Eating healthily comes with the obvious pros, but cons as well. Healthy foods, such as those produced organically, are more costly for a variety of reasons. First, organic produce requires more hands-on labor, pricey inspections and certifications, larger volumes of natural fertilizers, as well as other farming techniques. These disadvantages can be significant for a small farm especially when comparing their cost structures to multi-billion dollar food enterprises that offer low prices because they pump cheap chemicals and fillers into their foods.
Perhaps the most frustrating reason, though, is that the government subsidizes unhealthy, chemical-laden foods while it penalizes organic foods. It all comes down to the approval and certification processes that are currently in place. When a chemical company or food manufacturer wants to bring a new chemical or food additive to market, the process is grossly in favor of the petitioning company. The majority of food additives in our food, which reduce nutritional value and lower the costs of making such food, are added to the food supply through a self-approval process known as GRAS, which stands for generally recognized as safe.
This is obviously a major problem because a chemical manufacturer can use its own research or other publicly-available studies to label a new product as GRAS. Assuming it passes (why wouldn't it when they are grading their own papers), the company does not have any requirement to disclose the use of the new ingredient to the government. This process is highly suspect and is based on the honor code. Not every company has ulterior motives, but profit and honor don't typically go together in the food industry. Given the way the system is set up, new formulations make it to market very quickly with little scrutiny, driving the massive increase in artificial ingredients and dangerous chemicals in our food supply.
On the other hand, in order for a farm or food manufacturer to use the government's USDA Organic label, it must pass inspection. The onus and cost is on the organic farmer to prove that his/her product is legitimately organic, which makes sense. My issue with the whole process is the dichotomy. Why are food additives and their chemistry labs not held to the same standard? Why are they allowed to approve their own chemicals? It's absurd. And we are all at risk because of it.
Some may think petitioning the government for change is the best course of action. Pushing legislation is a possibility, however, the process is the way it is because of the powerful food industry and their influence on the government. The only power we have in our hands is how we choose to spend our money.
The best option we have to rectify this situation is to eat healthier, which will give organic farms the ability to leverage their fixed costs and expand their operations. This will lower overall costs and reduce retail prices. If we purchase less refined and processed foods, the opposite will happen. Profitability will decline for these products. For most companies, this is the only message they will understand. The power is in our hands to force change. We just need to utilize it.
Perhaps the most frustrating reason, though, is that the government subsidizes unhealthy, chemical-laden foods while it penalizes organic foods. It all comes down to the approval and certification processes that are currently in place. When a chemical company or food manufacturer wants to bring a new chemical or food additive to market, the process is grossly in favor of the petitioning company. The majority of food additives in our food, which reduce nutritional value and lower the costs of making such food, are added to the food supply through a self-approval process known as GRAS, which stands for generally recognized as safe.
This is obviously a major problem because a chemical manufacturer can use its own research or other publicly-available studies to label a new product as GRAS. Assuming it passes (why wouldn't it when they are grading their own papers), the company does not have any requirement to disclose the use of the new ingredient to the government. This process is highly suspect and is based on the honor code. Not every company has ulterior motives, but profit and honor don't typically go together in the food industry. Given the way the system is set up, new formulations make it to market very quickly with little scrutiny, driving the massive increase in artificial ingredients and dangerous chemicals in our food supply.
On the other hand, in order for a farm or food manufacturer to use the government's USDA Organic label, it must pass inspection. The onus and cost is on the organic farmer to prove that his/her product is legitimately organic, which makes sense. My issue with the whole process is the dichotomy. Why are food additives and their chemistry labs not held to the same standard? Why are they allowed to approve their own chemicals? It's absurd. And we are all at risk because of it.
Some may think petitioning the government for change is the best course of action. Pushing legislation is a possibility, however, the process is the way it is because of the powerful food industry and their influence on the government. The only power we have in our hands is how we choose to spend our money.
The best option we have to rectify this situation is to eat healthier, which will give organic farms the ability to leverage their fixed costs and expand their operations. This will lower overall costs and reduce retail prices. If we purchase less refined and processed foods, the opposite will happen. Profitability will decline for these products. For most companies, this is the only message they will understand. The power is in our hands to force change. We just need to utilize it.
About the Author:
Please see more information at my website why artificial sweeteners are bad or this article natural claims on food label
0 comments:
Post a Comment