Sorry if this question has already been answered.
I’ve heard the argument that intensive farming has dramatically reduced the nutritional content of our food. How true is this? If it is true, is buying food organic or at a farmer’s market much better nutritionally than buying at a regular grocery store?
To echo the arguments posted the short answer is no in most cases.
It’s important to quantify “good”.Nutritionally, farmers markets showcase food that is in season at optimal harvest.
Most farmers can’t afford to pay for organic certification so engaging with farmers at the market to ask what fertilizers, crop rotation practices, and pesticides they use is key to understanding the food they produce. While I think nutritionally the impact is similar to gmos and grocery store produce, flavor is where markets shine.From an economic standpoint it’s an efficacy of local economy question. You spend your dollar on the efforts of your fellow community. You see heirloom varietals being sustained on a local level that aren’t commercially viable to produce large-scale. And you develop a relationship with hands of folks who care deeply about what they produce.
Foods harvested and brought to markets may offer better nutrition but it is marginal at best. GMOs are not the devil they are made out to be and have their place, but considering how you spend your money is key. Intensive farming isn’t good for the soil quality of our planet and industrial farming has ethical short comings. But nutrition-wise, eating produce and non-processed foods is the more health-conscious choice. Looking at farms that use cover-crops and wild borders is a good start for sustainable farm practices. Some even use hydroponic methods to offset environmental waste.
I would argue that produce isn’t going to have a significant impact if any. Livestock does. Organically raised animals that are slaughtered for meat arent given unnecessary antibiotics and aren’t fattened up the same way. If you’ve ever seen a beef steak that comes form a commercial store like Walmart the marbling is completely different than organic beef. The industrial raised stuff is nasty (although i still eat it) compared to beef that was raised on grass and not fattened on corn meal. Source: my family owns and operates a small organic farm
Senior in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University here:
Absolutely not. I would really not lump farmers market food with organic food either. (They’re not synonymous)
There is also no good evidence that GMO produce has any negative effects on the human body, or on the environment.
In many cases, organic farms use more land to produce the same yield as conventional farming, and because they may only use organic pesticides, their available sprays (Copper Sulfate is the big one) can be potentially more harmful than most synthetic or nonorganic sprays.
It’s a bit of a tossup from what I’ve found over the years. For example: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5224547/
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Organic has become a bit of a marketing ploy on most regards. If you’re concerned about synthetic pesticides in your food then you should definitely get organic, but the nutritional content of fruit, vegetables, and usually grains are pretty similar. The largest differences you’ll find depend on the cultivar used. Typically farmer’s markets have larger varieties of cultivars so there are more variables to account for.
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The main reasons to get produce from the farmer’s market:
I’ll emphasize the first two points because of how important they are. We’ve had a near total breakdown of our food network in North America. Despite having some of the best soil and climate on the globe for feeding ourselves, we import our fruit and vegetables from other countries. Nearly the entire land coverage of Iowa (whose soil is best in the entire world) is used to produce corn for our cows and our cars, but they still import most of their food. This is all value that we send out of our communities without second thought because we’ve all lost contact and stopped caring about our neighbors. If you’re replacing high-carb foods in your diet with fruits and vegetables, than choosing between organic or not is splitting hairs; the real decision is where it comes from. Are you a globavore or locavore?
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As for another comment that mentions how organic uses more land than conventional practices, I don’t disagree but it should be noted how small the amount of land is that goes towards fruit and vegetable production. Check out this article: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-us-land-use/
Organic and farmers market are not the same. My friend who sold fruits and vegetables at a flea market in Florida. He started buying his products Wednesday and Thursday from the warehouses that distribute to supermarkets, Sam’s etc. Some was organic some wasn’t. He took it out of the packages so it would look more natural. But it was deep discounted!
If you’re comparing the same varieties of produce, then the answer is mostly no, there is not a difference. However, you may be able to find heritage varieties or more rare varieties of produce that may be more nutritional than the commodity varieties that are popular in grocery stores and have been chosen because of their high yields, looks and taste.
I would argue strongly that Organic practices will produce higher nutrient levels. I don’t know where people are getting their info but a quick Google search shows there is plenty of evidence that Organic farming creates better food.Honestly props to anyone who trys not to buy from big ag.I live in California and driving through the agricultural valley is a nightmare it smells horrid and the land is trashed from decades of poor farming practices.
“Conventional” agriculture operates using nutrient salts to directly feed the plants while damaging the environment with dangerous runoff, whereas true organic methods employ the complex web of biology present in healthy soil to give the crops maximum support from the systems they have evolved side by side with for millions of years. I would imagine the organic locally grown apple would be healthier for you than a cardboard apple from the grocery store
Here’s the first link that I found on this.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20359265/#:~:text=for%20the%20consumer-,Organic%20foods%20contain%20higher%20levels%20of%20certain%20nutrients%2C%20lower%20levels,Altern%20Med%20Rev.
I have PCOS which is an inflammatory response to hormones and a lot of other stuff but I don’t think the carrots I buy in the farmers market are more nutritious. What I’m buying is organic. Minuscule contamination from pesticides and herbicides has a substantial effect on my body. Finding organic meat without nitrates or sulphites as preservatives is tougher
I don’t have an answer on that but would love to know. Short story: I feed outdoor animals and the deer are obsessed with apples from our apple tree, even if small, bruised or weirdly textured. I ran out and bought some apples from the store to feed them and they refuse to touch them. They refuse to eat any fruit or veggies from the store. It made me think about how altered and mutated our food is.
I reckon it could depend on case to case basis. We would have to know what soil was the “organic” grown, or is it even certified organic. There is a bunch of agricultural land where I live that has all sorts of minerals and soot from shipyards deposited there.
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So it does not make much sense.
Frozen fruits ans veggies are the best. They are ripened on the plant then pick ans frozen to preserve nutrients. Very little is lost compared to anything fresh . Unless you eat it right off the plant.