Sleepy Old Bear Diaries

BUSTED: Organic food.

Posted by: sleepyoldbear on: 11 May 2008

I love this. The irony is so pungent it’s hard to add anything.

This is where self-righteousness can lead.

For example:

Myth three: Organic farming doesn’t use pesticides

Food scares are always good news for the organic food industry. The Soil Association and other organic farming trade groups say conventional food must be unhealthy because farmers use pesticides. Actually, organic farmers also use pesticides. The difference is that “organic” pesticides are so dangerous that they have been “grandfathered” with current regulations and do not have to pass stringent modern safety tests.

For example, organic farmers can treat fungal diseases with copper solutions. Unlike modern, biodegradable, pesticides copper stays toxic in the soil for ever. The organic insecticide rotenone (in derris) is highly neurotoxic to humans – exposure can cause Parkinson’s disease. But none of these “natural” chemicals is a reason not to buy organic food; nor are the man-made chemicals used in conventional farming.

The rest is here.

Thanks to SDA.

1 Response to "BUSTED: Organic food."

Enjoyed the article, but I have to say, I ALWAYS buy organic milk. Not because of hippie reasons, but because it actually tastes better. I used to have a roommate who laughed at me at the thought I could taste the difference, but then she drank some of the milk I bought and she didn’t laugh anymore. Free range happy cows make better-tasting milk. Yum. Oh yeah, and it’s gotta be whole milk, none of that watered-down water skim milk. Blech.

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