One of my pet peeves- Organic Produce

[kootenay]

Organic doesn’t always mean more environmentally sustainable, according to a University of Guelph study.

Researchers found the environmental impact of organic pesticides can be worse compared to synthetic pesticides, because organic pesticides often require larger doses.

The findings, which were published Tuesday in journal PloS One, are the result of a two-year long study that examined the performance of two natural pesticides against four synthetic pesticides on soybean aphids.

The organic pesticides in the study not only killed the aphids, but their natural predators too. Three of the four synthetic pesticides were more selective than the organic pesticides, so they caused less environmental impact, study researcher and University of Guelph professor Rebecca Hallett said.

“There is a general assumption among the public that if a compound is natural it’s going to be safer than something that’s synthetic,” Prof. Hallett said. “This research shows that’s not necessarily the case.”

Organic pesticides can be worse than synthetic: study - The Globe and Mail

As a Farmer I understand the reality of Pesticide use. Organic pesticides are not nearly as regulated and in some cases are simply down right dangerous. One treatment "Stinging Nettle Tea" can cause serious injury to the consumer but it is used by the organic industry. The idea with this gem is to brew Stinging nettles and extract the oil that "stings" and apply it to fruit to "naturally" protect it. The only problem is that the oil can burn peoples throats if the days to harvest are too short and again there are not rules about Pre harvest intervals with this stuff and in the Organic industry. In any case my little rant. Today's synthetic pesticides are easy on predators, safe to use and bloody expensive as a result of the millions spent developing and testing them. Organic controls generally do not have dime spent testing them just a bunch of aging folks in tye dyed shirts sitting on committees deciding what product are OK to use.

[kd3pc]

Koot

I agree, and if you try to discover whether a product is organic and by whose standard - good luck...the labeling and packaging provide no help whatsover...

Just because it is organic, doesn't mean it is appropriate...think hemlock, digitalis and many, many others. If they don't regulate the herbs and organics in supplements you eat, what makes you think they will do any better with food products.

Good article, buyer beware

[RAGNAR]

Going "back to Nature" means going back to Nature. Without the tech so many lament - without the products of free minds - the species would perish in no time.

Having said that, the produce we get at local farmers markets blows away anything conventional. People I know who are in the know claim that this difference in quality has next to nothing to do with organic claims. It's the fact that these farmers get to focus on flavor far more than mainstream operations can (relatively low yields and harvesting when the product has matured properly, knowing it'll be consumed within days.) What makes this possible, supposedly, are the higher prices these artisan products command.

[eirzul]

Hey Kootenay... how about posting the entire article... not just a link that people won't necessarily read.

Here is the whole article, with the rest of the article in bold.

Organic doesn’t always mean more environmentally sustainable, according to a University of Guelph study.

Researchers found the environmental impact of organic pesticides can be worse compared to synthetic pesticides, because organic pesticides often require larger doses.

The findings, which were published Tuesday in journal PloS One, are the result of a two-year long study that examined the performance of two natural pesticides against four synthetic pesticides on soybean aphids.

The organic pesticides in the study not only killed the aphids, but their natural predators too. Three of the four synthetic pesticides were more selective than the organic pesticides, so they caused less environmental impact, study researcher and University of Guelph professor Rebecca Hallett said.

“There is a general assumption among the public that if a compound is natural it’s going to be safer than something that’s synthetic,” Prof. Hallett said. “This research shows that’s not necessarily the case.”

But the implications of the study are minimal because organic farming is not about replacing synthetic pesticides with organic pesticides, say organic farmers, retailers and regulators.

The culture and approach of organic farming is what distinguishes it from conventional farming, organic farmer David Cohlmeyer said. He runs Cookstown Greens, which supplies organic produce to restaurants and hotels in Ontario. Organic pesticides are “irrelevant” to his business, he said.

“When you’re doing it right, you don’t have pest problems,” Mr. Cohlmeyer said. “We don’t use any pesticides because we don’t need to.”

Organic farmers are only supposed to use natural pesticides as a last resort. Instead, crop rotation, planting habitats for beneficial predators and good soil are an organic farmer’s first priority, said Simon Jacques, Ontario representative for organic certification program Ecocert.

“It’s certainly a misconception to imagine that organic farmers are farming just the same way as pure conventional farmers but substituting organically approved pesticides and fertilizers for synthetic ones, because that’s not what’s happening,” Mr. Jacques said.

