Whenever you walk through a grocery store, you see many foods under the organic section. Just like the non-organic ones. But do you really know what organic and non-organic mean? Let’s break down all of the difference between these two categories in this article.
Organic food
Organic food is produced with such methods that fit perfectly with the standards of government as well as certified bodies. If you take the word for United States then the USDA organic label has the understanding that the product was produced without any kind of pesticides, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics, hormones, and fertilisers.
Non-Organic Food
Conventional food grows with the help of chemicals. Synthetic pesticides and fertilisers are used in the growth of non-organic food. Many farmers use artificial flavours and fertilisers so the crop can produce more yield and the loss from the pests and diseases get 0 to none.
Even the livestock are given antibiotics as well as growth hormones in order for them to grow rapidly. These methods cause fast production within lower prices. However, the chemical residues are present in a high form within these animals.
Key DifferencesÂ
â—Ź Fertilisers and pesticides
â—Ź Genetically modified organisms
â—Ź Animal well-being
â—Ź Environmental effects
Both foods have key differences let’s take a look at them one by one
Fertilizers and PesticidesÂ
â—Ź Organic: this category grows foods without fertilisers and pesticides. It uses natural alternatives.
â—Ź Non organic: most of the times conventional and synthetic pesticides are used within these categorical foods.
Genetically Modified Organisms
â—Ź Organic: products of this category do not use any kind of GMO. These are safe from artificial organisms.
● Non-organic: foods under this category often use conventional GMO’s.
Animal Well BeingÂ
â—Ź Organic: when it comes to taking care of the animal and their welfare than the organic standards are more prone to be used.
â—Ź Non organic: conventional practices and synthetic antibiotics as well as growth hormones are produced within the animals so they can grow rapidly.
Environmental Effects
â—Ź Organic: this category often leads to farming trance where bio diversity as well as the health of the soil is kept intact.
â—Ź Non-organic: in most cases the non-organic methods can lead to soil depletion. And sometimes never mind most of the times the health of the soil is not considered in this category. Which leads to pollution.
Healthy OptionÂ
Organic
If you ask me, then I will say that this is a very well debated topic. There are some studies that suggest that organic products contain higher levels of antioxidants as well as nutrients. which means the organic foods do not contain much residue of pesticides.
Non OrganicÂ
However, when you look at the difference between nutritional values of non-organic and organic then this is comparatively small. Because washing of the fruits and vegetables can really reduce the pesticides and wash them off easily.
Conclusion
It completely depends on the priorities of your own taste and choice. If you are more concerned about the exposure of pesticide as well as environmental sustainability then organic is your way to go. Those who need to eat a balanced diet which is rich in fruits and whole-grain as well as vegetables, then you can not care any more about organic or non-organic. You just need to have a balanced diet.