Organic: Food Justice for the 99 Percent

article image
Photo By Time Magazine
Time Magazine's recent cover story "What to Eat Now" By Dr. Mehmet Oz, claims that nutritionally speaking, there is little difference between the farmer's market bounty and the humble brick from the freezer case. He fails to mention, however, pesticide residues or a number of other factors.

 Reposted with permission from The Cornucopia Institute.

As Americans become increasingly aware of the story behind conventional foods–the ecologically destructive monoculture fields, the petrochemical fertilizers, the toxic pesticides and dangerous fumigants–the agrochemical industry has launched an all-out media offensive against the booming organic industry. 

 The agrochemical industry’s communications specialists have apparently found willing partners in major nationwide media outlets like The New YorkTimes and Time magazine, which have recently published articles discouraging people from buying organic foods.  The message is nearly always the same, as industry-friendly researchers and reporters downplay the role and harm caused by agricultural chemicals and focus instead on the differences between a handful of common nutrients.  Despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, the conclusion is always that organic foods are not worth the extra price because the nutritional differences are minimal.

 First, we must set the record straight.  Scientific studies show that milk from pastured cows contains higher levels of beneficial fats.  Beef from grass-fed cattle and eggs from pastured hens are lower in cholesterol and saturated fat and higher in healthy omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamins A and E.  Organic strawberries and tomatoes contain more healthy antioxidants.  These are all undisputed facts laid out in a myriad of published, peer-reviewed scientific papers.

 Consumers increasingly turn to organic and grass-based foods, based on this scientific evidence that has been reported in magazines, including Time, in recent years.  Now, the Dec 3rd issue of Time mindlessly repeats the agribusiness mantra: “Nutritionally, an egg is an egg.”  Milk is milk. And canned peas, with toxic pesticide residues, heated to extreme temperatures during processing, and then placed in a container lined with a suspected endocrine disruptor, are just as healthy as those for sale at a farmer’s market, picked fresh from a local field just hours ago.

  • Published on Dec 10, 2012
Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368