organic food?

[Amazon Angel]

what makes food organic? why does it sometimes cost more at the store?

[bumblebee]

Organic agriculture bans the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) and focuses on having healthy soils and animals. Organically produced foods do not include artificial additives, preservatives, or colouring. Certified organic farms and processors must follow a regulated set of standards, undergo an annual third-party inspection, and maintain a detailed audit trail of their operations.

The Organic Products Regulation is the result of extensive consultations with organic farmers, processors, certification bodies, and organic importers and exporters, in response to consumer concern and confusion over the meaning of the word "organic." The new regulation aims to provide consumers with an easily recognizable logo to identify food which is certified as "Canada Organic" and meets a mandatory standard of organic food production. It will also monitor organically labeled food coming into Canada.

[alijam]

I found this at : www.bbc.co.uk, which answers the question of why organic food costs more.

What's the cost?
Crops grown organically are more vulnerable to pests and disease. It is also more labour intensive and farmers pay more for organic animal feed. Because organic food costs more to produce, it's more expensive for consumers to buy. But Government subsidies have focused on mainstream farming, keeping the price of conventional foods low in comparison.

With pressure on our food supplies coming from the demand for bio-fuels, worldwide there is a shortage of cereal. The UK has to import more than 50 per cent of organic livestock feed, and feed prices have been going up. That in turn affects the price farmers have to charge for meat, milk, eggs and bread, whether organic or not.

Buying locally produced organic food direct via a box scheme or farmers' market is a 'greener' way to shop and is better value. It can be argued that there are hidden costs in conventional, chemical-dependent farming. We pay to tackle the pollution of our water supplies, caused by artificial fertilizers, at a cost of about £120m a year, through our taxes and higher water bills rather than at the checkout.

[Amazon Angel]

thank you bumblebee and alijam

i had been wondering this for a while, just wasnt sure what the answer was.