So
when we last left our Organic food blog, we talked about the Clean 17
(the ‘cleanest’ produce) and the Dirty Dozen (the most chemical-laden
produce).  Chemical toxins were a big part of that
discussion as the first factor that most people have to consider when
deciding which foods to buy organic.  If you missed first two blogs in this series, I strongly encourage you to take a step back and follow along from the beginning. 

I really believe that the decision to buy organic foods is not as simple as it seems.  Sure, it would be easy for me to say, “Everyone should buy organic, always…period…end of story”.  However, over the years I have come to realize that the reasons for buying organic are not always the same for everyone.  There seem to be four key reasons why people ‘go organic’ and we’re delving into each of these reasons.  Use this blog series as a workshop in “Developing YOUR Organic Philosophy”.   If
you recall from previous posts, my four key factors to consider
include Chemical Toxins, Global Impact, Ethics, and Nutrition. 

So, let’s talk about the Global & Environmental Impact of organic farming. 

In
January, 2010 the USDA reported that 93.7 million cows live in the US.  Some are dairy cows and others will make their way to our dinner tables.  The US consumes over 33 million of these cows annually.  Stick with me here; I promise this is not about vegetarianism!  Now, each of these 93.7 million cows is fed a strict diet of growth hormones, antibiotics and in some cases, sex hormones.  Growth
hormones grow big cattle.  Antibiotics keep them from spreading disease,
and sex hormones keep them making milk at an incredible rate.  All of these chemicals are eliminated in the urine of these animals.  The urine makes its way into the water table where it is affecting the fertility of fish and other wild life.  Eventually, the water makes its way through our processing plants and eventually into our drinking water.   By
the way, those faucet filters, refrigerator filters and even our
community water treatment facility cannot prevent these chemicals from
getting through to our families.  WE based this exercise only on American cattle.  Imagine what the statistics look like when we include pork, chickens, turkey, farmed fish, etc.  Now extend your thinking globally! 

Last
year, the FDA uncovered that 2 of the largest producers of farmed
salmon in the world were using two antibiotics and one pesticide that
were not approved for use in the United States.  The pesticide is known to be “very toxic to aquatic organisms” and “may cause long-term adverse effects in the environment”.   

Across the world, we’re seeing more antibiotic resistant bacteria than ever before.  We’re witnessing the sexual development of girls earlier than ever before.  We’re witnessing infertility rates like never before. 

Organic livestock are not allowed to be given antibiotics or hormones of any kind.  This is largely why organic meats are so expensive…the organic farmer has only natural means to raise their livestock.  An organic farmer must keep cleaner living quarters for his animals so that disease cannot spread.  They must not overcrowd the animals.  They must feed them healthier (aka, more expensive) diets to prevent disease. 

• If
  all the grain currently fed to livestock in the US were consumed
  directly by people, we could feed nearly 800 million people.  If those grains were exported, it would boost U.S. trade by $80 billion a year. 
  
• Animal protein production requires more than 8x as much fossil-fuel energy than the production of plant protein. 
• Grain-fed
  beef production takes 100,000 liters of water for every kilogram of
  food.  Chickens take 3,500 liters of water to make a kilogram of meat. In
  comparison, soybean production uses 2,000 liters for each kilogram of food
  produced; rice, 1,912; wheat, 900; and potatoes, 500 liters.

I always like to end each topic with a few items that anyone can take action on right away.   If Environmental and Global Issues are a major reason to change to organic, here are a few actions to consider:

• Buy more organic meats and dairy or replace the meat/dairy you eat most often with organic
• Cook a vegetarian meal one, two or three times per week