Organic Foods Can Be Dangerous Essay

Do you know about the food that you are eating or how it is being grown? Genetically modified foods is the way scientists can make food crops stay fresher, grow bigger, and have the crops create their own pesticide. Sounds good right? Wrong! Genetically modified foods need to be monitored and removed from everyday agriculture because of the threat they pose to human health, the environment, and the impact on the global economy. Organic food can be a hazard to human’s health. There are three natural chemical’s contained in some organically grown foods that can cause a risk of cancer to people. DDT, DDE, or Alar, these are 3 pesticides that are banned in the U. S. and other countries (Silver, 2006). Rotenone is a neurotoxin that is used by organic farmers that has been known to be used to kill fish and it has been linked to Parkinson’s disease. Another pesticide used by organic farmers, pyrenthrin, it is known to be used on the day crops are being harvested, can result in breathing problems when it is inhaled (Silver, 2006). In 1989 it was reported that dozens of Americans died and several thousand were impaired by a genetically modified food supplement known as L-trptophan and it created an ailment known as (EMS) eosinophilia myalgia syndrome. The GMO was released without being tested. A settlement of 2 billion dollars was paid out by the manufacturer (Batalion ND, 2009). Planting organic crops can be very damaging to the environment. People would think that because the food is organic it would mean less chemicals and it would be better for the environment but that is wrong because the natural pesticide rotenone-pyrethnin is very toxic and it is dangerous to our aquatic life and fish. It is also said that not all organic soil additives and pest-controls are non-toxic and that toxic residues remain on the organic food. In my research I also found that genetically modified Bt endotoxin remains in the soil for at least 18 months and it can be transported to wild plants causing super weeds that are resistant to such organisms as butterflies, moths, and beetle pests which will disturb the balance of nature. By carrying genetically modified pollen by wind, rain, birds, bees, insects, fungus, bacteria- the entire chain of life becomes involved. What needs to be known is that once it is released, there is no recall or cleanup possible. Whenever delivering organic foods to the market it can cause higher food prices as well as causing some countries to have more assets than others. One of the reasons it is so expensive to deliver organic foods to the market is because of post-handling of small quantities of organic foods causes higher prices because of the mandatory segregation of organic and conventional produce. Marketing and the distribution of organic foods is inefficient and volumes are small and that is another reason for higher costs. As for why rich countries profit more from organic foods than poor countries do, there seems to be numerous reasons. The world’s richest nations, especially America and Europe, deliberately pay their farmers to produce too far much food at low prices to prevent the world’s poorest farmers from being able to compete. Did you know that the average family pays $1000 each year in taxes to the world’s most wealthy farmers, while farmers in poor countries suffer in poverty? Another disadvantage of organic foods is that most organic food have a shorter shelf life than non-organic food products. Preservatives are not used in the processing of the organic foods, so it spoils more quickly. Organics have a shorter shelf life and retailers often take huge losses by having to trim organic produce, adding more to the final consumer price. With organic foods not having anti-bacterial agents, the pathogens have already started to multiply in organic foods and invading the cell walls of the plants tissues within hours of harvesting. The inevitable signs of organic foods having a shorter shelf life is the diminishing quality such as shrinking, fading, drying and changes in the texture and the color that make the foods look less appealing to the customer. Even though organic foods have their disadvantages, there are still some advantages to using organic foods. I personally think that by planting organic foods that there would be a chance to help third world countries feed their own. If organic farming can produce super foods and make larger yields of crops and make crops grow faster then I believe it would be what we need to stop world hunger. It would require a lot of experimentation I am sure but, would it not be worth it if it would stop some of the world hunger that is starving people to death? Another advantage of organic foods is that they help people from ingesting regular amounts of pesticides and insecticides commonly found in commercial products. Organic foods also protect the planet. Organic farming ensures that bio-diversity remains available in the foods we eat. Organic farming is considered to be sustainable farming. The farmers and workers are not exposed to dangerous toxins or bad living or working conditions. Sustainable farming protects humans, animals, and the environment. Increasing the demand for organic products will help people to want to use this type of farming and by using organic we are ensuring that the food our children are eating is healthy. With healthy foods there is a chance of stopping the obesity epidemic that is all over the world today. In conclusion, the environmental issue of organic foods is a very complex one. Organic foods can cause possible risks and harm on human’s health as well as the environment, furthermore it brings an impact on the global economy, and for these three reasons, organic food should be researched further or completely banned. If it could be researched further and organic farming could help with world hunger then it would be something that could help our third world countries and then it would be considered to be an advantage.