Sir John's comments led to a letter in The Guardian newspaper from the Policy Director of the Soil Association, Peter Melchett who wrote, 'Sir John's anti-organic prejudice is matched by his love of GMOs??. So, in 2006, has the organic information overload left us with facts or fiction? We take a look at the top 5 myths.
1. No nutritional difference between organic and conventional produce.
According to the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics the demand for organic foods are increasing due to consumers believing they are safer and healthier than conventional foods. Even though there are still gaps and limits in scientific knowledge, what we do know is that fewer chemicals are used in small organic farming than conventionally grown alternatives. It is well documented that residues remain on our conventional foods and consumed by us over decades, aids heavily to accumulating fatty tissue. Organic food regulations prohibit hydrogenated fat, phosphoric acid, preservatives, colourings, hormones, antibiotics, GMOs and 7000 other artificial flavourings that are permitted in conventional food.
There is also the environmental issue to which the organic farming method lends its benefits. The use of drugs is restricted in organic farming which not only keeps animals healthy but results in cryptosporidium, listeria and almonella being a rare occurrence in organic foods. There is a direct relationship between intensive cattle-rearing and E.coli which is virtually non-existent in organic beef, but kills over 200 Americans and Britons each year.
2.Consumers are paying too much for organic food?
This debate has grown since the days of comparing the price of an organic apple for a conventional apple. It seems that the ?value? of organic produce goes beyond its price tag.
Nutritionally: In terms of dry weight and nutrients, organic food tends to have more in it Why? Produce grown organically through modern methods of small organic farming must be done in enriched soil. The growth of a plant can be sped up by agrochemicals changing its structure to have more water in it. As a result, non-organic produce can sometimes shrink more on cooking as the water content dissipates.
Price: Average price difference is 20 per cent between organic and non-organic. However given that it can contain up to 26 per cent more dry matter (less water) could it actually be cheaper to buy organic?
Conclusion: It may still look like an apple you are actually buying less food if you don't buy organic.
3. Organic food and weight loss.
Organic butter can still make you put on weight and clog up your arteries. Organic sweets and sugar will still rot your teeth. However, certain kinds of organic food based nutrients found in vegetable broth can act as appetite suppressants as it does not contain excitotoxins. What are excitotoxin? These ingredients can cause neurological disorders by overexciting nerve cells and so causing hunger. Ingredients such as vegetable proteins, autolyzed yeast extract, MSG, yeast extract and others. This is perhaps more important in babies who can eat five times the amount of food per kg as an adult. Therefore, making sure they eat correctly and to not overeat is nowadays a growing concern. Babies in particular eat far more fruit and vegetables than most adults and are the very foods most likely to be covered in agrichemical residues.
4. The public is happy with regular, non-organic produce.
Some say that the public is happy with what's on the supermarket shelves, however various consumer surveys in Europe show many people are worried about pesticides, NPK fertilizers in small organic farming and processed food in general. In the United Kingdom a survey found 44% of all consumers were concerned about pesticides and 43% about the use of food additives (Food Standards Agency, 2003). This suggests that organic food based nutrients is something which people are taking more notice of.
5. Organic farming increases the risk of food poisoning.
The Department of Nutrition in Greece said:
?It is difficult'to weigh the risks, but what should be made clear to consumers is that ?organic? does not equal ?safe?.
Much of this was based on the theory that if we don't use ?modern? day chemical pesticides that bacteria such as E Coli could not effectively be treated on crops. However studies made by S.K. Sagoo, C.L. Little & R.T. Mitchell on the microbiological quality of organic vegetables in UK small organic farming & demand showed that:
?The majority (3185 of 3200; 99'5%) of samples were found to be of satisfactory/acceptable quality whilst only 15 (0'5%) were of unsatisfactory quality. Unsatisfactory results were due to Escherichia coli and Listeria spp?..The absence of pathogens and the low incidence of E. coli indicate that overall agricultural, hygiene; harvesting and production practices were good?
