Organic food is defined as produce (animal and plant) that is grown without the aid of any chemicals or pesticides, this means the animals are fed organic feed and the plants are grown in a very different way to most foods we see at the supermarket. Many people purchase organic food because they think that the nutritional benefits will make up for the extra money that you spend. Lots of people say that the manufacturers of organic food lie to us when selling these products, they say that there aren’t as many nutritional benefits as you might think. But is this all really the case? Are there nutritional benefits in organic produce? Is it really worth the extra cash?
Firstly, organic food is known to have a shorter shelf life than conventionally grown produce. Why is this? Well it is like this because the organic food business isn’t as big as conventional agriculture. Therefore it takes a lot longer to get from the farm to the market, this leads to you getting home with your organic produce and having it spoil the very next day. Organic food doesn’t have the chemicals that conventionally grown produce has to keep it fresh for much longer.
Secondly, the methods used to grow organic food require a lot more TLC (Tender Loving Care). It needs to be tended to in order for it to grow. It is harder to grow it so you see less of it on the shelves at the supermarket. Conventionally grown produce has chemicals that help it grow and that keep the pests away. Organic food doesn’t get this kind of treatment, this means that the pests can get to the produce because they won’t be poisoned by the pesticides. However, this is not the case when growing poultry. Poultry does not necessarily need any chemicals at all to keep it growing, it is just that the use of chemicals make the animals grow a lot faster.
Thirdly, organic food is said to have many nutritional benefits, but are there really as much benefits as they say there are. Many official studies have found none or little nutritional benefits in organic produce. The taste can greatly differ to that of conventionally grown produce. But is the taste actually better in organic food? Some people say that the taste is better in organic food and some people say that the taste is better in crops grown with aid of chemicals.
Over the years the organic food industry has grown, but it is only a portion of the size of the chemically grown produce industry. Countless things have shown that organic food is NOT worth all of that extra money you pay. The nutritional benefits that they promise are almost never there, and if they are there are only a little amount of the nutritional benefits that they promise. There have been many attempts to make the organic food industry grow. Such as the Coles Supermarket chain have introduced their meat as having no-added hormones. What they say is true but it hasn’t made much of an effect. Organic food may have supposed benefits, but what little there is in the produce doesn't add up to the extra cash you spend. Organic food is not worth the extra cash.