Let me start out by saying that I'm not a right wing conservative. I have liberal friends. My father in law drinks soy milk. My preference for non-organic food comes with an open mind and a logical approach to why food made the conventional way-with antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, herbicides and other man-made elements-is the best food for me and my family.
I grew up on a conventional farm. Dad taught me to treat animals with respect. I used that same philosophy when I managed my own farm later in life. I got up at 2 in the morning to check a calving cow not because I wanted to leave my warm bed, but because I wanted to make sure the cow and the calf she was bearing made through a traumatic event without incident. When animals were sick, they were treated with antibiotics. When they weren't sick, we left them alone. We used hormones to boost milk production, and we drank our own milk.
Now that I have identified from where I have come, I can proceed with my preferences for food other than organic. Here are my five reasons why I won't eat organic food:
- It's more expensive: I give credit to the marketing geniuses who have persuaded consumers to pay twice as much for organic products as regular food.
- Organic food is not as safe: Antibiotics kill pathogens that can cause food born illness. I like it that those pathogens don't end up on my dinner plate.
- All milk has hormones: It matters not whether a cow has been administered bovine growth hormones, her milk still contains hormones. That's why companies were forced to remove BGH-free labeling from dairy products. And when it gets to my stomach, it gets broken down just like other proteins.
- Sick animals need special care: Just like when my kids get sick and need antibiotics, farm animals need antibiotics when they have infection. It is the most basic platform of animal welfare. If consumers want animals raised with special care, they would benefit from taking a good look at how animals are raised in conventional dairy and livestock operations.
- Organic food does not taste as good: And I'm not sure why. All I know is that whenever I've tried organic products, the taste doesn't compare to regular food.
There it is. Take it for what it's worth. Just don't always believe what you hear about food produced from animals in conventional farming operations. And do the same for what you hear about organics.
