The world is all a-buzz about organic food. While most are turning a blind eye on this more expensive option, those who have suffered from consuming commercial goods are trying to spread the importance of going organic. With break-through inventions that answer the problem of food shortage in the beginning of the 20th century, going back to basics is a concept that recently emerged.
Organic foods are those that are grown without the help of pesticides. These are crops that are naturally planted, cared for and harvested without touching any harmful chemicals that can poison the human body. While this is admittedly the healthier option, it is not a common practice to grow organic food as this entails more investment and less harvest as pests threaten to take on crops. Without pesticides, more farmers are needed to manually watch over the crops and still a bigger part of the harvest will be expected to be lost to pests. With this, food-growers around the world turn to the use of chemicals in the form of pesticides.
The most common pesticide used currently is called Organophosphates. This type of pesticide harms pests by targeting their nerves. Organophosphates is water-soluble and easily breaks down. The more harmful pesticide to pests ,and unfortunately to human beings alike, is called organochlorides. This type of pesticide annihilates pests by targeting their central nervous system. While it is a very effective pest killer, organochlorides is associated with various types of cancers and birth defects.
At the earlier part of the century, more pesticides were widely used worldwide. Research findings that show a direct effect of these pesticides to human beings urged governments to implement a ban. Unfortunately, many have already suffered from the banned chemicals after years of continued intake. Governments are continuously making an effort to minimize the harmful effects of chemicals by implementing the maximum residue level of pesticide in food. However, knowing that many have suffered from delayed scientific findings of harmful chemicals in pesticides, gives little guarantee that the current food stock sold in the market place is safe. There are instances when food stock containing banned pesticides find their way in the market place. This is due to the illegal use of the pesticide by the suppliers or a lack of policy in the country where the produce was imported from. While western governments are able to implement strict policies on food in their country, the third-world countries that mostly export agricultural goods are ignorant of the harm caused by the pesticides they use.
Washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly is not enough to rid of the poisonous pesticides. Unfortunately intake of non-organically grown food results to the intake of poisonous toxins. Those who would like to be “on the safe side” will not have a hard time finding shops that sell organically grown foodstuff. Most groceries already offer a wide range of products marked as “organic.” Basic food necessities such as milk, cereal, rice, vegetables and fruits are available in most super markets in an organic variant. The cost of organically grown foodstuff are definitely higher than the common variant but considering the risk that pesticides bring to human beings, the extra expense is well worth it.
