www.soilassociation.org/

Production Notes

This was produced by me, James Walters, as a personal project to help stop climate change by inspiring others to grow, eat, and live sustainably.

Any advice given is the opinion of those involved and does not constitute medical, financial, or legal advice.

* We include links we think you will find useful. If you buy through those links, we may earn a small commission. It’s one way to support our work and to inspire as many people as possible.