Down here in Australia, we have had a few similar incidents with 'free range' eggs. It really needs the quotes as the more demand there is for free range eggs the more that are available. The farmers move them from batteries so pens that have similar area.
One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
31–40 of 133 posts
Re: One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
> There is typically no way to tell after the fact Consumer Reports (and others) did studies that showed non-organic food have lots more pesticide residue than organic food. That of course doesn't mean they are better for you or that they are tastier.
No, non-organic has more residue of expected pesticides . The often unspoken truth however is that many chemicals aren't tested for. For example copper sulfate, used as organic fungicide. In other words conventional agriculture uses far more substances that the USDA tests for, a vast majority of them, whereas organic agriculture uses substances that aren't covered by USDA tests. Which should be obvious. This doesn't…
I think grouping all pesticides together and thinking about who uses "less pesticides" or "more pesticides" will lead to incorrect evaluations of pesticide safety.
Scientists should evaluate chemicals on a chemical-by-chemical basis. I found a study that talks about how using certain chemicals on the farm can lead to cancer for farm workers: "In summary, the epidemiologic evidence from a number of different studies now more convincingly shows that prostate cancer is related to pesticide use." This makes me think that, at the very least, organic produce is healthier for farm workers.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6276799/
edit: forgot a word.
Re: One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
#33From the article: “They can test for GMO (genetically modified organisms) … but corn that’s not GMO, you can’t tell whether it’s been sprayed or not sprayed.” "Technically, you can, but you’re not likely to get a positive result unless the inspector hits it just right and collects a plant sample before the residues wash away." Yes. See this Forbes article. By the time it reaches retail, you can't tell.[1] Non-organic…
You certainly can test for some non-organic foods at retail. For example, non-organic oats are often sprayed with roundup at harvest time, so cereals made from them routinely have unsafe levels of carcinogens in them: https://www.ewg.org/childrenshealth/monsanto-weedkiller-stil... Organic oats have less than 1/10th as much roundup in them on average: https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/pesticides-in-organic-oatmeal-... Als…
Note the use of glyphosate as a dessicant is highly regional -- it's common in the Dakotas, Saskatchewan and UK because they have growing seasons that are too short for the crops being grown, but nearly unheard of in places like Iowa and Indiana, because the growing season is long enough for grains to mature and dry before the weather turns.
Re: One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
#34From the article: “They can test for GMO (genetically modified organisms) … but corn that’s not GMO, you can’t tell whether it’s been sprayed or not sprayed.” "Technically, you can, but you’re not likely to get a positive result unless the inspector hits it just right and collects a plant sample before the residues wash away." Yes. See this Forbes article. By the time it reaches retail, you can't tell.[1] Non-organic…
Certain pesticides may hurt farm workers by causing cancer. Whether those chemicals get washed away or not does not change anything for the workers.
Also, why is it important that non-organic produce be just as healthy as organic produce?
Re: One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
> There is typically no way to tell after the fact Consumer Reports (and others) did studies that showed non-organic food have lots more pesticide residue than organic food. That of course doesn't mean they are better for you or that they are tastier.
No, non-organic has more residue of expected pesticides . The often unspoken truth however is that many chemicals aren't tested for. For example copper sulfate, used as organic fungicide. In other words conventional agriculture uses far more substances that the USDA tests for, a vast majority of them, whereas organic agriculture uses substances that aren't covered by USDA tests. Which should be obvious. This doesn't…
> For example copper sulfate, used as organic fungicide.
Why would one need to test for copper? The trace amounts of it that one would find are good for you. I mean, it's used for water piping in homes even.
Re: One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
#36"There’s no proof that the meat [from animals fed from fraudulently marked "organic" produce] is any better for you, but some people believe it is and others have philosophical or environmental reasons for preferring it." Makes me wonder - who is the victim of this fraud?
I suppose you see no problem with Amazon selling knockoffs as namebrand?
Re: One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
#37Down here in Australia, we have had a few similar incidents with 'free range' eggs. It really needs the quotes as the more demand there is for free range eggs the more that are available. The farmers move them from batteries so pens that have similar area.
It's not a "few similar incidents", it's that "big poultry" has corrupted govt to the point that free range no longer means what laymen think it means. The label itself is now just a con.
Which is why small farmers who really care have taken to calling what they sell something else completely: pastured eggs.
Re: One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
#38It is obvious to everyone that due to the economic advantages of cheating, there needs to be some kind of inspection and certification program. Not that everyone is a cheater, but there will be cheaters, and it will put pressure on the non-cheaters to cheat too.
The same people who bitch about big government will strangle inspection programs via budget cuts, and then when something like this story comes out, use it as proof that government inspection programs don't work and that even more defunding is in order.
It makes me despair.
Re: One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
#39> Constant scammed grain buyers, meat producers and millions of American consumers for a decade or more. The organic beef and poultry countless Americans were eating during those years wasn’t organic after all.
Uh, no - the only people scammed by him were consumers. All the middlemen and downstream producers unwittingly resold the product as organic. They didn't really lose anything.
Re: One of biggest frauds in U.S. farm history
#40From the article: “They can test for GMO (genetically modified organisms) … but corn that’s not GMO, you can’t tell whether it’s been sprayed or not sprayed.” "Technically, you can, but you’re not likely to get a positive result unless the inspector hits it just right and collects a plant sample before the residues wash away." Yes. See this Forbes article. By the time it reaches retail, you can't tell.[1] Non-organic…
Wait, do you really think that "insect residue" is a bigger health risk than carcinogenic pesticides? Seems pretty far-fetched.