Fresh For Life Organics
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HomeWhy Choose Organics...
Truly healthy food. Organic farming nourishes the soil that feeds our food. Research shows that organically grown foods are higher in antioxidants and other nutrients than their conventional counterparts. Feeding the soil with organic matter instead of ammonia and other synthetic fertilizers has proven to increase nutrients in produce, with higher levels of vitamins and minerals found in organic food, according to the 2005 study, “Elevating Antioxidant levels in food through organic farming and food processing,” Organic Center State of Science Review (1.05)
Protect children. The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides applied to food crops. Before a mother first nurses her newborn, the toxic risk from pesticides has already begun. Studies show that infants are exposed to hundreds of harmful chemicals before they’re born. As a Nation we are now reaping the results of four generations of exposure to agricultural and industrial chemicals, whose safety was deemed on adult tolerance levels, not on children’s.
Protect farm workers. The National Cancer Institute has found that farmers exposed to herbicides have six times the risk of non-farmers of developing cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees the Worker Protection Standard policy enforcement designed to protects field workers and agriculture handlers. EPA records reveal that between 10,000 to 20,0000 diagnosed pesticide poisonings occur each year among the estimated 2 million farm workers in the U.S.
No Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). A growing body of research suggests that GMOs may be doing more harm than good when it comes to human health and the health of the environment.
Promote biodiversity. Organic farms are diverse habitats with native plants, birds, beneficial insects to maintain balance; indigenous animals find these farms a safe haven. Vast areas of land planted with a single crop (called mono-cropping) without diversity of vegetation makes that crop more susceptible to pests which in turn, makes large-scale conventional farmers more reliant on pesticides.
Prevent soil erosion. The Soil Conservation Service estimates that more than three billion tons of topsoil are annually eroded from U.S. croplands. Soil fertility and erosion are carefully controlled on organic farms using ecologically sound methods like crop rotation and cover cropping. Mono-cropping with its’ chemical fertilizer dependency produces a loss of topsoil estimated at a cost of $40 billion per year, according to David Pimental of Cornell University.
Preserve water quality. The EPA estimates that pesticides have contaminated the ground water in 38 states. Industrial agriculture does more than pollute farmland and farm workers; it also causes problems for the environment downstream. Synthetic fertilizer drifting downstream is the main cause of the dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico.
Support small farms and rural communities. Most organic farms are small, independently owned farms of fewer than 200 acres. As businesses, employers, and community members, farmers are the foundation of rural areas. According to Organic Farming Research Foundation, as of 2006 there are approximately 10,000 certified organic producers in the U.S. compared to 2500 to 3,000 tracked in 1994. Although conventional foods are often less expensive than organic ones, they do not reflect the hidden costs borne by taxpayers and individuals for pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and clean up, and medical treatment for exposure.
Fresh for Life Organics chooses to grow organically, to label our food as "organically-grown" requires us to follow a detailed set of rules determined by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). Which includes the inspection of farm fields and facilities, detailed record keeping, and periodic soil and water tests to ensure that we meet the organic standards.
