At most, the average person thinks that conventionally produced foods are little more than chemical farming on a very large scale which undoubtedly requires a little more maintenance and sustenance than the small scale farmer. But what are the implications of chemical fertilizer farming in this way?
Well for one thing, conventional farming means that farmers are supplying a large market which means that they try to get the most bountiful yield from their plant or animal produce in the quickest possible time. Time is money, and persons in the agricultural sector know this all too well simply because of the perishable nature of their goods.
So chemical fertilizer farming conventionally translates, in practical terms, into farmers having to employ methods other than natural methods to 'reap the harvest', no pun intended. Since nature can be slow and many a time, cruel, conventional farmers turn to technology and chemicals to help things along.
Petroleum based or sewage sludge based fertilizers as well as growth enhancing chemicals and hormones (Genetic Modification Organisms GMO'S) in livestock are used to help crops and animals grow and grow faster. This does not mean it makes food more nutritious.
In fact it takes away from the nutrient content because crops and livestock are not allowed to grow at a natural rate. Pesticides, insecticides and other synthetics are also used in conventional chemical fertilizer farming. These get into the soil that plants and livestock get most of their nutrients from.
The effect is that if the soil is chemically contaminated, everything which uses it gets contaminated too. Chemical farming also pollutes underground water streams as well as bays, rivers, and lakes.
Research has shown that rivers and underground waters streams in close proximity to conventional farms had lower oxygen levels and marine-life than rivers and underground water streams in non chemical fertilizer farming areas.
The bad news for humans is that chemical fertilizer farming increases our risk of food poisoning since food produced chemically contains more contaminants than food produced organically. In addition to putting us at increased risk of poisoning, non-organic farming robs us of the nutrients that we should be getting from food.
So it boils down to the question, "If you knew what was in your food, would you still eat it?" Here's what people had to say. In an ABC news poll dated July 16th 2003, nearly half of all adult Americans surveyed said that they would be less likely to buy foods that carried a label stating that it contained gene-altered ingredients.
92% of the adults surveyed said that Governments worldwide should require all foods that were biotechnically produced to carry an appropriate label stating that information. And 55% of those Americans surveyed stated that they would not purchase foods with such labels on them.
The following foods have been rated as "Foods with the Highest Toxic Pesticide Residues":
1.Fresh Peach
2. Winter Squash
3. Apples
4. Pears
5. Fresh Spinach
6. Green Beans
7. Grapes
8. Celery
9. Lettuce
10. Soybeans
11. Potatoes
12. Tomatoes
13. Carrots
14. Oranges
Not surprisingly most of these foods are among the most commonly purchased. So what's the conclusion of the matter? Well the New York Times will tell you.
According to them, "60 % of Americans are interested in buying organic products, which in their eyes are better for the environment and also healthier because they are not made with synthetic substances."