Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 15:11
By now, I am confident, at least in America, most of us have heard the word organic. It has become synonymous with healthy eating. If it’s organic, it must be good for you, right? The name itself makes me think of endless fields of permacultured perfection. A few cows, chickens, and goats roam freely in the pastures, grazing to their heart’s content. An elderly couple sits in their kitchen, eating eggs, biscuits, and jam made from scratch, looking out their window at their picturesque landscape, admiring all that is natural and organic.
Organic by definition is surprisingly simple; relating to, or derived from living matter.
Put even more simply, Organic = from LIFE.
I assume at this point this article will be pretty straightforward, ‘Certified Organic Food’ = food that comes from something that used to be alive, right? Sound the alarm my friends, organic food is vastly more complex than this.
If you’re like me, and you see the organic label, it’s likely to bring up a host of questions, like:
-Whose job is it to classify something as organic?
-What exactly are the regulations for organic foods?
-How adherent are they to the guidelines they set?
-Who is they?
-Does any of this change for imported foods?
-Can anyone use the word organic?
-How do these guidelines affect the farmers?
-Are there regulating committees in place?
-How many certifying organizations are there?
-Who regulates these organizations?
-How does this affect big agriculture?
-Does any of this really matter?
Well let’s take a look.
The National Organic Program is the federal regulating organization in charge of what can and cannot be considered organic. It is overseen by the USDA and is not concerned with food safety or nutrition. They maintain the National list of allowed and prohibited substances, they also claim to uphold the integrity of the organic label by investigating and penalizing those found in violation of any organic guidelines with fines of up to $11,000 per infraction, and potential loss of certification.
Anyone else wondering why we need a fake government program to comprise or regulate a basically indecipherable list of harmful, synthetic, bio-engineered food additives, especially in regards to organic food? This, by the way, is essentially the role of The National Organic Program, comprising lists of foods that are not of life and never were, then determining their organic eligibility. Little of what you might find on their website is coherent. The very idea of such a program is overwhelmingly oxymoronic!
GMO, if you don’t know, stands for genetically modified organisms. We are now to say bio-engineered food ingredient so as not to make you think they are doing creepy things with our food. If you are wondering, yes, it is precisely what every science fiction novel, EVER, has warned us about.
Listen, there’s no way to sugar coat this, bio-engineered food ingredients are bad. If there is one food label worthy of your consideration, ‘Non-GMO Project Verified’ or ‘Verified Non-GMO’ should be it. Be careful as again, they have changed the verbiage, bio-engineered food ingredient is what you need to be aware of, and is presently listed on food labels by an asterisk* in the food ingredients list along with a very small statement at the bottom that says *This product contains a bio-engineered food ingredient. Circumventing the Non-GMO Project Verified and Verified Non-GMO labels.
What exactly are GMOs? Short answer, who the hell knows.
In the beginning of this science, we modified our foods, most specifically our seeds, so they would grow in any environment, immune from pests including those natural, necessary microbes that allow food to decay. The intent behind this science fiction novel science is to feed the masses. Sure, it sounds perfect, noble in fact; manipulating our food so starving people in 3rd world countries could end their battles with famine and infertility. Yes, sign me up, I am all for ending the suffering of our fellow humans. But at what cost? Bio-engineered food ingredients have actually exacerbated these issues versus eradicate them. They have made humans very sick, they have made the land very sick, they have made the animals very sick, this is very sick.
In 1994, Calgene brought us our first genetically modified food; the Flavr Savr tomato. Flavr Savr was designed to have a longer shelf life than the average tomato. We have all been there, right? A rotting tomato in our refrigerator drawer and we only bought it yesterday. The issue, we are changing something’s genetics with little consideration as to what else those genes might play a role in.
How do we know the genes of a tomato aren’t read by our bodies telling us how to process them? How do we know the genes of a tomato aren’t read by the bees telling them how to pollinate the tomatoes? Could this be why the bees are dying? Could this be why tomato allergies are on the rise? Could this be why we are dying?
I’ll leave this here for y’al to ponder. Pay attention to food labels, some food ain’t food.
Don’t forget to wash your hands.
Talk Soon.