Eating healthily comes with the obvious pros, but cons as well. Healthy foods, such as those produced organically, are more costly for a variety of reasons. First, organic produce requires more hands-on labor, pricey inspections and certifications, larger volumes of natural fertilizers, as well as other farming techniques. These disadvantages can be significant for a small farm especially when comparing their cost structures to multi-billion dollar food enterprises that offer low prices because they pump cheap chemicals and fillers into their foods.
All of these reasons carry merit, but I find the most disturbing is the indirect tax that is placed on organic food producers by having to go through inspections and certifications in order to carry the USDA organic label. A company bringing a new chemical formulation to the food supply does not have any such approval process. This penalizes healthy food producers and consumers. The FDA's certification process is so porous that a company can approve its own food additive by labeling it "generally recognized as safe" or GRAS, basing it off of its own private research.
This is obviously a major problem because a chemical manufacturer can use its own research or other publicly-available studies to label a new product as GRAS. Assuming it passes (why wouldn't it when they are grading their own papers), the company does not have any requirement to disclose the use of the new ingredient to the government. This process is highly suspect and is based on the honor code. Not every company has ulterior motives, but profit and honor don't typically go together in the food industry. Given the way the system is set up, new formulations make it to market very quickly with little scrutiny, driving the massive increase in artificial ingredients and dangerous chemicals in our food supply.
On the other hand, in order for a farm or food manufacturer to use the government's USDA Organic label, it must pass inspection. The onus and cost is on the organic farmer to prove that his/her product is legitimately organic, which makes sense. My issue with the whole process is the dichotomy. Why are food additives and their chemistry labs not held to the same standard? Why are they allowed to approve their own chemicals? It's absurd. And we are all at risk because of it.
Some may think petitioning the government for change is the best course of action. Pushing legislation is a possibility, however, the process is the way it is because of the powerful food industry and their influence on the government. The only power we have in our hands is how we choose to spend our money.
With legislation, you are relying on dubious politicians to do the right thing. I like to focus on action that has a direct impact on what I'm trying to accomplish. By purchasing healthier foods, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy as I'm helping to grow the organic industry, lowering their costs and my future prices. This profit also comes out of the hands of the chemical food producers, hurting their businesses, something I believe will sink in very quickly. It is up to us to shift gears and head in a new direction, one where we take responsibility for our own health and force our food suppliers to adhere to our needs and long-term health concerns.
All of these reasons carry merit, but I find the most disturbing is the indirect tax that is placed on organic food producers by having to go through inspections and certifications in order to carry the USDA organic label. A company bringing a new chemical formulation to the food supply does not have any such approval process. This penalizes healthy food producers and consumers. The FDA's certification process is so porous that a company can approve its own food additive by labeling it "generally recognized as safe" or GRAS, basing it off of its own private research.
This is obviously a major problem because a chemical manufacturer can use its own research or other publicly-available studies to label a new product as GRAS. Assuming it passes (why wouldn't it when they are grading their own papers), the company does not have any requirement to disclose the use of the new ingredient to the government. This process is highly suspect and is based on the honor code. Not every company has ulterior motives, but profit and honor don't typically go together in the food industry. Given the way the system is set up, new formulations make it to market very quickly with little scrutiny, driving the massive increase in artificial ingredients and dangerous chemicals in our food supply.
On the other hand, in order for a farm or food manufacturer to use the government's USDA Organic label, it must pass inspection. The onus and cost is on the organic farmer to prove that his/her product is legitimately organic, which makes sense. My issue with the whole process is the dichotomy. Why are food additives and their chemistry labs not held to the same standard? Why are they allowed to approve their own chemicals? It's absurd. And we are all at risk because of it.
Some may think petitioning the government for change is the best course of action. Pushing legislation is a possibility, however, the process is the way it is because of the powerful food industry and their influence on the government. The only power we have in our hands is how we choose to spend our money.
With legislation, you are relying on dubious politicians to do the right thing. I like to focus on action that has a direct impact on what I'm trying to accomplish. By purchasing healthier foods, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy as I'm helping to grow the organic industry, lowering their costs and my future prices. This profit also comes out of the hands of the chemical food producers, hurting their businesses, something I believe will sink in very quickly. It is up to us to shift gears and head in a new direction, one where we take responsibility for our own health and force our food suppliers to adhere to our needs and long-term health concerns.
About the Author:
Please see more information at my website Dangers of food additives and preservatives or this article FDA food label guidelines
