From food, soaps and shampoos to clothes and stationary products, everything with the tag of "organic" is flying off the shelves these days! While organic food accounts for just 1-2% of total food sales worldwide, the market is growing rapidly (by some estimates by 20% per annum) far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both the developed and developing world.
Small wonder that world organic food sales jumped from US $23 billion in 2002 (Source: Organic Monitor.
2002) to $40 billion in 2006.
(Source: Organic Monitor.
2006).
Simply put, organic foods are foods grown without the use of toxic chemical pesticides.
They may cost more (E.
g.
a jar of organic baby food on average could cost about 20 cents more than regular baby food) because farmers take extra ordinary pains in keeping their crops bug-free and healthy.
This may be accomplished with the use of natural compost, manure, so that the crop remains pesticide-free.
Past studies have revealed that 77% of conventional fruits bear traces of pesticides, while only 25% of "organic" foods had any noticeable levels.
New studies have linked pesticides to hormone disorders that can result in immune deficiency, chronic illness, even cancer among children.
BSE, E-Coli, salmonella, food allergies, colon cancer, the rise in childhood asthma all have been linked with processed food and the use of pesticides and preservatives that are added to improve the appearance and shelf life-of edibles.
One study demonstrated that men's sperm count increased when they were put on an organic dies, while another experimental group of women subjects showed reduced incidence of breast cancer.
Asserting that plants have natural defense mechanism and what protects them also protects us, supporters of organic foods assert that we kill plant's natural defense mechanism by spraying pesticides on them.
It effect is the same as with an overuse of antibiotics.
Asserting that plants have the same physiology as human beings and animals, naturalists maintain that if plants are given some healthy amount of stress (say, the kind we produce through exercise or vaccines) it would strengthen their natural immunological response and they would be able to ward off diseases without the use of artificial pesticides.
Imploring farmers to go back to the same cultural practices that they have been using for decades (before the discovery of chemical fertilizers and pesticides); these experts maintain that plants are evolved creatures, they know how to fight pests and fungus, they have secondary metabolics that help them fight disease.
Keep a close watch on them, remain alert to all the signs and symptoms but don't unnecessarily interfere in nature's growth process.
Expose them to diversity and make them naturally resistant to disease, that's the basic philosophy behind growing strong, nutrient-rich, even with human beings and from available information, it appears that this message is going down well with the consumers.
Any surprise then that Whole Foods Market Inc, the largest natural foods retailer in the US is one of the most closely followed stocks by investors.
Indeed the rumour is that the Whole Food's hawks products made by Mother's, but the actual distribution is by PepsiCo's Quaker Oats unit! No doubt, big retailers are catching on the trend.
Department of Agriculture recently created a National Organic Program to set national standard for "organic" certification.
And why not, when over 10% of Americans are now eating organic foods, with more than half having tried them at some point.
To spread awareness about the health benefits of organic eating, the month of October has now been declared Organic Harvest Month by the Soil Association, one of the largest organic watchdog body in the UK.
Retailers like Hampers Hampers make the most of this event by delivering organic hampers across a mail-order service in the UK.
Time for farmers to cast aside their spray cans and growth hormones?