What does organic mean?
What are organic foods? Organic food is produced on farms that avoid the use of man-made fertilizers and pesticides. The Soil Association is a charity that also owns a subsidiary that is the largest organic certification body in the UK.
The soil association defines bio as a means of making objects that work with nature.
But even organic foods are not always 100 percent free of drugs and pesticides. Contrary to popular belief, fertilizers, pesticides and medicines are used to prevent products from being wasted.
What organic farming does, however, is to stop the routine use of antibiotics, which causes antibiotic resistance and is lost and consumed by us in the food chain.
While there are nearly 300 pesticides that can be used in conventional farms, there are only 20 that are approved for use in organic farms and are derived only from natural ingredients.
Even after washing and cooking non-organic foods, you are still at risk of consuming some of these pesticides. Last year, a government study found pesticide residues in 47 percent of British food.
The benefits of organic food
Well, what is the main benefit of organic foods? It can be traced from farm to fork, so you can be sure of what you are eating.
Organic farming not only provides a better quality of life for animals bred on organic farms, but is also better for other forms of wildlife and for the environment.
The Soil Association estimates that organic farms have 50 percent more wildlife such as bees, birds and butterflies than non-organic farms.
Organic foods have not added artificial colors or preservatives and often differ nutritionally from non-organic foods.
A 2016 study by researchers at Newcastle University found “clear differences between organic and conventional milk and meat.”
Organic milk and meats have been found to have about 50 percent more omega-3 fatty acids than their non-organic equivalents and yet you did not have to consume more calories or saturated fats.
Even organically produced grains, fruits and vegetables probably contain up to 68 percent more antioxidants than conventionally grown products.
In short, the soil association states that organic foods are always free, have less pesticides, no artificial colors and preservatives, no routinely used antibiotics, and contain no genetically modified ingredients.
How to know if a product is organic?
Based on the statement from Soil Association, “Organic food must be certified under EU law, and it is inspected at every step of the process, from field to fork, to ensure that the highest standards are met.” Soil Association certifies about 70 Percent of organic standards in the United Kingdom and many Soil Association organic standards are actually higher than EU standards, so if you see the soil-certified organic symbol on the packaging, you know it’s a symbol to which You can trust. “
