Horizon Tuesday 26th feb 2008

Neily at the peak · Post by **Neily at the peak** » 26 Feb 2008, 22:24

Professor Regan looked into various marketing claims this evening to do with foods and washing powder. She concluded that three main points of Organic food were unproven. These were,

1. Organic Food is more nutritious
2. The pesticide content in conventionally produced food is no more harmful than in organic food.
3. Organic food provides animals with higher welfare.

To me she was asking the wrong questions. She needed to be asking whether organic foodwas more sustainable. I can't find a comment link on the bbc website, if anyone finds one it may be fun to tackle this issue.

Neil

P.S. has anyone seen the food of the future article in this months Ecologist, it gives fantastic coverage yet again.

Post by **clv101** » 26 Feb 2008, 23:01

I'd agree with the Prof, who am I to disagree! The only reason I buy organic food is that I think it supports the kinda of agriculture I approve of, the kind of systems we should have more of. It's a political decision rather than a health decision.

Neily at the peak · Post by **Neily at the peak** » 27 Feb 2008, 08:25

clv101 wrote:I'd agree with the Prof, who am I to disagree! The only reason I buy organic food is that I think it supports the kinda of agriculture I approve of, the kind of systems we should have more of. It's a political decision rather than a health decision.

Absolutely, although I am unsure about cocktails of chemical in the long run. I used to sell pesticides and have long since realised that much of what we were told was propaganda. The research into new chemicals is extensive but it is carried out largely by the manufacturers who have an interest. The danger of talking about issues like this is that pesticides become the big issue rather than resource depletion in the form of gas for Nitrogen fertiliser, mined potassium and mined phosphorous and also Greenhouse gas emissions from Nitrous Oxide.

Neil

Greenbeast · Post by **Greenbeast** » 10 Mar 2008, 08:57

i agree, the reason i buy organic when i can is because it doesn't destroy the topsoil and is more sustainable than fossil-fuel based agriculture

but then the program was about proving or disproving the main myths/truths we are told about the products featured

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 10 Mar 2008, 12:01

Is saying that the human species evolved eating organically-grown food a valid point too?

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 10 Mar 2008, 12:12

emordnilap wrote:Is saying that the human species evolved eating organically-grown food a valid point too?

Yes but you might get shot by a Creationizt

Post by **clv101** » 10 Mar 2008, 12:44

emordnilap wrote:Is saying that the human species evolved eating organically-grown food a valid point too?

We also evolved without density and soap... so no, I don't think it's a valid point.