HOME | SITE MAP

Return to Achives Home Page

Earth Water Air Minds Bodies

A Common Sense Approach to Eating Organic Produce

Have you ever stood in the produce aisle debating between organic apples and conventional apples? Do you wonder whether the benefits of organic produce is really worth the additional price? With the increased availability of organic foods, this is a daily dilemma for many Americans.

Through a discussion of various factors one might consider when reaching for those apples, this article presents a common sense approach to organic food choices. We hope that, armed with the information below, you will find your next trip to the supermarket to be dilemma-free.

What Does "Organic" Mean Anyway?
While farmers have been providing organic food for centuries it wasn't until recently that the federal government weighed in as to the meaning of "organic." In 1990 Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act, defining what it means for food to be "organic," and thereby setting a consistent standard that consumers can understand and trust. The law requires the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a program to oversee organic foods. In 2002, the USDA created the National Organic Program to implement the law. The National Organic Program establishes national standards for organic food production, limits the use of the term èorganicî and the display of the USDA Organic Seal in food labeling to only those products produced in accordance with the National Organic Programçs standards, and provides an accreditation process for states and private organizations to certify organic producers and handlers.

According to the National Organic Program, an èorganicî product is one that is produced without the use of the following: most chemical pesticides, petroleum-based or sewage-sludge fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Some synthetic chemicals are allowed to be used on organic foods but those permitted are only those that have been reviewed and approved by the National Organic Standards Board and placed on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. Examples of synthetic chemicals allowed on organic foods include chlorine, alcohol, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, and ammonium compounds.

In addition, according to the National Organic Program, an èorganicî product is one that must be produced on land where prohibited synthetic chemicals have not been used in the past three years. The landowner or operator must also act according to an organic plan that is approved by an accredited certifying agent. An approved organic plan must include monitoring practices, a record-keeping system, and practices to prevent the commingling of organic and non-organic products. Further, before a product can be labeled èorganic,î and annually thereafter, an accredited certifying agent must inspect the farm where the food is grown to make sure National Organic Program rules are being followed.

The USDA Organic Seal
Once a farm is determined to be in compliance with the National Organic Programçs standards for organic food production, products from that farm can carry the USDA Organic Seal. However, the permitted use of the USDA Organic Seal is dependent on the percentage of organic ingredients that are in a product. For example, cereal with 100 percent organic ingredients can display the USDA Organic Seal, and the manufactures of that cereal can claim on the front of the cereal box that the contents are è100% Organic.î Cereal that contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients can display the USDA Organic Seal but manufacturers of the cereal can only claim that the contents are èOrganicî (as opposed to è100% Organicî). Cereal made with less than 70 percent of organic ingredients may not display the USDA Organic Seal and may only list specific organically produced ingredients on the side panel of the package; manufactures of such cereal can make no claims of organic content on the front of the cereal box.

It is worth noting that the USDA Organic Seal is voluntary and therefore even though a product does not display the seal, it may still be èorganicîÊas defined by the standards of the National Organic Program. Instead of the USDA Organic Seal (or in addition to it), a manufacture may instead elect to display the seal of a certifying agent that has been accredited by the USDA (one that can certify that the production and handling practices of the producer meet the National Organic Program standards). Certifying agents can include states, as well as private and foreign organizations. For example, èOregon Tilth, Inc.î is a certifying agent that has been in operation since 1999 and has been evaluated and accredited by the USDA National Organic Program.

Pesticides and Children Don't Mix
American farmers use 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides per year. The use of pesticides began in the mid-1800s with arsenic and cyanide insecticides. The most widely known insecticide is DDT which was placed on the market in the 1930s. DDT causes repetitive nerve discharges that eventually kill insects. Other categories of insecticides include cyclodiene (chlorande, dieldrin, and aldrin) developed in the mid-1900s, organophosphates (parathion and malathion), and carbamates (Sevin) all of which impact insect nervous systems. More recently developed insecticides no longer attack insect nervous systems but instead interrupt reproduction, metamorphosis, and development of insects.

The federal government regulates pesticides through a registration system with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, pesticides are registered by the EPA. Those pesticides that are found to ènot cause unreasonable adverse effects on human health and the environmentî when used as intended are allowed to be used by the public. This standard is not a pure health standard as the EPA can take into account the economic and social benefits of the use of a pesticide to be registered. Even if the pesticide is found by the EPA to cause adverse effects, the pesticide may still be registered but for restricted use by a specially trained person.

EPA makes its current decisions regarding pesticide registration based on laboratory studies, usually conducted on rats, mice or other animals. Since 1988 EPA has been required to conduct a comprehensive pesticide re-registration program, involving a complete review of the human health and environmental effects of older pesticides that were originally registered before 1984. Some of the older pesticides may not have any data supporting the safety of their use and therefore would not meet the more stringent laboratory studies and legal requirements of today. However, until EPA gets through the backlog of chemical re-registration, pesticides that have not yet been through the re-registration process will still be on the market.

