Organic food is no healthier, study finds

[vinnie]

Obamas' garden tainted:sadwave:

New homes are full of questions and possibilities. What color to paint the walls? How to arrange the furniture? What to plant in the garden? The Obama family must have asked a lot of those same questions when they moved into the White House. However, the first lady's dreams of growing an organic vegetable garden have been dragged down by a previous resident that refuses to leave: sludge.

Various sources within the Buzz are reporting that Michelle Obama's "organic" garden has been besieged by icky goo in the ground. As a result, the veggies aren't quite what the first lady had in mind. According to Daily Finance, the National Park Service tested the soil in the vegetable patch and found "highly elevated levels of lead" due to sewage used as fertilizer.

So the question is: Who to blame? While dumping sewage into the ground sounds like a crime worthy of Mr. Burns from "The Simpsons," the actual perpetrators were none other than the Clintons. Yep, back when Bill and Hillary were living it up in the White House, their gardening team used "sewage sludge for fertilizer." The fiends!

Sounds gross, but it's actually fairly common. However, it does mean that the highly touted "organic garden" will never "attain organic status." The certification process doesn't allow "the use of sludge as a fertilizer substitute." And there's another problem: If Malia and Sasha weren't into eating their veggies before, it's going to be that much harder to get 'em to eat 'em now.

 

[MadJack]

Obamas' garden tainted:sadwave:

New homes are full of questions and possibilities. What color to paint the walls? How to arrange the furniture? What to plant in the garden? The Obama family must have asked a lot of those same questions when they moved into the White House. However, the first lady's dreams of growing an organic vegetable garden have been dragged down by a previous resident that refuses to leave: sludge.

Various sources within the Buzz are reporting that Michelle Obama's "organic" garden has been besieged by icky goo in the ground. As a result, the veggies aren't quite what the first lady had in mind. According to Daily Finance, the National Park Service tested the soil in the vegetable patch and found "highly elevated levels of lead" due to sewage used as fertilizer.

So the question is: Who to blame? While dumping sewage into the ground sounds like a crime worthy of Mr. Burns from "The Simpsons," the actual perpetrators were none other than the Clintons. Yep, back when Bill and Hillary were living it up in the White House, their gardening team used "sewage sludge for fertilizer." The fiends!

Sounds gross, but it's actually fairly common. However, it does mean that the highly touted "organic garden" will never "attain organic status." The certification process doesn't allow "the use of sludge as a fertilizer substitute." And there's another problem: If Malia and Sasha weren't into eating their veggies before, it's going to be that much harder to get 'em to eat 'em now.

spend a billion and replace the whole back yard :shrug:

 

[JCoverS]

Organic produce isn't pesticide free, it's free of synthetic pesticide.

Huge amounts of rotenone, pyrethrins, copper sulphate and other such "organic" pesticides can legally be slathered all over your "organic" produce.

Toxins are toxins. Your body can't tell if natural or synthetic. Only corporations advertizers and mis-informed consumers care about the natural and synthetic distinction. Those cancer cells happily mutating off all these toxins most certainly don't care if natural or synthetic!

More importantly, over 90% of pesticides you ingest are natural pesticides plants produce to fight off insect attack and such. Toxins are toxins. Reducing your intake of those tiny amounts of synthetic pesticides, against your massive background ingestion of these natural pesticides, will not make an even trivial difference in your pesticide toxin load and cleasing.

That cyanide compound in apple seeds can make you very sick, even kill you. Those green spots on potatoes represent a concetration of the poison solanine, and you should cut them out of your spuds before eating them--far more poisonous than most "cancer-causing" synthetic toxins tested. Of the over 1000 natural chemicals found in coffee, 30 have been tested and 21 have been found to cause cancer in those high-dose rodents tests we hear so much about.

We co-evolved with many of these organic toxins, and other cancer-causing natural things like the sun--and it sure ain't helped us much!

You will find very few toxicologists who waste money on "organic" food (for the desire to reduce toxins). They know there are other far more important things that will help one more. Fine paper here by some top toxicologists dispelling these pesticide fictions (warning pdf). The lead author runs the The Carcinogenic Potency Database at UC Berkeley.

