Top Reasons to Go Organic

Organic produce is not covered in a cocktail of poisonous chemicals. The average conventionally-grown apple has 20-30 artificial poisons on its skin, even after rinsing. The cocktail of pesticides, chemicals, and additives in conventional food has been linked to cancer, birth defects, nerve damage, genetic mutations, parkinson's disease, fertility issues, hormonal changes, ADD, heart disease, migraines, allergies and more. (You have to soak conventionally grown vegetables in vinegar for about 3 hours even to get rid of the worst of the pesticides. And if you did this you would destroy manyof the remaining nutrients.)

Recent studies suggest that fresh organic produce contains on average 50% more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients than intensively farmed produce. The essential nutrients of many of our foods are depleted through conventional farming practises such as artificial fertilisation of the soil, early picking, processing, irradiation and extended storage.

Going organic is the only practical way to avoid eating genetically modified (GM) food. And by buying organic food, you are registering your mistrust of GMO's and doing your bit to protest against them.

If you eat dairy or meat products, going organic has never been more essential to safeguard you and your family's health. Intensively-reared dairy cows and farm animals are fed a dangerous cocktail of anti-biotics, growth promoting drugs, anti-parasite drugs and many other medicines on a daily basis, whether they have an illness or not. These drugs are passed directly onto the consumers of their dairy produce or meat, which is a contributing factor to meat-related diseases like coronaries and high blood pressure.

About 99% of non-organic farm animals are now fed GM soya. And there has never been a reported case of BSE in organic cattle. Common sense says that organic is safe food.

Organic produce simply tastes so much better. Fruit and vegetables full of juice and flavour, and so many different varieties to try! There are about 100 different kinds of organic potatoes in production, and that's just potatoes!

Organic farms support and nurture our beautiful and diverse wildlife. Over the last thirty years, intensive farming has led to dramatic erosion of the soil, a fall of up to 70% of wild birds in some areas, the destruction of ancient forests, and the near extinction of some of the most beautiful species of butterflies, frogs, grass-snakes and wild mammals.

Organic food is not really more expensive than intensively farmed foods, as we pay for conventional foods through our taxes. We spend billion of pounds every year cleaning up the mess that agro-chemicals make to our natural water supply. And more on health costs and medical bills in later life. Go organic for a genuine more cost-effective future.

Intensive farming can seriously damage farm workers' health. There are much higher instances of cancer, respiratory problems and other major diseases in farm workers from non-organic farms. This is particularly true in developing countries, and for agrochemical farms growing cotton. So go organic if you care about other people.

As organic farming uses general sustainability practises, it ensures the protection of the environment and the maintenance of quality land for future generations. So if you like the idea of your children and grandchildren being able to visit the countryside and play in the forests and fields just like we did when we were young, go organic for the sake of all of our futures.