FOOD STANDARDS

The Soil Association and Food Standards

Abstract

The world is becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of using organic fruits and vegetables, as opposed to inorganic or conventional food. The basic difference between the two is not the chemical processes it undergoes, but that they are grown in the different manner. There are several factors, which account to the healthier use of organic food, verses the nonorganic food, and their effects on human health and the environment.

Table of Contents

Abstract1

Introduction3

Definition of Organic and Inorganic food3

Discussion3

Organic food vs. Non-Organic food4

The cocktail effect5

How organic food could be pest controlled?6

Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO6

Essential vitamins and minerals7

Antioxidants7

Essential fatty acids (EFA)7

Cage free eggs8

Organic/Inorganic food and Health8

Which is better for consumption?9

Conclusion11

References12

The Soil Association and Food Standards

Introduction

Definition of Organic and Inorganic food

Organic food is the agricultural food (fruits and vegetables) that are grown and processed in a certain way. The organic food grows without the use of modern day synthetic fertilizers (or sewage sludge fertilizers), pesticides, ionizing radiations and without changing or altering the harvesting by genetic engineering. The organic animal products are the products from animals that eat 100% organic food, and grow in an antibiotics or growth hormone free environment. The inorganic or conventional fruits and vegetables are the crops which do not necessarily meet the above-mentioned requirements. The nonorganic produce (fruits and vegetables) has exposure to manmade chemicals, fertilizers, radiations and genetically modified organisms by biotechnology. Many growth hormones and medicines increase the productivity of inorganic foods.

Discussion

Standards for Organic/Inorganic food

The standards for organic and inorganic foods differ from one country to another country. The standards in developed county like United States are more or less similar to those in Canada and Western Europe. However, there are no set standards for organic food in the developing countries.

Organic farming, started at a very small scale, but by late 1980's, it got a tremendous boost that in 1990, and the United States Congress approved the Organic Food Production Act. This act set the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The NOSB established a set of regulations for the production and processing of all agricultural products, which are necessary for organic produce for certification to be labeled as “organic.” These conditions are as following

The food or produce should meet the requirements of the plan in farming, processing, supply and selling procedures.

The agents have the right to check and evaluate the set organic standards of the producer and/or processor.

The producer should have proper means to distinguish organic and in-organic crops, in order to ensure that the crops do not get contaminated accidently by hazardous substances through wind or water.

The non-permissible substances should not be used on the land where the organic food is produced for three years before the organic certification.

Seed should not be altered genetically and should be organic.

Organic food vs. Non-Organic food

The main differentiation between organic and inorganic food, is the method of growing food or raising livestock, and does ...