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Organic agriculture is a carefully designed system of
food production which operates internationally to written standards. It
aims to grow the best food possible by understanding and working with
natural processes. Good health – of the soil, plants, animals and
people – is the objective. So soil fertility is preserved and enhanced
by the use of composts, green manures and crop rotations rather than by
fossil-based soluble fertilisers which take large amounts of energy to
produce and which can damage soil micro-organisms as well as polluting
drinking water supplies.
Animal welfare is a key part of organics, so antibiotics are restricted, hormone growth promoters are banned and animals are kept in less crowded conditions. Genetically modified foods are not allowed anywhere in organic systems. Organic agriculture is better for wildlife because it avoids the pollution of toxic insecticides and it produces less carbon dioxide, the main global warming gas.
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Not surprisingly, many people find that food grown
organically tastes better. It avoids the pesticide residues that are often
present in non-organic food and on average, it contains higher levels of
vitamin C and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and
chromium as well as cancer-fighting antioxidants.
Conventional food processing uses hundreds of
additives and ‘processing aids’, some of which are not even mentioned on
product labels. But organic food allows only a handful of additives. |
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