Consumers of organic foods are getting both more
and less than they bargained for. On both counts, it’s not good. Many people who pay the huge premium—often
more than a hundred percent–for organic foods do so because they’re afraid of
pesticides. If that’s their rationale, they misunderstand the nuances of
organic agriculture. Although it’s true that synthetic chemical pesticides are
generally prohibited, there is a lengthy list of exceptions
listed in the Organic Foods Production Act, while most “natural” ones are
permitted. However, “organic” pesticides can be toxic. As evolutionary
biologist Christie Wilcox explained in
a 2012 Scientific American article (“Are lower pesticide residues a good
reason to buy organic? Probably not.”): “Organic pesticides pose the same
health risks as non-organic ones.”
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De Omnibus Dubitandum - Lux Veritas
Friday, July 31, 2015
The Colossal Hoax Of Organic Agriculture
By Henry I. Miller and Drew L. Kershen
Another poorly recognized aspect of this issue is
that the vast majority of pesticidal substances that we consume are in our
diets “naturally” and are present in organic foods as well as
non-organic ones. In a classic study, UC Berkeley biochemist Bruce Ames and his
colleagues found that “99.99 percent (by weight) of the pesticides in the
American diet are chemicals that plants produce to defend themselves.”
Moreover, “natural and synthetic chemicals are equally likely to be positive in
animal cancer tests.” Thus, consumers who buy organic to avoid pesticide
exposure are focusing their attention on just one-hundredth of one percent of
the pesticides they consume.....To Read More....
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