"More than Half of Pesticides used by California Farmers are Active Ingredients Approved for Organic," By Steve Savage. Did you know that organic farmers use pesticides? They do. Would it surprise you to know that many of the same pesticides are used by both conventional and organic farmers? In fact just over half of all the pesticides used in California by all categories of farmers are active ingredients that are approved for organic. Would it surprise you to know that very little of modern … [Read more...]

"When Food Labels Mislead, By Henry I. Miller and John J. Cohrssen. Organic farming has boomed in recent years, with total sales of organic products — food, bed linens, pillows and clothes — in the United States increasing 83 percent between 2007 and 2012. A primary driver of their success has been the USDA-regulated organic label, which implies to many consumers that these food products are somehow superior.  But that is not what the label actually means. Nor is it true. Nor, arguably, is the … [Read more...]

"Fear Has No Place in the Produce Department," By Safer Fruits and Veggies. Earlier this month, the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) had the opportunity to speak at the Consumer Media Luncheon which took place as part of the New York Produce Show organized each year by the publishers of Produce Business.  Our topic dealt with the impact of fear-based marketing commonly used by activist groups to promote organically-grown foods over conventional. To be sure, we are in midst of a public health … [Read more...]

"The Colossal Hoax Of Organic Agriculture," By Henry I. Miller and Drew L. Kershen. 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 … [Read more...]

"Why Organic Can't Fulfill Our Food Supply Ideals," By Steve Savage. Almost any farmer or consumer could agree on the following ideals for our agricultural system: "Farming in ways that are best for us, best for the environment, and best for providing an adequate food supply." I believe that these are the goals and ideals of organic customers and organic farmers, and I share them. If organic could deliver on these “triple best” goals, I would be among its strongest supporters, but I don't … [Read more...]

"Study Shows Conflicting Statements on Healthy Eating May Be Impacting Low Income Consumers," By SafeFruitsandVeggies.com. A new peer reviewed study shows that conflicting messaging on food safety and nutrition may be having a negative impact on consumers, especially those with lower incomes.  Researchers at the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future conducted the study which was published in the journal Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment and titled, “’They Just Say Organic Food Is … [Read more...]

"Top Organic Marketing Trustees Resign Because A Member Ridicules Homeopathy," By Hank Campbell. Psychics, homeopaths, magic soap buyers, anti-vaccine and anti-energy people, they all share one thing in common - no, no, not the same political party (good guess, though!), they embrace organic food. And if you don't also embrace their giant swath of superstitious crackpottery, they might depart in a huff. Now that Big Organic is a $105 billion industry, I suspect they would like to quietly but … [Read more...]

"Study Funded by Organic Ideologues Finds Organic Benefits," By Center for Consumer Freedom. A new review funded by the U.K.-based organic farming group Sheepdrove Trust reported in the British Journal of Nutrition that organic crops are healthier than the non-organic variety. It’s a convenient finding for the Trust’s stable-mate, Sheepdrove Organic Farm, which will happily sell Britons any number of organic food products they produce. The group is elated by conclusions of the report it paid … [Read more...]

"The Biggest Myth About Organic Farming," By Ross Pomeroy. The majority of Americans believe that organic foods are healthier than food grown using conventional methods. The majority of Americans are wrong. Two systematic reviews, one from Stanford University and the other by a team of researchers based out of the United Kingdom, turned up no evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or lead to better health-related outcomes for consumers. But the idea that organic foods are healthier … [Read more...]

"To “Be” or “Not to Be” Organic?" by Dan Janzen. The virtues of many aspects of the Organic Movement such as heightened concern for healthy eating, and increased sensitivity or aversion to exposure to toxins in the environment can be touted as very positive. However, to fully explore the impact of all aspects of the Organic Movement there are some important questions to consider. (1)Is it possible to cross the line in Organic Movement initiatives and “throw out the baby with the bathwater”, … [Read more...]

"The Hidden Cost of Organic Farming," By Dan Janzen. I was prompted to begin blogging upon my return from three and a half months of agricultural development work among the Nasa and Guambiano Native Americans in Cauca Department of Colombia. People were giving them books to read promoting 100% organic methods with all kinds of information which, in my opinion, was grossly misrepresenting the facts. Many different organizations including ones from the government were promoting 100% organic … [Read more...]

"Organic Farming Is Not Sustainable," Henry I. Miller. You may have noticed that the organic section of your local supermarket is growing. Advocates tout organic-food production—in everything from milk and coffee to meat and vegetables—as a "sustainable" way to feed the planet's expanding population. The Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental group, goes so far as to say organic farming "has the potential to contribute to sustainable food security by improving nutrition … [Read more...]

"Organic Marketing: Not Truthful, Often Misleading," By John R. Block. As someone who has dedicated his career to agriculture, I’ve often wondered what drives the now double-digit growth in the $35 billion U.S. organic products industry. Why are so many people willing to pay premiums up to 100 percent or more for items that carry an organic label, and do they really understand what that label means and — even more important — what it doesn’t mean? Many of these questions have now been answered … [Read more...]

"Spending More For Organic Does Not Buy You Pesticide-Free," By Steve Savage. There are several different reasons people are willing to pay more for organic produce, but many consumers do so believing that it is a way avoid pesticide residues. That widely held belief is unfounded. Here is why: There are definitely pesticides used in the growing of organic crops. There are residues of those materials on the harvested products. Residues of synthetic pesticides are also frequently found on … [Read more...]

