Documentary Gaze
Standing in the produce section at the local supermarket, consumers now have the options to buy conventionally grown fruits and vegetables or organic. If a consumer held an organic orange in one hand and a conventionally grown orange in another hand, they would probably be unaware of how they are different. Both oranges look the same from the outside, bright orange and firm, but what makes them different? The conventional orange has always been a family favorite, plus it’s cheaper than the organic orange. However, consumers may be unaware of the health risks associated with conventional produce. Although conventionally grown food is more affordable, the health risks and the negative impacts on the environment are depleting the sustainability of our resources and health as Americans.
What makes organic and conventional produce different is the way it is farmed. Most of the agriculture produced today is farmed conventionally. This method is also sometimes called industrial style farming. “Conventional farming uses chemical fertilizers to advance plant growth, spray insecticides to reduce pests and diseases, and use chemical herbicides to manage weeds” (Snow, 2009). This way, farmers can mass-produce various fruits and vegetables. By treating fields with pesticides, produce grows more rapidly, last longer, and is available to the market in a timely manner. Depending on the fruit or vegetable, they may be sprayed multiple times with pesticides before they are sold. For example, while shopping at a local farmers market I asked a man selling apples if his produce was organic. The man replied, “No, I spray my apples thirteen times before I sell them, because it makes them last longer.” The vast majority of foods farmed, like the man at the farmers market, found in the grocery section of common places like Wal-Mart, Meijer, and Marsh Supermarkets carry conventionally grown produce.
On the other hand, organic food cannot have any synthetic chemicals like pesticides, growth hormones, or fertilizers on it in order for it to be organic. Just like conventional food, organic food has rules and regulations. For example, in order for a product to have the USDA organic sticker on it, it has to be 100% organic. It cannot contain any pesticides, be genetically modified, or be irradiated. These are just a few regulations that 100% organic products cannot contain. Now, some products may be labeled “organic” but do not have the USDA label because they are only 95% organic, which means 5% of their product contains some sort synthetic chemical (Snow, 2009).
“Natural” is another word consumers are seeing on food products now. Natural is not the same as organic. The word is very confusing and is not regulated by the USDA because there are many grey areas about what can be natural and not natural. If a product says its “natural,” simply read the ingredients listed on the product. Remember the term natural is used loosely and is used as a good marketing scheme to get consumers to buy their products (Snow).
The image above depicts a conventional farmer spraying their crops. In the image, the pesticides that are being sprayed are not only covering the plants, but it is also going up in the air. The chemicals look like a hazy cloud that begins to cover the landscape in the background. During the early 2000’s Americans were becoming more aware of the depleting of their natural resources. Global warming has also become a bigger concern, and people were trying to find ways to preserve their land for future generations. According to Hesford and Brueggemann, “To analyze why an image or text is persuasive, or why it has a sense of urgency at a particular historical moment, is to examine its karios” (Hesford & Brueggemann, 2007). The urgency or karios of this particular image depicts a particular type of farming that is harming the environment and the people.
An audience who are resistant or uneducated in the organic industry may find articles like the one published by CNN interesting. In the CNN article, “Study: Organic food not more nutritional,” discusses a study done by the University of Copenhagen. The University stated that organic food has no more nutritional value than conventional produce; which means that consumers could buy the less expensive conventional produce and still receive the same nutritional value. However, the article further reveals that this study did not include the health effects of pesticides and chemicals from conventional produce. Even though the article informs consumers that conventional and organic produce may contain the same nutritional value, it fails to inform the audience the health hazards of eating conventional produce. When reading articles like this one published by CNN, consumers need to read between the lines in order to receive accurate information (CNN, 2008).
Consumers may believe that once you rinse off your produce with water it will not contain any more pesticides. In fact, that is not true. Pesticides remain on, and more importantly, in the conventional produce you are eating even after you rinse it off with water. This is causing long-term health effects to many Americans. “In 1995 and again in 2002, the USDA found that of the 12 most commonly eaten produce items and wheat samples, 73%-90% were contaminated by pesticides, even after washing and peeling” (OM Organics, 2009). The amount of pesticides in food is also being exposed to children. Children eat on an average of 5 different pesticides a day through their food (Snow, 2009).
