The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

24 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 3 Although no conclusive evidence shows how organic agriculture is healthier, it could be argued that organic agriculture does less harm, making it healthier. For example, people claim that pesticide residue present in conventionally grown food is dangerous. Haspel (2014), a journalist from the Washington Post, looks at many academic journals that observe the factors between organic and conventional food. She summarizes them into an article, making observations about pesticide residue. She states,”…organic [agriculture] does have lower levels of pesticide residue. However, there isn’t universal agreement on the risk those residues pose.” Even though there is complete agreement, the pesticide residue that the US Department of Agriculture allows is very low. In fact, Stephen Barrett (2007), MD reports that in some cases pesticides can actually reduce health risks by preventing the growth of harmful organisms such as molds which produce toxic substances (p. 17). The report also shows how the FDA conducts “market basket” studies. These studies conducted in 1997, took random samples of food produced in the United States. The report indicated that 60% of the food sampled were completely absent of pesticide residue (p.17). This study is an example of how something unsubstantial can be magnified out of proportion. Pesticide residue is highly controlled in US, and any exposure to it is not clinically significant to affect your health; saying that pesticide residue is harmful as an argument against conventional agriculture will not stand. We have learned that organic food is beneficial to the environment by the way it replenishes the nutrients of soil, creating biodiversity. This directly impacts the quality of the plant, reducing the assistance the plant needs. Therefore, organic food is a higher quality product, and with the help of marketing, consumers believe that it provides health benefits. According to Smith-Spangler et al. (2012), however, there is no evidence backing this claim. Organic agriculture also should not be considered less harmful because of the minimal amount of pesticides used. Pesticides are strictly regulated and do not pose a threat (Barrett, 2007). Some conclusions can be drawn from these facts. First, the claim that organic food is healthier than conventional food can be refuted because if organic food was healthier, it would clearly be reflected in the nutrition and in consumer. But neither of these are true. But there is no clear data showing this. Another observation Smith-Spangler et al. (2012)