Organic Farming Practices The Organic Foods Production...

In developed countries there has been a recent craze in the health industry regarding the consumption of produce grown without the use of harsh chemicals; such produce has come to known as â€Å"organic†. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers who grow organic produce do not use conventional methods to fertilize and control weeds. Organic farmers follow a distinct set of standards to manufacture organic food and fiber. Congress penned a general list of organic principles in the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), and the United States Depart of Agriculture (USDA) also defines specific organic standards. The standards set by the OFPA and USDA have specific†¦show more content†¦However, according to Jeffrey Kluger, â€Å"a 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition led to a firestorm in the food world. It found no difference between organic and conventional produce with regard to all but three of the vitamins and other food components studied, and conventional produce actually squeaked past organic for one of those three.† Nevertheless, more research should be done to affirm to this claim before coming to a conclusion. Organic agriculture is preordained to improve the soil quality over time by avoiding most synthetic materials, such as pesticides and antibiotics; the only reason there is an increase in vitamin and mineral levels in comparison to inorganic food may be because some vitamins and vitamins are destroyed through the inorganic growing process. Investigation The U.S. Department of Agriculture has established an organic certification program that requires all organic foods to meet standards which regulate how such foods are grown, handled and processed. Products that are completely organic (single-ingredient foods such as fruits, vegetables, eggs) are labeled 100 percent organic and can carry the USDA seal. Foods that have more than one ingredient (such as breakfast cereal) also can use the USDA organic seal. However, they have to include a specific wording depending on the type of food and the number of organic ingredients. If the