Organic food.- click to download PDF (320KB): download requires Adobe Acrobat

Written by Louise Thomas and Alma Hromic.

Organically grown food is produced without, or with a minimum amount of, artificial fertilisers and pesticide sprays.

In the past decade, the popularity of organically grown food has grown enormously. Stores selling it have sprung up across the country, and supermarket shelf space given over to organic produce has increased.

This surge in popularity of organically produced foods can be attributed to a number of causes. People are becoming more worried about the effects of spray residues on the soil habitat and on the food they eat. Some also cite the pollution of waterways by synthetic fertilisers as a reason to go organic.

The United Kingdom’s Mad Cow, and Foot and Mouth epidemics, and the current world-wide swing against genetically modified (GM) foods can leave the consumer with the impression that there is something nasty happening down on the farm - and they are seeking alternatives. But are all the concerns about conventional  agriculture based in fact, and is the organic alternative preferable or even that different?