Organic which foods

Animal Feed — How livestock feed affects animal health, and the health of people who consume animal products. Non GMO Project. The Problem with Pesticides — Examines some of the potential health effects of pesticides. Toxics Action Center. This holiday season alone, millions of people will turn to HelpGuide for free mental health guidance and support. So many people rely on us in their most difficult moments.

Can we rely on you? All gifts made before December 31 will be doubled. Cookie Policy. Is it worth the expense? Find out what the labels mean and which foods give you the most bang for your buck. Organic vs. Non-Organic Organic produce: Conventionally-grown produce: Grown with natural fertilizers manure, compost. Grown with synthetic or chemical fertilizers. Weeds are controlled naturally crop rotation, hand weeding, mulching, and tilling or with organic-approved herbicides.

Weeds are controlled with chemical herbicides. Pests are controlled using natural methods birds, insects, traps and naturally-derived pesticides. Pests are controlled with synthetic pesticides Organic meat, dairy, eggs: Conventionally-raised meat, dairy, eggs Livestock are given all organic, hormone- and GMO-free feed.

Livestock are given growth hormones for faster growth, as well as non-organic, GMO feed. Disease is prevented with natural methods such as clean housing, rotational grazing, and healthy diet.

Antibiotics and medications are used to prevent livestock disease. Livestock must have access to the outdoors. Livestock may or may not have access to the outdoors. The benefits of organic food How your food is grown or raised can have a major impact on your mental and emotional health as well as the environment.

Organic food vs. The benefits of locally grown food Financial: Money stays within the local economy. Apples, like many of the other fruits and vegetables on this list, have a thin peel. The chemicals used in farming can easily pass through the peel to the flesh. The conventional grape samples EWG tested contained an average of five different pesticide residues. More than 96 percent of all samples contained some traceable pesticide residues. Conventional cherry samples had an average of five pesticides detected.

A third of the cherries tested contained a potentially cancer-causing pesticide that is banned in Europe. Related: Cherry Dessert Recipes. Like their cousin the nectarine, almost all of the conventional peach samples, a staggering 99 percent, contained pesticide residues. On average, conventional peaches were found to have residues of four different pesticides. Pictured Recipe: Hasselback Pear Cake. Samples of conventionally grown pears were found to contain several pesticides in high concentrations, including fungicides and insecticides.

Over half of the pear samples tested had residue from five or more pesticides. Related: Healthy Pear Recipes. Pictured Recipe: Tangy Pepper Salad. This year the Environmental Working Group chose to added bell peppers and hot peppers to the list. During testing, nearly three-fourths of hot peppers were found to contain trace residues from highly toxic pesticides. Pictured Recipe: Cream of Celery Soup. Page Content. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, they have different meanings.

Natural foods are free of synthetic or artificial ingredients or additives. The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances. Follow Us. Back to Top. Oral Health. Emotional Wellness.

Growing Healthy. It is estimated that more than six out of every ten Australian households now buy organic foods on occasion. Popular products include fruit and vegetables, beef, non-alcoholic drinks, nuts and ready to eat foods. Most people buy organically-grown food products because they are concerned about pesticides, additives , antibiotics or other chemical residues and believe organic food is healthier.

Other reasons include — concerns with the impact of conventional farming on biodiversity and the environment, and the ethical treatment of livestock.

Several studies have compared the nutritional content of organic and conventionally grown plants, and most have shown no significant differences in key vitamin and mineral content. Although the differences are small — research has shown that some organic food has:. Organic foods promote more humane treatment of animals, as well as providing meat that is free from hormones and antibiotics.

Also, some people worry about the long-term health, economic and environmental consequences of GM foods and choose organic foods in support of an industry that does not use GM techniques. Organic foods promote healthier and more sustainable use of natural resources. Modern conventional farming methods include excessive use of chemicals and planting only one crop multiple times monocropping. This has led to a decline in soil fertility, and an increase in salinity and blue-green algae in waterways over many years.

Organic farmers try to minimise damage to the environment by diversifying their crops, using physical weed control, and animal and green manure.

Organic food is often more expensive than conventionally produced food. This is because organic farming generally operates on a smaller scale, production is more labour intensive. Also, without herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals, yields are generally smaller. Organic farms are only certified after they have been operating according to organic principles for three years. Before , a standard guidelines and rules did not exist for domestic and imported organic foods.

Two key standards now govern the production, processing and labelling of organic food in Australia. These are:. These standards provide an agreed set of procedures to be followed in organic food production.

The standards include requirements for production, preparation, transportation, marketing and labelling of organic products in Australia. While it is mandatory for exported organic produce to be certified and meet the National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce, the Australian standard for domestic and imported foods is not mandated, and certification is voluntary. Its purpose is to assist the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ACCC to ensure claims made about organic and biodynamic products are not false or misleading.