Through the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, a second regulatory system governs food safety by limiting any residual pesticide left on food. Under the Act, EPA is required to set a ètolerance level,î or a level of maximum pesticide residue consistent with protecting public health, for each food product. èTolerance levelsî vary for each pesticide and for each food on which the pesticide is used. For example, the tolerance level for the insecticide Malathion is eight parts per million on apples and one part per million on sweet potatoes. This regulatory system has been largely unchanged since the 1970s. The USDA and the Food and Drug Administration are responsible for monitoring food to make sure that food tolerances are being met. According to the Government Accounting Office, less than 1% of imports are actually inspected.

Pesticides pose a particular risk to children. According to the EPA, children typically consume larger quantities of certain foods that are often pesticide-treated, such as applesauce and orange juice, per pound of body weight than do adults. A National Academy of Sciences report from 2000 estimates that 3% of neurobehavioral disorders are caused directly by toxic environmental exposures, and that another 25% are caused by interactions between environmental factors and genetic susceptibility of individual children.

In 1996, the unique susceptibility of children and infants to pesticides was recognized when Congress passed the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). The law explicitly requires a èreasonable certainty of no harmî from pesticides to children and infants. Moreover, the EPA is now required to consider the cumulative risk of exposure to pesticide from more than one source when evaluating pesticide safety. Several highly toxic pesticides have been banned or restricted under the law, but many have either escaped controls, or have not yet been subjected to them. The EPA is still in the process of integrating these standards into the pesticide registration process. As of August 1999, 189 of 610 pesticides have been re-evaluated using the more stringent requirements of the FQPA to protect infants and children.

Buy Organic or Local and Reap the Benefits
In addition to the potential benefits gained by avoiding pesticides, buying organic supports organic agriculture. Organic agriculture improves the productivity of the land by encouraging natural biological processes, thus creating healthy soil. Further, as reported by the Organic Center, a nonprofit organization whose singular mission is to provide credible, scientific information about organic benefit, antioxidant levels were about 30 percent higher in organic food compared to conventional food.

If you cannot buy organic, visit your local farmers market to buy local produce. At a local market it is possible to ask the farmer what types of farming practices he or she uses, pesticides or organic, so that you can make an educated decision before you make your purchase. Foods grown outside local areas require shipping and refrigeration, contributing to air pollution and a loss of flavor and nutrients. Purchasing foods that have been locally grown also helps keep small farmers in business. Buying organic produce or local produce promotes not just a healthy body, but also a sustainable community, a healthy environment, and a just economy.

Some Additional Food for Thought
If you still find yourself facing the dilemma over whether to buy organic or conventional, likely weighing the lower monetary cost of conventional with the benefits of organic, it may be helpful to know that certain produce has been found to have more pesticide residue than others:

Produce with most pesticide residue:

Buy organic produce for those fruits and vegetables most often eaten by your child.

Produce with least pesticide residue

* For more information and downloadable wallet guide of this list see www.foodnews.org

Information used in this article was found at the following sources, which you can visit if you want to find out more about this topic:

http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org (Non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy membership organization dedicated to challenging harmful food production technologies and promoting sustainable alternatives)

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/kidpesticide.htm (EPA factsheet: Protecting Children from Pesticides)

http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/fqpa/fqpareport.pdf (1999 EPA report on Implementing the Food Quality Protection Act)

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_04/40cfr180_04.html (EPA Final Rule of Tolerances and Exemptions for Foods)

http://foodnews.org/reduce.php (Environmental Working Group article about Why Reducing Pesticide Exposure is Smart)

http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php (Environmental Working Group report on the number of industrial chemicals and pesticides in babies umbilical cord blood)

http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title7/chapter6_subchapterii_.html (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act text)

http://archive.gao.gov/d38t12/147257.pdf Government Accounting Office report, Pesticides: 30 Years Since Silent Spring - Many Long-Standing Issues Still Remain)

http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/consumers/brochure.html (National Organic Program website Organic Food Standards and Labels, The Facts)

http://books.nap.edu/books/0309048753/html/R1.html#pagetop (National Research Council report Pesticides in Diets of Infants and Children)

http://www.nrdc.org/health/kids/ocar/chap5.asp (National Resources Defense Council report Our Children At Risk - The 5 Worst Environmental Threats to Their Health)

http://www.localharvest.org (Public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources

http://www.organic-center.org/science.htm?articleid=54 (Organic Center report Elevating Antioxidant Levels In Food Through Organic Farming and Food Processing)

http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/archieve/OFPA.html (Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 text)

http://www.tilth.org/certification.html (Oregon Tilth Certification Program accredited by the USDA National Organic Program)

Welcome to Real Mama, Inc