Thoughts on Natural Food and Drink

"The big danger of the modern food industry is that the rate of change is occurring on a completely different scale to anything in human evolution. And we're not giving ourselves any time to adjust to any problems that we can't yet see"  Richard Young, policy adviser to the Soil Association

Why buy natural, organic products?

• The best way to protect your family from exposure to chemicals
• Workers enjoy less exposure to harmful chemicals
• Healthy food is produced in an environmentally friendly way
• The quality of soil is maintained for the future
• Working to Soil Association standards gives the highes possible standards of animal welfare
• Harmful chemicals are not emitted into our water and air
• Small farmers and businesses are supported
• Biodiversity is promoted
• No food has higher amounts of beneficial minerals, essential amino acids and vitamins than organic food.  Opinion polls by Mori consistently show that people feel that food tastes better.  

(All of these statements have been approved by the Advertising Standards Authority).

It is estimated that around 75% of the Western diet consists of processed food, a frightening statistic when you consider the evidence...

Food Additives

Our foods contain a chemical cocktail  of articifial products - sweeteners, acidulants, emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, gelling agents, preservatives, colours, oxidizing and reducing agents, stabilizers and thickeners, surface-active agents, surface-finishing agents, synergists, texturizers, flavour enhancers, antimicrobial agents, anticaking and free-flow agents, ph control agents, this list goes on - there are now literally thousands of additives commonly used and the dangers of these may not truly be known for many years.

Whilst some forward thinking countries have banned substances that have proven health risks; many others, including the UK, continue to allow these substances to be freely used in our everyday foods. When we consider the scientific data linking food additives and various physical and mental disorders, it is beyond belief that these chemicals are still used.   If you have allergic reactions, arthritis, asthma, or your child is hyperactive, the culprits could lie in your food cupboard, and whilst the manufacturers claim that these substances have been tested and are safe, the incidence of additive related conditions is on the increase.

Pesticides

Conventional farming uses over 300 synthetic pesticides, 66 of which are suspected by The Environmental Protection Agency to be carcinogenic.   Certified Organic foods are the only way to avoid the ingestion of these toxic chemicals and the health risks associated with them.  

GM Foods

GM crops have bypassed evolution and created new life forms, it will be future generations who will pay the price for the determination of industry giants to take over the food chain.   The World Trade Organisation is openly pushing GM seeds, GM crops and unlabelled GM foods on countries all over the world, of particular note, at the time of writing, the USA is implementing a programme in Iraq to supersede 10,000 years of traditional farming practice and import American crop seeds (likely to be GM) in order to "help" the farmers in Iraq.  Please see the following news links for a range of commentary on this issue.     

• America's masterplan is to force GM food on the world
• Anger as WTO Rules Against EU in GM Trade Dispute
• EU Citizens will decide on GM, not US / WTO bullying
• WTO ruling on GM crops threat to India  
• Europe has right to avoid GMOs
• Greenpeace dismisses WTO ruling & predicts Europe will stay closed to GMOs

http://www.soilassociation.org

http://www.organic-festival.com - for organic food fayres

http://www.organicgarden.org.uk  - independent advice and support for UK organic gardeners

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