Transcript Slide 1

Dr. Montville
The Science of Food
Fall 2009
The Organic Food Production Act of
1990
• Went into effect 2002.
• Governs the growth process, not the product. (contrast with FDA
and GEMs).
• Defines “Organically Grown,” NOT attributes of the food.
(analogy to Kosher).
No evidence of superior nutrition or safety
The Law
•No GMO
•No irradiation
•No shit
•No synthetic feeds, hormones, pesticides, other substances
Unless on list!
•No plastic pellets
•No animal byproducts
•No antibiotics
Crops must abide for three years, poultry day 2, cattle 3rd
trimester.
The Allowed List
Contains:
- synthetic pesticides: strychnine
- chemicals: alcohols, chlorine materials (Calcium or
sodium hypochlorite), chlorine dioxide, hydrogen
peroxide, boric acid, sulfates, sodium silicate, etc
- antibiotics: streptomycin, terramycin and
tetracycline (to control fire blight in apples)
Organic Labeling
1.) “100% Organic”
Means all the
ingredients are organic.
The USDA logo can be
used on the package
4.) Ingredient Panel only
Means less than 70% of
the ingredients are
organic. The word
“organic” can only be
used in the ingredient
panel.
2.) “Organic”
Means 95% of the
ingredients are
organic. The USDA
logo can be used on
the package
3.) “Made with organic”
More than 70% but less
than 95% of the
ingredients are organic.
The USDA logo cannot
be used on the package
Organic Labeling
Demand for organic food is more than the
supply
The Associated Press
Home News Tribune
July 7, 2006
• “Makers of the Clif Bar needed 85,000 pounds of organic
almonds but the nation’s crop was spoken for.”
• “America’s appetite for organic food is so strong that supply can’t
keep up with demand”
•“Growth in sales of organic food has been 15% to 21% each year,
compared with 2% to 4% for total food sales
•“Wal-mart Stores Inc. said ealier this year it would double its
organic offerings”
Nature’s Perfect Food: An Argument from
Michael Potter
“Today, we face a more permanent adulteration of out food”
1.) “…(The) enormous burden on companies like Eden Foods to aquire non genetically
polluted organic food, is the most serious threat to the freedom of humanity from
corporate exploitation.”
2.) “For a frightening look at the results of man introducing designed-for-profit DNA
into the environment, one need only look at the deplorable condition of the salmon
species and the rapid disappearance of all wild salmon.”
3.) “Genetic science itself is not bad. It has the potential for creating a new silver bullet
for medicines of value. Tampering with the DNA of our food supply is a another thing
and the overwhelming majority of the people on Earth do not want it done.”
4.) “For nature to repair this requires thousands of year; but, we are “the salt of the
Earth” and the magic of man is that we can repair this damage using organic
techniques in three to five years”
Cage Free: a look at a hen’s life on the Country
Hen farm
•Country Hen produces 18 million eggs a year and is
home to 67,000 hens.
• A hen will lay an egg every 26 hours so long as it is
needs are met.
• One hen will eat a quarter pound of food a day.
• That mean Country hen has to produce 74 tons of
food a week for its hens.
• Barn 10 is where about 6600 Rhode Island Red
hens are penned but not caged.
• The barn is about the size of a football field.
• Running through the middle of the barn are
“autonests” which are enclosures which encourage
the hens to lay eggs.
Top 10 reasons to buy organic
1.) Protect future generations
2.) Prevent soil erosion
3.) Protect water quality
4.) Save energy
5.) Keep chemicals off your plate
6.) Protect farm worker health
7.) Help small farmers
8.) Support a true economy
9.) Promote biodiversity
10.) Taste better flavor
Organic Certification Fees
Initially estimated at $750 per farm
Depend on Certifier Organization
Certifier
Cost
State based,
private
$5-10K sales
$434
State based,
private #2
$250 + inspection cost + 25% + 0.5% of sales >
$20,000 with 20K cap
Regional certifier
$150 to $225 + inspection cost ($175 and up) +
0.5% of sales with 5K cap
State based, state
run
$225 + “per acre” ( $2.50 for corn to $25 for
veggies), $10 per cow, $1 sheep, 0.1 per laying hen,
0.01 per slaughter chicken
$100k sales
$1,112
Over $500K sales
$2,500 ± 0.1%
Support local organic producers
• Helps local economy
• Preserves local farms
• Provides a sense of control
• Provides connection to the land
• Provides opportunity for community