The study is not intended to take an anti-organic stance, study researcher and University of Guelph PhD candidate Christine Bahlai said.

“We’re not attacking the organic industry as a whole,” Ms. Bahlai said. “The question we have is if this is being promoted as the most environmentally friendly way of doing things, then why are the insecticides that are allowed by organic farming not necessarily the most environmentally friendly?”

Prof. Hallett and Ms. Bahlai would like farmers to move toward an idea of sustainable farming, rather than pitting organic and conventional farming head-to-head.

“We need to look at things and pick the ones that have the least environmental impact. It may sometimes be an organic product, and sometimes be a synthetic product,” Prof. Hallett said.

Prof. Hallett and Ms. Bahlai plan on studying the effect of organic and synthetic pesticides next on Ontario apples and landscape plants.

[RAGNAR]

I don't know if this is true, but I hear that the trucks and warehouses used to handle organics are regularly sprayed with pesticides that are super-"effective", and that these chemicals are found regularly on the product. I've even heard that the product itself can get sprayed somewhere between harvesting and arriving on the shelves.

[GraemeInCanada]

Wow.. good on you for posting the rest of the article, I couldn't be bothered to read it based on only what was posted and I just figured it was probably financed by some company related to Monsanto or something..

It should be noted that "synthetic" chemicals have never been proven safe, they're just safe for the genetically modified seeds and plants that the same company that makes that crap.

Buy local if you can from a reputable farmer or market. You'll get far better fruit/veggies and they'll be healthier. If you can, grow your own and you'll understand what real fruit and veggies should taste like, not that garbage that is put out by industry that they would have you believe is even remotely nutritious and healthy.

I think that is the bigger issue here, certainly not about stinging nettles that might sting you a bit, at least they don't cause cancer.

[RAGNAR]

Originally Posted by GraemeInCanada

I think that is the bigger issue here, certainly not about stinging nettles that might sting you a bit, at least they don't cause cancer.

Though this is a common bias, we have yet to see a solid case for the claim that modern approaches to food production cause cancer -- at least not when these foods are consumed rationally. (Let's not forget the point made when scientists, concerned about what passes for science, used popular methods of analysis to show that both iceberg lettuce and distilled water are dangerous.)

We've also yet to see the case made that eating "naturally" or more "naturally", decreases cancer rates.

Lord knows that the "natural" side, though out-gunned, has more than enough cash and pull to gather its own data, analyze it, put together a comprehensive presentation of its case, and share its findings with the world. We're decades into the alternative movement. We have yet to see such a case made.

The position with the most support given the data available is that, to the extent that food intake is a factor, lifespan and quality of life are functions of calories consumed per meal and total calories consumed per day. This seems to be true across economic, dietary and cultural variances.

[wind_magic]

I think it depends on the crop, some things are best mass produced, some local, and some in your own back yard, etc, it depends on what it is. I think it is nice to know how the cow was raised if you are buying a lot of beef, for example, because cows really are fed a lot of garbage these days, but who cares where your potatoes come from, really ? Some things are simply not treated with many pesticides because of what they are and how they are grown, whereas others like apples really are covered in pesticides up until harvest, so if you don't mind black spots and worms maybe organic apples are for you.

I think it is funny how people react to things like "organic", you'd think it would actually be about the chemicals or antibiotics, etc, but my own observations of people is that most of them base their "organic" buying decisions on how warm and rustic the store feels to them, whether the packaging looks home made enough, and whether the person selling the food is wearing the appropriate farmer looking clothing. People seem to be happier if they buy their cantaloupe beside the road than if they buy the exact same cantaloupe at the grocery store, even though it was grown the same way, sometimes on the same farm.

[kd3pc]

We happened to be at a farmer's market in SW VA next to an "organic farmer", when we noticed that under the truck were boxes from a local club store....

turns out he was neither a farmer or an organic proponent, just a shyster who knew how to make a buck...as the "local bins" were purchased, he simply refilled them discretely from the store bought goods under and in the backseat of his truck...

So dear friends, how do you KNOW the organic is in fact organic, or that the "local" produce is in fact local...with people like this out there....

YMMV

[eirzul]

This just goes to show that you really should know where your food is coming from.

I have always been a big proponent of buying a share from a CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) - basically you purchase a food share from a farm in late winter / early spring. Then they give you boxes of fresh food (veggies / meat) once a week, all summer long.

Link in next post...