Want Some Pesticides with that Peach?

I'm getting on my soap box. You've been warned.

Yahoo News recently posted an article about how organic food has no real nutritional benefits over conventionally-grown produce. An old acquaintance of mine posted the link on Facebook with the words "I knew it... SUCKERS!"

I sensed she posted this out of a disgust for yuppies who shop at Whole Foods (which is overpriced) and who think eating organic is equivalent to having the latest Gucci purse. In other words, a trend they're indulging in, but one that will soon be on its way. I thought her response to the article was kind of funny, and also understandable. It got me thinking about the potential effect one online article can have on the masses if there's already a backlash brewing.

If you think about it, there is no real benefit to organic produce nutrients-wise. An orange is an orange, whether it's grown with pesticides or without - right? The advantage to buying organic doesn't have anything to do with nutrients though, in my mind. Organic farming methods are better for the earth, so in the long-run they're better for us. And it's not just that. A guy who posted a comment to the link after me wrote this: "...the fact is that conventional produce contain fertilizers and pesticides that have been shown to absolutely have a negative impact in some people- especially pregnant women and young children."

If you eat a peach, you'll get its nutrients alright. The question is, do you want pesticides with that? It seems a lot of the nutritional benefit would be canceled out by the chemicals you're ingesting. So really, organic food is more nutritious.

I don't always buy organic because I can't always afford it. I just get kind of mad when people write articles just to a get clicks - and in the end, money from advertisers - but ignore the whole point behind the real issue. I'm sure lots of people will read that article, feel smug toward the yuppies, and never consider buying an organic product again. This will make zero impact on the uppity folks, who are going to do their thing no matter what the rest of us commoners say, but the unfortunate by-product of an article like this is that it could hurt organic farmers, the planet, and possibly a few of the rest of us in the process.

It seems like organic farming is just doing things the old way. What's really "uppity" is all those fancy-pants pesticides they have to mix together to get a bumper crop of uniform-looking veggies. Which we demand now that we're used to our perfectly round tomatoes. When I'm digging through a veggie pile, I naturally avoid anything weird-looking even though it doesn't make a difference taste or health-wise. I just can't help myself. Organic food is already at a disadvantage because it doesn't always look giant and round. It doesn't need people dissing it in online articles to put it over the edge. What it needs is LOVE. And a bit of understanding ;)

Dear Article Writer,

I hope the gazillion clicks on your article and the possible resulting promotion you got at work make up for the dive in demand for organic stuff, which will drive up prices even more and put some good old-timey family farms out of business. Congrats. Sucker.

xoxo,
me

Maybe I'm giving this person too much credit. But if you see an article on Yahoo News soon entitled "Organic Farmers Go Bankrupt in Droves"... I'm blaming that guy.

K. I'm done ranting. For now ;)