Organic Foods Contain Higher Levels of Certain Nutrients - Essay Example

Organic food For the last decades, there has been heated debate regarding the safety of the genetically engineered crops. The US has been on the forefront to advocate for genetically engineered crops unlike in Europe where such crops are not accepted or strictly restricted. In other parts of the world, the use of genetically engineered crops has increased rapidly. Crops such as corn, soya, and cotton in the US are entirely produced genetically thus, benefiting farmers, the environment, and consumers.

Pest-resistant crops and herbicide tolerant crops have decreased the application of pesticides and herbicides, which in turn has decreased soil erosion because there is no farm cultivation or tilling. In return, there has been high agricultural production. Opponents of organic food argue that organic farming methods wastes land since they use less land. Further, they argue that there is no prove that organically produced foods are more nutritious than genetically produced foods. Therefore, there is the need to change some assumptions about genetically engineered crops (Dena and Stave 348).

Majority of people who use organic food argue that they do so because they aim to avoid health hazards associated with it. Further, they argue that it is good to practice natural methods of food production since it is perceived that food produced using natural methods is healthy and contain less chemicals such as pesticides. For instance, drawing from an experiment conducted on children in US, the urine of those children who consumed foods grown conventionally had more pesticides residues than the urine sample of those children who consumed food grown naturally.

Production of food organically does not destroy soil quality but instead keeps the quality of the soil because it does not involve the use of synthetic fertilizers that makes the soil lose its nitrogen and other important nutrients (Dena and Stave 349-352). In addition, organic food encourages biodiversity in the sense that it does not foster the use of intensive herbicides and pesticides that endanger crop species but instead they use no herbicides and apply less pesticide thus increasing the soil organic matter.

Conventional farming use synthetic fertilizers made from nitrogen, which in turn finds its way into lakes, rivers, and other ecosystems thus affecting water surroundings. Contrary, organic farming does not pollute the ecosystem because farmers use fewer fertilizers and in some cases, they do not use any fertilizers. It is significant to note that organic method of farming enables the soil to store more carbon thus reducing the rate of carbon dioxide emission to the atmosphere (Crinnion 10). People have ventured in producing organic foods because they believe that they are more nutritious and healthy than genetically engineered foods.

However, organic foods may be vulnerable to microbiological corruption because of the application of organic fertilizers that are believed to cause pathogenic bacteria. A study carried out in Brazil showed that both organic and conventional crops had microbiological bacteria. Therefore, in order to attain healthy food, people need to be sensitized to use good farming methods and ensure that the food they consume is clean. This will in turn ensure food safety and quality (Singer n.d). Summarily, it is rational to argue that producing food using conventional methods is good since it does not involve the use of synthetic fertilizers that affect the quality of food and the soil.

Further, organic food encourages biodiversity in the sense that it does not foster the use of intensive herbicides and pesticides that endanger crop species but instead they use no herbicides and apply less pesticide thus increasing the soil organic matter than genetically engineered crops. Works Cited Crinnion, Walter. Organic Foods Contain Higher Levels of Certain Nutrients, Lower Levels of Pesticides, and may Provide Health Benefit for the Consumer. Alternative Medicine Review 15.1 (2010): 4-12. Print. Dena, Bravata, and Stave, Christopher.

Are Organic food safer or Healthier than Conventional Alternatives? Annals of internal medicine 157.5 (2012): 348-366. Print. Leu, Andre. Organic Agriculture Can feed the World. Web. 18 April. 2013. Print. Singer, Peter. Organically Produced Food Improves Human, Animal, and Environmental Health. Web. 18 April. 2013. Print.