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Introduction
"Should I purchase organic foods?" is a question that comes in many versions and contexts: Is organic food more nutritious? Is organic food better for my children? Is organic "worth it?" Does organic farming help the environment? Have less impact on global warming? Do my purchases help support small and local farms? Are organic animals treated more humanely? Consumers are being asked to make food choices in terms of not only health and money issues, but in terms of environmental and social values as well. The task of food shopping has become fraught with conflicting information, frustration and, often, outright cynicism. Being an educated consumer has never been more challenging.
This set of information pages has been developed by librarians at the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, National Agricultural Library, to help consumers explore these questions in an organized way. Using documented research and suggested follow-up topics, we have outlined the issues and sorted through scientific and marketing information that can assist consumers in educating themselves about food choices.
For many of our questions, science has not yet provided conclusive answers. But researchers have begun to study some of them. We are also beginning to understand the economic, social and environmental impacts of food choices in the context of the whole food chain – from farm production and harvesting, to storing and transporting; to processing and packaging; to food preparation; and waste disposal. Who knew that eating could present such a large and complicated puzzle, a puzzle for which the number and shape of the puzzle pieces constantly change as we learn more?
Organic food production and sales have grown quickly during the past 10 years. In challenging conventional agriculture, this growth has been accompanied by controversy. Controversy leads to questions, and, as a result, both consumers and scientists are exploring important issues related to where our food comes from and what constitutes a sustainable food system. The resulting knowledge can benefit all of us.
The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), enacted under Title 21 of the 1990 Farm Bill, served to establish uniform national standards for the production and handling of foods labeled as “organic.” The Act authorized a new USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to set national standards for the production, handling, and processing of organically grown agricultural products. In addition, the Program oversees mandatory certification of organic production. The Act also established the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) which advises the Secretary of Agriculture in setting the standards upon which the NOP is based. Producers who meet standards set by the NOP may label their products as “USDA Certified Organic.”
In this series:
Question and answer fact sheets:
Bibliographies:
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