Saturday, October 8, 2011

What Exactly Is Organic Food, And Is It A Good Idea To Buy It?

By Harry Barber


Generally speaking, organic food is any food item - either plant or animal derived - that has been produced in accordance with some strict guidelines set by the government. In order to qualify as organic, food items must be produced without the use of manmade additives, growth hormones, and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Organic food was, at some point, only used by a selected few

Eating organic was something very few people did until not too long ago. Back in the 1960's, life was changing. As women began to filter into the workplace outside of home, convenient food became huge. Processed foods allowed a working woman to prepare a meal in a shorter amount of time. The market for frozen and processed foods literally took off.

With little time on their hands, people certainly didn't give organic food any thought. A supermarket could provide what a family needed for several days. And that's how life continued, fueled by the need for speed and convenience.

Organic Foods Go Mainstream

The trends around the food we consume are now changing again. This latest change comes from people wanting to know what they are putting into their bodies. The news today is filled with stories of E. coli outbreaks, genetic food engineering, the potential dangers of eating foods that are shot up with growth hormones to make them bigger and better, and other frightening information. In order to regain a level of control over what enters our bodies, organic diets have become the hot trend of late.

The downfall of real organic food is that it is more expensive than traditional food. Not only is organic food better for those who consume it, the people who eat organic foods claim these foods actually taste better than those grown and raised without this strict definition. Eating organic gives you 100% control of what you allow to enter your body.

Meeting the New Demand

Today, organic food is big business and an ever-growing segment of the food industry. Because of this, farmers are changing the way they grow their food. Unfortunately for produce growers, it can take up to 2 full years for the land to cleanse itself of the synthetic pesticides and fertilizers that have been applied during all the years prior to growing organic. However, it is definitely a step in the right direction and it will pay off in time.

Organic foods are so popular that it's no longer necessary to shop for them at specialty stores. In fact, large grocery store chains are constantly devoting more shelf space to meet the ever-growing needs of organic food devotees.




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