Communication Arts 262

Simonson 2 Some Americans advocate organic food usage in school lunches for health reasons, but organic food has not shown any noticeable health benefits, especially not to warrant the increased costs. According to a recent Stanford study, “published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods.

Consumption of organic foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (Brandeau, 348).” Pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be controlled with proper food handling procedures. This study also states “consumers can pay up to twice as much for organic than conventional (Brandeau, 348).” To further illustrate this issue, a study by CERTCOST, a research project analyzing the economics of certification systems for organic food and farming, found “the great majority of consumers did not know that the use of the term ‘organic’ is regulated and thus they did not trust products only labeled with this term without a logo. For almost all tested organic logos, consumers were on average willing to pay a price premium compared to a similar organic product without a logo (Hamm, 19).” This study shows the average consumer does not understand what organic food is, yet are still willing to pay more money for it.

Much of the concern over traditional agriculture practices lies at a much smaller level that what the eye can see. The use of hormones in milk and beef are of concern for the general public, even though the estrogenic content of a 500 gram piece of white bread is 42,857 times that of a 500 gram steak implanted with hormones (Questions). The use of antibiotics in conventional farming is a warranted concern by consumers, pointing out that antibiotics may lead to antibiotic resistant strands of bacteria. Antibiotics are not the only disease prevention method though, as mentioned in an overview of antibiotic usage in livestock by Scott McEwen, “Age-segregation, all-in all-out management, biosecurity, sanitation, and vaccination are just a few examples of