Organic Vs. Conventional Food – Talk about dealing with pests!

Cosmetics is one of those areas that has gotten a lot of attention from the press, thanks to the testing on animals that all the popular cosmetics companies are carrying out in labs these days, and away from the spotlight.

Yet the biggest issue with these conventional products is the fact that they tend to harm their users, and this is not just a one off case, thanks to the harmful preservatives that ensure that these products remain usable for a few years to come.

(Read this link to see how natural cosmetics is making a difference to the world of fashion and women.)

It's no different with food that has been ridden with pesticides (read as: preservatives of a different kind)…

The Use and Impact of Pesticides

The primary purpose of a pesticide is to get rid of pests whether insects, plants or birds and even microbes especially if they destroy property or spread disease or just are a nuisance.

But there's one problem that tends to occur time and time again: pesticide residue.

And there's more…

There are far reaching effects of pesticides that not only affect the crop but also the workers, the environment and the end-users i.e. the people who eat the food.

Almost always, these pesticides kill species that are NOT pests but actually help the process along, and therein lies the pointlessness of using them. Here is an article that lists the advantages and disadvantages of using pesticides, where the latter far exceeds the former.

If that's not enough, a recent study conducted by the WHO and the UN Environment Programme, the use of pesticides affects almost 3 million workers every year among which 18000 of them die.

Almost 25 million workers suffer from mild pesticide poisoning that leads to mental and physical conditions such as cancer, depression, respiratory problems, birth defects among several others.

And we're not even counting the numerous health effects that pesticides has on all the other factors that actually help these workers in growing crops… making the choice between organic vs conventional food very clear after a little deliberation on this information based on the factor of pesticide residue.

Here is a link to an interesting article that talk about the risks associated with pesticides, and more…

Organic Vs Conventional Food: A Walk Down Memory Lane

It was only in the twenty- first century when pesticides were used regularly to ward off pests (read as: conventional food) because until then, the produce was what  is now termed as 'organic food'.

So, in keeping with tradition, the organic rearing of crops of today follows the process of rearing organic crops using pesticides or herbicides, only as a last resort. At another level, genetic modification and nanotechnology, when used to rear food crops, cannot be classified as organic produce.

So where do you think you can find actual "organic produce"?

In the local supermarkets and stores where they sell veggies and fruits, just like in old days.

Pesticide-resistance Foods

Since conventional foods are so widespread, it might be difficult to get actual organic produce but what can help is to know foods that have shown to be resistant towards pesticides.

Some of these fruits and vegetables are avocados, sweet corn, onions, pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, papaya, sweet peas, cabbage, eggplant, watermelon, broccoli, sweet potato and Kiwifruit.

Just remember to wash them before you eat these fruits or veggies…

In Closing

Indeed, using pesticides is a classic example of the phrase of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater"…