Question by Shitakey: Where does the idea that organic is cleaner because it doesn’t use pesticides come from?
I constantly see the organic brigade touting this point, that organic farming is much better because it doesn’t use pesticides. They do however, they use organic pesticides. So why do people keep perpetuating this idea?
i’m not sure exactly what the difference between the two is, i know some organic pesticides are rather weak & ”normal” such as concentrated vinegar. But they don’t seem to be the norm. Any further info on this topic ?
Best answer:
Answer by EightOneFive
Organic Pesticides: Treatments that are found in nature that are a natural deterrent for the pests that eat a certain crop (vinegar, mineral dusts, etc). Yes some of these can also be considered poisonous for mass human consumption which is why, regardless of organic or not, you are supposed to wash your produce before eating. The benefit of organic pesticides is that they do not ‘leak’ into the foods.
When it comes down to it, organic pesticides are only to be used as a last resort. Since the organic produce has typically a less yield the pests are not as numerous (or really aren’t that much of a pain to begin with) so they aren’t used as frequently.
Non-Organic Pesticides: Man-made chemicals used for the same purpose, however not regulated for consumption (or if they are regulated the ‘safe amount’ goes up every year due to lobbying) or properly tested for mass consumption. These pesticides have been known to ‘leak’ into the foods and can pass their toxic cocktail into the body.
These pesticides are used regardless of if they are needed or not, it’s easier for the larger companies to just spray the crops before a problem occurs and do not treat as needed as organic produce is regulated to do.
A good article/study and read on organic pesticides from the University of California Berkeley here:
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~lhom/organictext.html
What do you think? Answer below!