Why Go Organic? (Part 3)

This is the final chapter of Why Go Organic, so if you haven't read part one or two yet, what are you doing here? Go back and catch up! OK done that? Good, on with the freaky facts about our food! 

Growth Hormones and GM (Genetically modified):

This one is the real debate starter. Some fruit and veg has been genetically engineered to grow faster, bigger or to be more ascetically pleasing, (picture really, really red apples rather than patchy with green.) This form of manipulating growing produce has been around for years. But scarily, they have escalated to using this technique on animals too.  Cows that have been genetically modified to produce 20% more milk, chickens that have been injected with sex hormones to make them mature and grow faster than natural. The meat, milk, eggs and the subsequent produce from these animals can contain sex and growth hormones, which are designed to create a larger or longer lasting product as fast as possible. 

 -The Good- The world’s population is growing at an alarming rate. This method allows companies to produce more food, more quickly, making them more money and perhaps leading to less starving people.

 -The Bad- Our bodies are already filled with hormones, that we need to grow and develop. When extra, unnecessary hormones and chemicals are added to our systems, they could have some serious side effects. A scary lack of investigation has been done on the effects of this farming method, but early puberty, cancer, hormonal imbalance and infertility have been associated with GM and the use of growth hormones in food.

-The Ugly- Not only is there a barely researched risk of GM and hormone injected produce, there is also the concern of the inhumanity endured by many of the animals bred for meat or their milk and eggs. Cruel confinement, inadequate food and water, injection, procedures and inhumane slaughtering have been documented and observed in some farms that choose quantity over quality. Organic produce is mostly free range and adhere to much stricter humane regulations. 

For more information on GM and growth hormones in food visit: 

http://seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-foods/hormones-gmos-harms/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/31/hormones-in-food-should-y_n_815385.html

http://www.soilassociation.org/whatisorganic/organicfarming/gmfree

  Of course, these measures were taken to answer a need for more food. As much as I would like to transform the world’s diet, one celery stick at a time, I am not ignorant to the fact that convenience and cost play a huge role in the organic debate. It is certainly true that organic produce costs more. But then you are paying for the guarantee that the only thing that has gone into that onion, or that pint of milk or that pork chop, is 100% natural goodness.