They suggested that the growth in the organic market has reflected an increase in the associated microbiological safety.
From the Venetian lagoon on the Adriatic sea in Italy, when Venice was the center of commerce with Asia from the 13th to the 19th centuries, organic baking traditions were born that are still practiced today. Sailors and explorers carried foodstuffs on board the war and merchant galleons that would survive the long voyages in the perilous seas. Among these were sweet treats, simple to make, that in name and taste, reflected their Venetian origins. Not to mention the only existing agriculture created organic food; no pesticides or additives were used in foods, except those from mother nature herself.
The Queen of these, and the most famous, is the organic cookie named "Biscotti Baicoli". Created in the 1700's, the word "baicoli" is Venetian dialect for sea bass. In fact, their oval, thin, long shape is very similar to the sea bass which inhabit the lagoon. At that time, bakers supplied them to coffee shops, or they were served to house guests along with zabaglione cream, hot chocolate or tea. Still others served them with a sweet Doge's desert wine, the Venetian Moscato dei Doge.
Today they are considered a delicate, light, yet flavorful organic cookie to be enjoyed by everyone. In fact, almost every child in Venice today knows the poem in Venetian dialect which brags of the goodness of the Baicoli and its Venetian origins.
In the lagoon sits Burano, the fisherman's island, famous for it's rows of brightly colored houses. From this tiny island comes the organic cookie "Bussola Buranello", which translated, means the compass of Burano. Here too, the marine traditions date back centuries. Baked in a shape like a backwards "s" or an outline of a circle, this cookie was a typical Easter treat, kneaded at home by the women of Burano, and then brought to the baker's for baking. On feast days, it was dipped in holy wine "vin santo", or in local whites. Packaged, they were placed in the middle of clothes drawers in order to scent them with the delicious aroma characteristic of this cookie.
Still today, considered a genuine and nutritional organic cookie, it is enjoyed in the same manner, or served to children.
Both organic cookies are easy to prepare, with simple organic food ingredients. The recipes follow:
Biscotti Baicoli -
Organic Food Ingredients: 1 ¾ cups flour, ¼ cup melted butter (unsalted), ¼ cup sugar, 1 small glass of milk, one half ounce of yeast
Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of tepid milk in a glass, and then mix it together with ¼ cup of flour. Form a ball and leave it to rest, covered by a cloth, in a warm place until it doubles in volume (approx 30 min).
Mix together the remaining ingredients, starting with the flour and sugar, then the melted butter, and finally the tepid milk. (You may also add a bit of freshy squeezed orange juice for more flavor) Add the leavened dough and knead all together.
Leave the dough in the mixing bowl and place the bowl in a larger bowl of boiling hot water in the oven (turned off), for at least one hour.
Divide the dough in roughly 6 long, oval shapes, each roughly 3 inches in width. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes at 300°, and then increase the temperature to 430° until completely cooked (approx 1 hour). Remove from the oven and let it completely cool. Then slice the 6 oval shapes thinly into organic cookies, and put them back in the oven to "toast" for 20 min at 120° - 175°.
Dip in hot tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. Or serve with zabaglione cream or a sweet desert wine.
Bussola Buranello -
Organic Food Ingredients: 6 egg yolks, 1 cup butter softened at room temperature, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, a dash of extract (choosed between, vanilla, lemon or anise, the island tradition), a dash of salt.
On a kitchen workspace, form a volcano shape with the flour, and in the middle create a crater where you add the softened butter (not melted).
In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the sugar. Then add this to the butter /flour mixture, and quickly mix /knead with your hands.
Take the dough and create the desired cookie shapes (outline of a circle or backwards "s") and cook in the oven at 350° until done.
Modern versions add dark chocolate chips, raisins, or substitute a bit of the white flour with coconut flour.
Serve these organic treats at home along with your usual array of organic foods or try them on your friends at your next gathering. Bring to your table a culinary, organic, pastry delight which is centuries old, yet enjoyed every day by Venetians and tourists alike.
Both Julian Hall & Heather Bettendorf are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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