What is organic food?

Food is considered organic if it is grown in the olden non-chemical way. Let me clarify this. All food was once upon a time grown without the aid of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Livestock grazed on grass that was not contaminated by chemical residues. Moreover they were not forced to grow to full size by unnatural usage of growth hormones.

With the progress of science, human beings discovered a lot of chemicals and used these to eradicate pests, boost the crop yield and artificially stimulate livestock to grow to full size. This was done with the aim of reducing labor and production costs. At first people found this very beneficial but slowly began to realize the heavy price they paid for this benefit. The chemicals used are leaving a residue in the fruits, vegetables and meats which when consumed get stored in the fat cells of the human body. These then acts upon the cells causing mutation that leads to health problems like cancer, ADHD, depression and allergies.

Some farmers never adopted the chemical farming methods. They relied on the age old techniques of farming like crop rotation, manure and compost fertilizers and used no artificial hormones for their livestock. Produce from such farms is considered to be organic.

Organic farming is healthy for both the human body and the environment. All organic produce is governed by strict federal laws. They are constantly inspected by the authorities who ensure that no toxic chemicals are used either for fertilizing the crop or as pesticides. Moreover, the harvest is tested to ensure that no toxic residues are present in the crop. Only then do the Federal authorities certify that the crop is organic and permit it to be sold as such. A similar process is carried out for processed foods that are sold under the organic label.
Organic food is beneficial for the environment. It is natural, and no chemicals, growth hormones and artificial pesticides and fertilizers are used to grow them. It reduces carbon footprint, it does not pollute the soil or the ground water. This helps the planet environment and preserves ecological balance. The food is tastier and more nutritious. Of course there are many people who differ from this school of thought. However, since many chemicals that are known to be toxic are used in conventional farming, it is only common sense that we are benefited by avoiding them.