What is Organic Food?

 

Organic Foods and Farming

Organic food (Organic Foods) is also called ecological or biological food. Organic food is an internationally uniform term for non-polluting natural food. Organic food usually comes from the organic agricultural production system and is produced and processed according to the international organic agricultural production requirements and corresponding standards.

In addition to organic food, some derivative products such as organic cosmetics, textiles, forest products or production materials provided by organic food production, including biological pesticides, organic fertilizers, etc., are collectively referred to as organic products after certification.

For tele-consultancy from any part of the world one may contact teledoctor at biotb.com

Don't be superstitious about organic food

People are paying more and more attention to the safety and nutritional value of food, and businesses have seized this psychology and introduced many organic foods. 

As a calm consumer, we must not only recognize the real and fake organic foods on the market, but also understand the meaning of organic foods.

What is the importance of organic food?

Organic food usually refers to food that does not use pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, antibiotics, and genetically modified technology in the production process.

Does organic food necessarily mean more nutrition?

Organic food ≠ More Nutrition

Organic food focuses on natural production methods, but it does not mean that it is more nutritious. 

Many studies have shown that the nutritional value of organic food is almost the same as that of ordinary food.

What are some advantages of organic food?

The advantage of organic food is low pollution. The possibility of organic food itself being contaminated, and the residue of pollutants in human urine after eating organic food are relatively low.

Table of Contents

1. Definition

▪ Logo

▪ Distinguish

2. Main varieties

▪ Organic agricultural products

▪ Judgment criteria

3. Apply for certification

▪ Certification requirements

▪ Organic certification mark

▪ Certification difficulty

▪ Relevant regulations

4. Difference

▪ Price comparison

▪ No pollution

▪ Conventional agriculture

▪ Food difference

5. Product benefits

▪ Healthier

▪ Good taste

▪ Avoid disease

▪ Chemical substances

▪ Production process

▪ Favorable environment

▪ Protect the soil

▪ Not expensive

6. Food identification

7. How to buy

▪ Website purchase

▪ Farm direct purchase

▪ Supermarkets and physical stores

8. Development

9. Super organic

10. Nutrition

▪ Argument

▪ FSA research

▪ Development direction

▪ Cooking guide

▪ Keep fresh

▪ Organic industry

11. Domestic situation

What is the Definition of Organic Food?

In 1939, Lord Northbourne put forward the concept of organic farming (organic farming) in "Look to the Land", which means the entire farm as a whole organic organization, and relatively,

(Chemical farming) relies on imported fertility (additional fertilization), and cannot be self-sufficient nor an organic whole (not self-sufficient nor an organic whole).

From the analysis of the chemical composition of substances, all foods are organic substances composed of carbon-containing compounds. They are all organic foods. 

There are no non-organic foods. Therefore, from the perspective of chemical composition, food is called "organic food". The argument is meaningless. Therefore, the "organic" mentioned here is not a chemical concept-the carbon element in the molecule-but an organic farming and processing method. 

Organic food refers to all agricultural and sideline products and their processed products that are produced and processed in this way; the products meet international or national organic food requirements and standards. Also, all agricultural and sideline products and their processed products certified by the national organic food certification agency, including grain, edible oil, fungi, vegetables, fruits, melons, dried fruits, dairy products, poultry and livestock products, honey, aquatic products, seasonings, etc.

The main feature of organic food comes from the ecologically sound organic agricultural production system. 

The production and processing of organic food does not use synthetic substances such as chemical pesticides, fertilizers, chemical preservatives, or genetically engineered organisms and their products. Therefore, organic food is a kind of genuine natural, nutritious, high-quality, safe and environmentally friendly The ecological food.

Organic food has different names in different languages. The most common name abroad is ORGANIC FOOD. 

In other languages, it is also called ecological food, natural food, etc. 

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) collectively refers to foods with different titles but basically the same substance as organic foods.

Sign of Organic Food

Interpretation of the Organic Product Logo The main pattern of the "Organic Product Logo" is composed of three parts, namely the outer circle, the seed pattern in the middle and the circular lines around it.

The circle around the logo resembles the earth, symbolizing harmony and safety. The words "Organic Products" in the circle are a combination of Chinese and English. 

It not only shows that Chinese organic products are in line with the world, but also helps consumers at home and abroad to identify them.

The seed-like graphic in the logo represents the vitality of life at the time of germination, symbolizing that organic products are certified for the whole process starting from seeds, and it also shows that organic products are just like seeds that have just germinated and are thriving on the land.

The rounded lines around the seed graphics symbolize the circular road, which merges with the seed graphics, which reflects that organic products are rooted in the country and the organic road becomes wider and wider. 

At the same time, the ring on the plane is a variant of the English letter "C", and the seed shape is also a variant of "O", meaning "C Organic", where the C may represent the country.

