Organic Foods
ENGL 1120
March 1, 2013
Just Do Organic Many people are skeptical about organic food. It is told to them by their friends, and the media that organic food is better for the body and the environment. However, just because something is reiterated does not make it true; so many people ask, “Is organic food really better?” To this question comes the answer, yes, organic food is healthier for people and the environment than non-organic food. From produce to meats, food that isn’t organic is usually filled with pesticides, harmful chemicals and drugs. When fruits and vegetables are grown and harvested, they are sprayed over and over with all types of sprays to keep bugs off, the weeds out, and to help them grow. According to the article “Organic is Good for the Environment”, in the 1950’s farmers begin using chemicals and pesticides on their crops. As the bugs and weeds became immune to the pesticides, the farmers had to use stronger and stronger pesticides. Although the farmers think that they are keeping the harmful bugs out, in reality, the same amount of crops are destroyed as before pesticides started being use. The farmers that grow organically don’t use these pesticides. They realize that if something can kill bugs and weeds, it isn’t healthy to put it into the body.
Although we want to believe that the government has our best health at heart, the government is actually making it harder for farmers to farm organically without the use of pesticides and chemicals. In “The Food Issue,” Pollan explains his views on what the government has told farmers:
Your challenge is to take control of this vast federal machinery and use it to drive a transition to a new solar-food economy, starting on the farm. Right now, the government actively discourages the farmers it subsidizes from growing healthful, fresh food: farmers receiving crop subsidies are prohibited from growing “specialty crops” – farm-bill speak for fruits and vegetables. (This rule was the price
March 1, 2013
Just Do Organic Many people are skeptical about organic food. It is told to them by their friends, and the media that organic food is better for the body and the environment. However, just because something is reiterated does not make it true; so many people ask, “Is organic food really better?” To this question comes the answer, yes, organic food is healthier for people and the environment than non-organic food. From produce to meats, food that isn’t organic is usually filled with pesticides, harmful chemicals and drugs. When fruits and vegetables are grown and harvested, they are sprayed over and over with all types of sprays to keep bugs off, the weeds out, and to help them grow. According to the article “Organic is Good for the Environment”, in the 1950’s farmers begin using chemicals and pesticides on their crops. As the bugs and weeds became immune to the pesticides, the farmers had to use stronger and stronger pesticides. Although the farmers think that they are keeping the harmful bugs out, in reality, the same amount of crops are destroyed as before pesticides started being use. The farmers that grow organically don’t use these pesticides. They realize that if something can kill bugs and weeds, it isn’t healthy to put it into the body.
Although we want to believe that the government has our best health at heart, the government is actually making it harder for farmers to farm organically without the use of pesticides and chemicals. In “The Food Issue,” Pollan explains his views on what the government has told farmers:
Your challenge is to take control of this vast federal machinery and use it to drive a transition to a new solar-food economy, starting on the farm. Right now, the government actively discourages the farmers it subsidizes from growing healthful, fresh food: farmers receiving crop subsidies are prohibited from growing “specialty crops” – farm-bill speak for fruits and vegetables. (This rule was the price
Cited: Fresh. Ana Sofia Joanes. New Video, 2009. DVD. Pollan, Michael. “The Food Issue; Farmer in Chief.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Oct. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. “Organic is Good for the Environment.” HubPages. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. “Nutrient-Depleted Soil.” Nutrient-Depleted Soil. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. Harvey, Michelle. “New Study Weighs in on Organic vs. Conventional Debate.” Grist. Web. 24 Feb. 2013