Organic is big business

At the start of this posting you’ll have gathered long ago that Cabbages and Cream is passionate about organic food, be it vegetables and fruit, or even skin food and household detergents. However, in a moment you may question this stance, because we’re about to show up the word ‘organic’ as being surprisingly flawed. So please accept our apologies right now, while we urge you to use the information with common sense and for your good health’s sake continue to eat as much Real Food as you possibly can. All you need to do is be diligent as to its source and stop believing every label you read as having your best interests at heart

As soon as something good comes along, Big Business is sure to get its fingers in the pie, and more often than not, to the detriment of the consumer

Take the word ‘organic’ for instance. There was a time when the whole organic movement was scoffed at, but then people started asking uncomfortable questions about the quality of their food, to discover that all the time ‘organic’ had the answers. At last we found food grown like it used to be in ‘the good ole’ days’ of our grandparents’ time, with all the sentimental hype to goe with it

But Big Business wasn’t happy – suddenly they had to answer for the way they grow our food and that could be uncomfortable. So they found ‘scientists’ who could ‘prove’ organic is no better than conventional food, and subsequently the jury has remained out. A situation which suits Big Business very well – keep the consumer confused while continuing to produce inferior foods in clever wrappings

Well, not ALL Big Business, of course, but there are enough reasons to suppose food manufacturers are gypping us. As a result we spend a lot of time on the fence but instinctively believe that ‘organic is better’. And so we should

But – and here’s the nub – Big Business is promoting ‘organic’ with a large-scale mentality! How did that happen? You may well ask.

Organic food sales reflect this trend – in the US organic food sales increased from $3.5bil in 1996 to $9bil in 2001. What must those figures look like for 2007?

While families with young children are the biggest consumers of organic products – wait for it – heavyweights such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi are working their way steadily into the organic market. Frito-Lay, which is owned by PepsiCo, now sells ‘organic’ salsa. What mockery of the word is this? As far back as 2001, Coca-Cola started selling organic carrot, apple and orange juices. Big Business has its teeth in the organic trend and before long the word will become hideously flawed, leaving consumers more confused than ever.

And now the Wal-Mart Giant has stirred ……

Wal-Mart Plans Huge Move Into Organic Food

Organic Rice Krispies, organic Frosted Mini Wheats and even organic Pepsi may define the future of American eating habits after Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, revealed plans for a huge expansion into pesticide-free foods.

The answer to all this nonsense is, don’t be fooled. Just because someone says something is organic is no reason to buy it without first doing the homework. The word organic printed on a label doesn’t mean the product is necessarily better for you than non-organic – take these examples:

• Commercial organic milk. Don’t forget that pasteurization destroys enzymes, denatures fragile milk proteins, obliterates beneficial bacteria, weakens vitamin content, encourages allergies, promotes pathogens, boosts tooth decay and infantile colic, destroys vitamin B12, and vitamin B6and encourages growth problems in children, arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease. It makes no difference whether the milk is organic or not, these functions still apply to pasteurized milk and only raw milk does not hold these pitfalls.
• Organic whole wheat bread is another example. Organic bread and organic sugar both contribute to chronic degenerative disease in the majority of people who consume them. They both cause food sensitivities, whether they are organic or not.
• These examples are typical of food industry moguls catching on to the organic bandwagon at the expense of the consumer

Further reading: ABC Forced to Apologize for Lying About Evidence on Organic Food

Image source=The Earth Market
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