I'd like to applaud this post by Terryray. IMO, many of you in here need to read it and let it soak in. Thanks to Terryray for interjecting something more than opinion/beliefs into the conversation. And don't even get me started on the ridiculous "natural" buzzword. BTW, all pesticides contain a label that governs its safe use in the production of food. After application of these pesticides there are post-harvest intervals which dictate how long (number of days) farmers MUST wait before harvest. These intervals numbers are not drawn out of a hat. They are actually based on science. Pesticides are allowed to degrade until safe consumption levels, then said produce is harvested. Normal produce is not harmful, people! And this is especially the case under proper agricultural practices. Also, most pesticides are high in inert contents and very low in the active ingredient(ai) that does the work. With certain chemicals, the inert portion of the pesticide is more toxic than the actual ai. Funny thing is, in some instances organic production practices OKs the application of the inert portion as a plant protectant, as long as the safer active ingredient isn't in the product. There are lots of inconsistencies like this in the organic production guidelines, but I digress. IMO, organic is a culture...not something well-rooted in science. I understand some of you BELIEVE organic food is healthier for you. That's your right and I won't try to disuade you of anything different. Personally, I feel organic produce is harmful to my wallet. And I'm quite certain there is nothing wrong with the cheaper stuff. To each their own, though. :shrug:

-JC

 

[BobbyBlueChip]

spend a billion and replace the whole back yard :shrug:

All stimulus is good - get the money moving. Hope and change. God Bless Obama!!!

 

[dawgball]

I'd like to applaud this post by Terryray. IMO, many of you in here need to read it and let it soak in. Thanks to Terryray for interjecting something more than opinion/beliefs into the conversation. And don't even get me started on the ridiculous "natural" buzzword. BTW, all pesticides contain a label that governs its safe use in the production of food. After application of these pesticides there are post-harvest intervals which dictate how long (number of days) farmers MUST wait before harvest. These intervals numbers are not drawn out of a hat. They are actually based on science. Pesticides are allowed to degrade until safe consumption levels, then said produce is harvested. Normal produce is not harmful, people! And this is especially the case under proper agricultural practices. Also, most pesticides are high in inert contents and very low in the active ingredient(ai) that does the work. With certain chemicals, the inert portion of the pesticide is more toxic than the actual ai. Funny thing is, in some instances organic production practices OKs the application of the inert portion as a plant protectant, as long as the safer active ingredient isn't in the product. There are lots of inconsistencies like this in the organic production guidelines, but I digress. IMO, organic is a culture...not something well-rooted in science. I understand some of you BELIEVE organic food is healthier for you. That's your right and I won't try to disuade you of anything different. Personally, I feel organic produce is harmful to my wallet. And I'm quite certain there is nothing wrong with the cheaper stuff. To each their own, though. :shrug:

-JC

If you read threads pertaining to this subject on the rest of the board, most of the guys defending this here are actually much bigger proponents of local harvesting than organic.

 

[WhatsHisNuts]

If you read threads pertaining to this subject on the rest of the board, most of the guys defending this here are actually much bigger proponents of local harvesting than organic.

:toast:

I've said it many times that the Organic movement is, for the most part, bullshit. I think it is a step above your typical industrial farm, but nothing compared to sustainable farming.

The thing I don't like about the article originally posted is that it focuses on nutrients. That is what the food scientists want so the can create pseudo-foods injected with "nutrients" and sell them as "healthy" alternatives to the real thing.

Terry: Any thoughts on Feedlots v. Sustainable Farms in terms of Beef and Poultry?

 

[dawgball]

:toast:

I've said it many times that the Organic movement is, for the most part, bullshit. I think it is a step above your typical industrial farm, but nothing compared to sustainable farming.

The thing I don't like about the article originally posted is that it focuses on nutrients. That is what the food scientists want so the can create pseudo-foods injected with "nutrients" and sell them as "healthy" alternatives to the real thing.

Terry: Any thoughts on Feedlots v. Sustainable Farms in terms of Beef and Poultry?

It's very similar to Sustainability vs. Global Warming.

I'm a big believer in local consumption, but I don't think too much about organic.

In the same vein, I am very concerned with our actions to be more sustainable, but I don't buy into the whole Global Warming craze.

Too bad the mass media outlets (and our government) like to confuse the public by combining them.

 

[JCoverS]

gmroz,

I can see you wanting a more complete study looking at pesticide residues, etc. However, if you look closely at the article the scientists never conclude non-organic just as "healthy" as organic foodstuffs. In the quote it was only stated "on the basis of nutritional content" there was no difference. This is good academic research and they didn't overstate conclusions. The main problem with the article is the title the mass media put on it...should have read "Organic food found to be no more nutritional than ordinary food" or something similar. Also, for those of you whose major concerns that drive you to buy organic are pesticide residues, at least do yourself a favor and stop buying pricy organic produce you have to peel, dispose of the peel (where any possible residue might reside), then eat.

-JC

 

[hedgehog]

I just bought organic milk thanks to sixfive:00hour Will try it in the morning with my cereal