The Hidden Myth of Organic Food



In the last five years, organic foods are overwhelmingly welcome by many Americans because the foods promise not to use toxic, harmful, and unnatural chemicals in production processes. Hence, the foods can have great potential to improve American health, living conditions, and environment because there are not any chemical residues, which can cause cancers and genetic related diseases, on foods. According to the data of The World of Organic Agriculture, the net sale of organic food worldwide is $63 billion US Dollars in 2012, despite the fact that organic foods cost much more than conventional foods. In fact, three year ago, when I first came to America, organic foods were not well recognized by consumers, and local markets provided a few of organic brands. Three year later, organic markets attract many consumers' attention. However, in recent researches and tests, there is no evidence shown that organic foods are safer for environment and human’s health than normal foods. Based on my own experience from studying biochemical engineering for three years and my family's traditional job that is farming, I discover that organic foods are not healthier than conventional foods.

Organic foods are not chemical-free because farmers use outdated pesticides to prevent foods from bugs and diseases. Rotenone is used as an organic pesticide with a small amount of copper and sulfur to control insects, parasites on animals, and kill small fishes. My best friend's family owns an organic farm. She tells me that organic farms are allowed to spray cops with a variety of chemicals and pesticides that are approved by United States Organic Standards to prevent pests from the crops, so her family is not an exception. Moreover, my major is biochemical engineering. I research the effects of organic chemicals on health issues based on analyzing rotenone. The research shows that the rotenone is included in the ketonic compound group that is toxic to the nervous system and liver. When taking a Biology 6 Class, I learned that rotenone is a hazardous chemical that can generate the development of symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Hence, organic does not have the same meaning as natural because organic farmers still use chemicals and pesticides at very little amounts to cover the truth of health illnesses from eating organic food. Even though organic farmers use very little of the pesticides to control pests, the chemical leftover on foods can still cause people many serious diseases if consumers eat the foods over a long period of time.

Furthermore, organic foods endanger the Earth’s ecosystem due to the farming techniques. The Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection increases due to using manure to replace artificial fertilizers. After getting knowledge of the E. coli bacteria from the Biology 6 Class, I am aware that the bacteria can be found on natural fertilizers, and it causes diarrhea and vomiting. According to the Department of Food Science and Nutrition of University of Minnesota, E. coli samples in organic food and conventional food are 9.7% and 1.6%. Moreover, animal manures release odor that causes air pollution when burning. They also cause a risk of getting diseases because insects bring feces to water and foods of human. Hence, there is no evidence showing that organic food is healthier than conventional food.

Organic foods are much more expensive than conventional foods because of the shortage supply of organic foods. Therefore, they cannot be provided for most of the world population because only rich people can afford them. At the Whole Food Market, a dozen of organic eggs cost $4.99. With the same amount of money, I can buy two dozens of normal eggs. Actually, consumers just waste their money on the label USDA or organic to consume less pesticides and more E. coli bacteria. Due to lack of knowledge about the meaning of organic, consumers are taken advantage of based on the misleading facts that are given by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Despite organic foods cost a lot of money, they do not taste better than conventional foods. My family in Vietnam used to own an organic farm. We farmed white rice, beans, tomatoes, bananas, and durians. We tried to limit using synthetic pesticides and hormones to increase the quantities of the crops. As a result, we harvested less amounts than other conventional farms. Yet, the main reason of losing net sales is the taste of our products. The organic fruits are plainer and sourer than conventional fruits. Therefore, consumers did not believe that we were selling organic food because they thought that organic fruit must be sweet and full-flavored. In fact, the taste of real organic food is not stunning like many people misperceive it should be. They are deceived by the myth that organic food is flavorsome and do not acknowledge that most of foods are altered genes through effects of chemicals and growth hormones.

Organic foods are not healthier, safer, more flavored, and do not contain more nutrients than conventional foods. Consumers are misled about the benefits of organic foods because they lack factual knowledge about it. Organic foods are harmful to human’s future stability because they do not have capability to produce enough food to feed every one. Most of all, they are not affordable because of outdated farming techniques. Many Americans misunderstand the term "organic" and associate it with the term "natural." They do not know that organic farmers use organic pesticides to prevent products from bugs and diseases. Therefore, they do not acknowledge health issues when using organic food and have been putting their trust in a wrong place.