Many families would not want to feed their families and children food that may be harmful to their children. I interviewed a mother who has recently changed from eating conventional food to organic after being a parent for over 20 years. Terri McElheny took a class on organic food and natural living from Joyce Maxwell-Downs who is a certified naturopathic nutritionist, gastro/intestinal specialist in alternative therapy’s, irologist, dry cell analyst, and certified doula. Terri said, “It was easy for me to change and start eating organic, but it was hard for my family because they thought the principles were far fetched” (McElheny, 2009). Her family, at the time, did not see the difference in eating conventional or organic produce. After learning about the harmful effects of conventional food, I asked Terri if she would still feed her family conventional food if she knew then what she knows now. Terri replied, “I would have never fed my children conventional or processed food. Plus, I would not have put on products that contain SLS or parabens, which contain harmful ingredients that are carcinogens, and I would have never allowed fluoride” (McElheny, 2009). Even though organic food and products are more expensive Terri said she would only buy organic from now on no matter the cost because it is not worth buying conventional products.
Out of the twenty-five most common pesticides used for produce, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have revealed serious health hazards to American consumers. Out of the twenty-five most common pesticides used, five are toxic to the nervous system, and eighteen of the pesticides are harmful to the skin, eyes, and lungs. Plus, about half of the pesticides are comprised on cancer-causing chemicals, and seventeen pesticides can cause genetic damage. Finally, six pesticides disrupt normal functions of hormones, and ten are damaging to the reproductive organs (OM Organics, 2009). Pesticides are not the sole cause of diseases for Americans. However, consuming high amounts and a variety of pesticides on a daily based could trigger health problems like those listed above.
Although research has been done on the health risks of pesticides, conventional farming is still taking place. The reason farmers are allowed to spray toxic chemicals that endanger the lives of Americans is because the levels of pesticides used is based on a risk- benefit system. This means the EPA who above listed all the health dangers of pesticides, “registers a pesticide for use if it does not pose unreasonable risk to make or the environment, taking into account the economic, social and environmental costs and benefits of the use of any pesticide” (Jacobs & Clapp, 2008). New pesticides are becoming available to the market on average of 18 new pesticides a year. These pesticides can be used on produce before they are tested for health and safety testing by the EPA; which means that produce is being sent to grocery stores for consumers to buy and eat before it has been tested for its safety. Plus, when pesticides are tested, they only have to be tested for their “active ingredients” listed for chronic disease. This means that “inert” ingredients do not need to be tested for public safety (Jacobs & Clapp, 2008).
Lets consider how pesticides may affect a pregnant woman. If a woman who is pregnant consumes conventional produce, the toxic chemicals are contaminating the fetus. “In a study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemical and pollutant in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004” (Environmental Working Group, 2005). Numerous amounts of these chemicals found in the baby’s umbilical cord were pesticides. Of the average of 200 chemicals, 180 of the chemicals found in the umbilical cord are carcinogens. Many of these chemicals found cause birth defects or abnormal development when they were tested on animals. “A baby’s organs and systems are rapidly developing, and thus are often more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposure” (Environmental Working Group, 2005). Developing babies need protection and nutrition and its vital that pregnant mothers and families are aware of the consequences of consuming pesticides while pregnant.
Along with causing health effects to Americans, conventional farming is also creating negative impacts on the environment. One effect of pesticides on the environment is contamination to our fresh water supply. According to OM Organics, the United States uses over 800 million pounds of pesticides each year. These pesticides are contaminating our fresh water wells in our country. “Ironically, the conventional agriculture industry uses approximately 70% of our freshwater to grow its crops, and yet it is responsible for the most contamination to its own essential resource” (OM Organics, 2009). Pesticides are also the primary cause of “dead zones” in the ocean. A few dead zone locations caused by pesticides are; the Gulf of Mexico, the Black Sea, and the Baltic Sea. Not only are pesticides contaminating our freshwater supply it is also disrupting ecosystems. Fish are being killed because of the pesticides running off from the fields into the water systems (OM Organics, 2009).