"Why Consumers Pay More for Organic Foods? Fear Sells and Marketers Know it," by Academics Review. An extensive review of more than 200 published academic, industry and government research reports into why consumers adopt organic product purchasing behaviors was conducted by Academics Review – a non-profit led by independent academic experts in agriculture and food sciences.  This review was then supplemented with an assessment of more than 1,000 news reports, 500 website and social media … [Read more...]

"Organic Food Does Not Reduce Cancer Risk," By Hank Campbell. Organic food has built a lot of mythology around its process - more ethical, more nutritional, fewer pesticides, a larger penis for the sons of organic shoppers - but one claim was a puzzler only subscribed to by the kind of people who buy homeopathy and healing crystals; that eating organic might reduce the risk of cancer. The premise is logical, at least for organic shoppers, if only adjacently valid scientifically. Poor diet has … [Read more...]

'Organic' Doesn't Mean Pesticides Weren't Used," By Barbara Quinn. Brian Leahy has an interesting history. In 1980, he operated a 900-acre organic rice farm in California. In the 1990's, he managed an 800-acre organic corn, soybean, alfalfa and cattle farm in Nebraska. In 2002, he became executive director of the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). Then in 2012, Leahy became the director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulations. Does that seem a bit strange? Read more. … [Read more...]

"Organic Shmorganic: Conventional Fruits and Vegetables are Perfectly Healthy for Kids," By Melinda Wenner Moyer. When my son was a baby, organic was a synonym for edible. If the apples I found at the grocery store weren’t certified, I wasn’t buying them. I knew that conventional produce could harbor traces of pesticides, and I’d read that pesticides could affect brain development. Sure, the details of this association were hazy—I didn’t know how many pesticides my son might ingest from … [Read more...]

"If You Care About The Environment, Here Are Two Reasons To Support Big Ag," by Hank Campbell. There's no greater feel-good fallacy than the belief that organic food is somehow superior to conventionally farmed food. In reality, organic food isn't more environmentally responsible, it is worse, it isn't better for your health, it is worse and, for the most part, it isn't even grown by small farmers, it is giant conglomerates who, like with gluten-free, fat-free or any other food fad, encourage … [Read more...]

"Are There Spiders Lurking In Your Food?" by Lindsey Jahn. Occurrences of shoppers discovering spiders lurking in grocery-store grapes have been reported throughout the Midwest over the past month — and the issue isn’t limited to one retail chain. Budget supermarket chain Aldi pulled all grapes from its Milwaukee locations after a consumer found a black widow spider in a package of grapes from an Aldi store in Wauwatosa, Wis....The prevalence of black widows being found in grapes has increased … [Read more...]

"Dr. Oz Agrees With Health Experts - Eat More Conventional and Organic Produce," by SafeFruitsandVeggies.com. Despite his segment last week about pesticide residues which was clearly designed to scare viewers and raise produce safety concerns, Dr. Oz’s own viewpoint regarding consumption of conventionally grown produce appears to agree with health experts everywhere who recommend consuming more of either conventionally or organically grown produce for improved health. Following the airing of … [Read more...]

"Study Shows Consumers Continue to Have Misguided Safety Concerns About Produce," by SafeFruitsandVeggies.com. A new study from Colorado State University (CSU) shows that consumers continue to have concerns about the safety of conventionally grown produce and the government regulatory processes in place to protect public health. Among other findings, the study showed that: “A distrust in regulatory oversight is a key trigger in the valuation for local and organic.” And, consumers generally … [Read more...]

"Instead of Scaring Moms, Join Us in Promoting Healthy Eating," by SafeFruitsandVeggies.com. Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama held a meeting with food companies, media, consumer groups and academics to discuss the impact of marketing unhealthy foods to kids. In addition to encouraging a decrease in advertising and marketing of “junk foods,” Mrs. Obama repeatedly urged members of the audience to encourage healthy eating among children. At one point, Mrs. Obama told her audience that “If … [Read more...]

"Organic Agriculture Cannot Feed The World," Center for Consumer Freedom. We’ve written before that, despite organic activists’ claims to the contrary, conventional agriculture (a.k.a. non-organic) is the only way to feed the world’s burgeoning population, and there’s nothing wrong with that. So it was with mild frustration yesterday when we read a blog post and heard a Morning Edition segment by NPR’s Dan Charles titled, “American Farmers Say They Feed The World, But Do They?” which glossed … [Read more...]

"Organic Food – What is an ‘Organic’ Label Really Worth?" by Jon Entine." Consumers are willing to pay a premium for organic products, but the realities can mean you get little more than a psychological boost for your buck. Supermarkets in North America and Europe are overflowing with organic-labelled fruit, vegetables, eggs and meats. More than 80 countries have organic standards and products carry one or more of 200 seals, logos and certification claims. But are consumers able to make informed … [Read more...]

How Wrong Is The Latest "Dirty Dozen" List? by Steve Savage. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) says that it "helps protect your family from pesticides." The purpose of this Applied Mythology post is to "help protect your family from dangerously misleading information from the EWG." Each year since 1991, the USDA has been publishing the results from a large-scale pesticide residue monitoring program called the PDP. Each year, a different set of crops is chosen and samples are purchased from … [Read more...]