What is organic food? Where can I find an organic food store?

Today, a growing number of people who prefer to treat with scrupulous attitudes to the products they consume. Careful study not only labels containing information about the composition, but also data on the terrain where this product was manufactured, which leads to the conclusion about its ecological and chemical purity.

In America and Western Europe, the demand for natural food has ceased to be just a fashionable trend, but has turned into an urgent need of people, among whom there are so ardent ekidy fans that resemble religious sectarians.

Organic food has already split the Western consumer society: for them in supermarkets there are even separate shelves with this product. Today, the demand for it is growing in our country.

Organic food: what is it and why does it cause so much controversy?

I am what I eat

Organic food is called so because of the way of management, which owes its appearance. This means that in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, agricultural workers should not use synthetically obtained substances that accelerate the growth of plants that destroy pests that increase the shelf life of products and improve the appearance of plants.

In animal husbandry, this way of doing business prevents the use of antibiotics, growth stimulants, hormonal drugs and other achievements of the chemical industry and genetic engineering.

Processing of raw materials in finished food products should also be done according to certain standards without using refining, chemical enhancers of taste, odor, dyes and substances that increase the shelf life.

All these principles allow producing food products that are guaranteed not to contain in their composition unnecessary chemical elements that can harm human health.

Minimizing the damage to nature: truth or myth?

When growing plants, the means and methods of their processing and cultivation that are authorized by special documents are used. As a rule, the main principle is the observance of ecological balance in the area.

But scientists know that even after abandoning artificially synthesized agricultural assistants, one can deal a serious blow to the environment, even if, at first glance, organic food is grown by all standards.

Natural fertilizers for high efficiency should be introduced in large quantities, which is very costly for farmers. Even more expensive it can do with groundwaters, in which organic pollutants can get in this way, which, in turn, will lead to a whole chain of adverse consequences for nature and man.

Since the cultivation of plants without chemical fertilizers and insecticides that have become traditional for agriculture, the yield is lower than with these substances. Such a method of cultivation forces farmers to use all new plots of land, which can lead to the destruction of a significant amount of forest.

Natural food can hurt?

European legislation already allows many additives with the "E" marking to be applied to the production of bio-products, and not all of them are harmless. In addition, organic food can potentially be a source of poisoning by the so-called mycotoxins, since the use of insecticides for the processing of grain is excluded from its production, which means that many pests, including fungi, can leave traces of their life activity on the produce.

Bioproducts are tastier and more useful than usual?

If you go to the organic food store and buy a basket of food there, then do the same in the nearest supermarket and take your purchases to a laboratory where you will analyze the nutritional value of both products, then most likely the results do not shock the curious buyer.

The content of nutrients, vitamins, proteins, fats and carbohydrates in both will not significantly differ.

The difference in the composition can be found only with regard to antibiotics, artificial colors, preservatives and other "synthetics", as well as pesticides used for dressing pests of crops.

With regard to pesticides, then, according to the concept of growing organic products, the use of these substances is allowed if they are isolated from living organisms. However, studies conducted in the US have shown that more than thirty percent of even such pesticides remain in eco products and enter the human body, accumulating over the years.

Where to buy this food?

One can imagine what organic food means to a person who is panically afraid of the achievements of the modern food industry, which in recent years has become more like a chemical.

Ancient wisdom says that food should be a medicine, and medicine a food, so the desire of consumers for the best products is so natural, how natural is the desire of every person to be healthy.

Organic food in Moscow, for example, is no more accessible than on the periphery for the simple reason that in the province many people cultivate their own, albeit small, plots of land, so they can boast of their cucumber and apple, and also expose surplus for sale.

Therefore, in search of organic food in the province should pay attention to private ads in the newspaper and collective-farm markets. But such a method exists at the buyer's risk and risk, because the products hardly passed the veterinary control and certified, and in the absence of the use of synthetic chemistry in the production of food, the seller is unlikely to present a guarantee.

Another thing - specialized stores or counters in supermarkets, decorated with bright signs with the appropriate appeal to buy organic food.

Fans of organic, answer me!

Yes, those same glasses of raspberries and bunches of greenery from grandmothers on the market can also proudly be called the term "organic food". Reviews about it among fans of natural farming products are much more favorable than about the ideal in form, size and color of the specimens of traditional intensive farming, decorating store shelves.

The same can be said about organic products produced on an industrial scale. In many shops of our country there are special shelves, where there is only organic food for sale. Customer feedback without prejudice on the benefits or uselessness of such food is particularly interesting. One of the forums discussed such purchases.

Organic tomatoes of the ideal form, bought at a price twice that of the others, did not produce bright taste impressions on consumers. Purchases were made in April, which means that the fruits were grown in a greenhouse, which deprived them of a significant part of the organoleptic properties.

This means that, regardless of the method of agriculture, the taste of organic food can not significantly differ from the inorganic taste. This opinion is shared by many people who leave their impressions of such purchases.

Why is organic food so expensive?

The disadvantage of organic food in our country, and even in the West, is a high price, which is due to the costs in the production of these products. Low yields, death of plants from pests are a consequence of rejection of modern methods of agriculture, which inevitably leads to high labor costs.

Because of the refusal of preservatives, the products deteriorate faster, and long transportation and storage, even according to all rules, can spoil a significant part of the already poor harvest.

All these costs are borne by the consumer, who decided not to save on his own health.

Organic and Russian law

Despite the fact that many Russians enjoy the benefits of going to the organic food store, Moscow is in no hurry to issue laws regulating the growing and production of such products. The reasons for this are not completely clear, however, when purchasing products of domestic manufacturers that place on the labels the words "Organic", "Bio", "Eco" and others, it is not worth illusions and putting such products in a basket without careful study of the label.

Steps towards the preparation of the relevant regulatory framework by the Government are still being taken, because in 2016 the state standard on the rules for the production, storage and transportation of products, which today we call "organic food," came into effect. That this, a step towards the reform of the food industry or a move towards the development of natural agriculture, will show the further development of events.

The domestic program of import substitution also contributes to the maximum satisfaction of the population's demand for environmentally friendly products in the domestic market. This also applies to the western market, since the demand for organic food has been formed there for a long time and is growing steadily.

In Russia there are and successfully operate many companies that specialize in the production of organic products, not only for food, but also for household and cosmetic purposes.

And maybe this food is completely harmful?

The reasons why modern poultry farmers, livestock keepers and plant growers use pesticides, antibiotics and anthelmintic preparations for their production, are not limited to a thirst for quick profit and a desire to keep the harvest at any price.

The elementary care for the safety of the end user, dictated by the law, forces them to introduce such drugs, because, for example, the risk of getting salmonella when eating organically grown chickens is three or even five times higher.

The same applies to plant products grown on soil fertilized with manure, which is a favorable environment for the development of many pathogenic microorganisms.

The planet will save synthetic food?

Analysts believe that the mass application of the principles of organic farming and livestock on our planet is not expected. The growth of the planet's population is too great and, to feed humanity, organic food is simply not enough for everyone, even if all the forests are cut down and put into soil fertilization, therefore, organic food is not intended to solve food problems of a planetary scale.

Organic food has a lot of advantages, as well as shortcomings, so it can not fully claim the title of the most useful, nutritious, tasty and healthy. But this does not stop to enjoy it and make it a part of your daily life and food culture of the family.