Many farmers are growing the same crop year after year and spraying chemicals that are not only killing the bugs on the produce, but also killing the soil. “ The number of nutrient-rich microbes diminishes the ground losing its ability to hold water, more run-off results, and the topsoil easily erodes” (OM Organics, 2009). The long-term effect of this style of farming is that eventually farmers are going to have to use more fertilizers, which will result in more global problems like soil depletion. Farms are now facing serious problems, which may lead to a decrease of agricultural productivity in the future.
Another reason why conventional farming uses pesticides on its produce is to keep the pests from eating their crops. “Pesticides not only kill the targeted pests but their natural predators as well” (OM Organics, 2009). What happens is that pests become more resilient to the pesticides and end up breeding stronger more resilient pests. Once stronger breeds of pests occurs on farms, farmers have to use a larger quantity of pesticides that are more toxic to eliminate them. What is happening with conventional farming is that we see more chemicals to be used to stop the negative effects of the chemical in the first place. A farming style designed to improve the quantity of our food is losing its quality because of the amount of chemicals used.
Organic farming does not use any chemical fertilizers or pesticides to maintain its crops. With organic farming, there are not harmful chemicals and nitrogen leaching. Instead, organic farming uses manure, composts, and rotate crops in order to build healthy soil and naturally control weeds, insects, and disease. The primary goal of organic farming is to build and preserve healthy soil. Fresh water and oceans are not affected by organic farming because they do not cause runoffs. Organic farming also reduces the impact of global warming because it does not use all the fossil fuels that are normally used in conventional farming (Snow, 2009).
Organic farming creates healthy and fertile soil for future crops. For example, if you plant diverse crops and rotate them each season it creates a nutrient-rich soil. Since organic farming does not use any harmful chemicals, it eliminates chances of harmful residue left of produce.
Kyle Benedict a young college graduate recently switched to eating organic food, and recalls how it has changed his eating patterns. Before Kyle switched to eating organic food, he would buy conventional food and eat out at fast food restaurants. Now Kyle explains how eating organic is saving him in the long run. “Before I switched to organic I would spend a lot of money eating out. I would also spend a lot of money on impulse buys at the grocery store. Now, I just stick to buying organic food and alkaline water” (Benedict, 2009). By switching over to organic food, Kyle has realized that it does cost more to eat organic, but the quality it better. “Since I switched to eating organic I haven’t gotten sick nearly as much, and it relieves the temptation to spend money on fast food” (Benedict, 2009).
As a consumer it is vital to be informed about how food is produced. Organic food is becoming more available to consumers. Consumers need to be educated on the option to buy conventional or organic produce. As conventional farming continues to harm consumer’s health and the environment, switching over to buy some food organic is beneficial.
“If all Americans would buy just 10% organic foods, 98 million daily servings of drinking water would be free of pesticides, 20 million daily servings of milk would be produced without antibiotics and growth hormones, 53 million servings of fruits and vegetables would be free of synthetic pesticide resides (that's enough for 10 million kids to get their five-a-day), and it would eliminate the need for almost 3 billion barrels of imported oil annually (that's equal to 406,000 Olympic swimming pools” (Snow).
Works Cited
Benedict, K. (2009, November 15). (A. McElheny, Interviewer)
CNN. (2008, August 21). Study: Organic food not more nutritional. Retrieved November 21, 2009 from CNN Breaking News: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/08/19/organic.cooking.pv/index.html
Environmental Working Group. (2005, July 14). Body Burden - The Pollution in Newborns. Retrieved November 15, 2009 from http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php
Hesford, W., & Brueggemann, B. (2007). Rhetorical Visions: "Reading and Writing in a Visual Culture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey : Prentice Hall .
Jacobs, M., & Clapp, D. (2008, October). Agriculture and Cancer: A Need For Action. Retrieved November 2009 from Health and Environment: www.healthandenvironment.org
McElheny, T. (2009, November 28). (A. McElheny, Interviewer)
OM Organics. (2009, November). Conventional Farming - Degraded Soil. Retrieved November 2009 from OM Organics : http://www.omorganics.org/page.php?pageid=91&contentid=70
OM Organics. (2009, November). Conventional Farming - Disease: Increased Occurence. Retrieved November 2009 from OM Organics: http://www.omorganics.org/page.php?pageid=88
Snow, S. (2009). Fresh Living: The Essential Room-by-Room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family, and Home. New York, New York: Bantam Dell.