Green represents environmental protection and health, which means that organic products bring perfection and coordination to the human ecological environment. 

The orange color represents vigorous vitality and the effect of organic products on sustainable development.

How to distinguish between organic and inorganic products?

Organic food is a category of organic products. 

Organic products also include cotton, linen, bamboo, clothing, cosmetics, and feed (organic standards include animal feed

Materials) and other "non-food". my country's organic products mainly include grain, vegetables, fruits, livestock and poultry products (including milk, egg, meat and related processed products), aquatic products and seasonings.

Green food refers to safe, high-quality edible agricultural products and related products that are produced in a good ecological environment, produced in accordance with green food standards, implemented full quality control, and obtained the right to use the green food mark. 

Green food certification is based on the green food industry standards of the Ministry of Agriculture. 

Green food is allowed to use pesticides and fertilizers in the production process, but the regulations on the amount and residues are usually stricter than the pollution-free standards.

Non-polluted agricultural products refer to unprocessed or initially processed edible agricultural products whose production environment, production process and product quality meet the requirements of relevant national standards and regulations, and have been certified to obtain a certification certificate and are allowed to use the mark of pollution-free agricultural products. 

Pesticides and fertilizers are allowed in the production process of pollution-free agricultural products, but high-toxic and high-residue pesticides that are prohibited by the state cannot be used.

What are the main varieties of Organic Food?

Organic produce

Organic food mainly includes general organic agricultural products (such as organic grains, organic fruits, organic vegetables, etc.), organic tea products, organic edible fungi products, organic livestock and poultry products, organic aquatic products, organic bee products, organic milk powder and collected wild products, and processed products using the above-mentioned products as raw materials. 

The organic foods sold in the domestic market are mainly vegetables, rice, tea, honey, goat milk powder, organic grains, organic fruits, organic vegetables, etc.

What is the Judgment criteria for classifying organic food?

1. The raw materials come from organic agricultural production systems or wild natural products.

2. The production and processing of organic food must strictly follow the organic food production, collection, processing, packaging, storage and transportation standards.

3. Strict quality management system, production process control system and tracking system must be established during the production and processing of organic food, so there is generally a conversion period; this conversion process generally takes 2-3 years before it can be approved as organic food .

4. Organic food must be certified by a legal organic food certification body.

How to apply for Organic Food Certification?

Certification requirements

Organic food refers to all agricultural and sideline products that come from the organic agricultural production system, are produced and processed in accordance with international organic agricultural production requirements and corresponding standards, and are certified by an independent organic food certification body, including food, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and poultry. 

Livestock products, aquatic products, seasonings, etc.

What are the basic requirements for organic food production?

The production base has not used pesticides, fertilizers and other prohibited substances within three years;

The seeds or seedlings come from nature and have not been modified by genetic engineering technology;

 

Production units need to establish long-term plans for land fertilization, plant protection, crop rotation and livestock and poultry breeding.

No soil erosion and other environmental problems in the production base.

The crops are not contaminated by chemical substances during harvesting, cleaning, drying, storage and transportation.

The conversion from conventional planting to organic planting requires a conversion period of more than two years, except for newly reclaimed wasteland.

The entire production process must have a complete record file.

Basic requirements for organic food processing.

The raw materials must be organically certified products or wild and non-polluting natural products.

The proportion of raw materials that have obtained organic certification in the final product shall not be less than 95%.

Only use natural seasonings, pigments and spices and other auxiliary materials, without artificial additives.

Organic food should avoid chemical pollution during the production, processing, storage and transportation.

The processing process must have a complete file record, including the corresponding bills.

Organic certification mark

Organic product packages are printed with certification marks of organic certification bodies in various countries. 

You can identify organic products by identifying organic marks. Common organic certification marks are:

Certification difficulty

The new organic food certification standards are very strict. In addition to the organic certification label and the certification unit, the independent packaging of organic vegetables needs to have a 17-digit organic code for consumers to trace the authenticity. 

At the same time, the standard also stipulates that each product that applies for organic certification must undergo a test every time it is produced. 

In addition, one of the major changes in the new regulations is that the “pesticide residue index” is “not detectable”. This requirement can only be described as “severe”. 

More than 20 pesticide residue indicators have changed from “restricted quantity standards” to “zero”. "Residues" are required not to be detected, which is "frighteningly high" for bases and enterprises.

Relevant International Regulation for Organic Products

International organic agriculture and agricultural products management systems and regulations are mainly divided into three levels: the United Nations level, the international non-governmental organization level

National level

 The United Nations-level organic agriculture and organic agricultural products standards are still recommended standards, which are part of the Codex Alimentarius and formulated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). In the entire standard formulation process, 

Any country as a member of the United Nations, also participated in the formulation. The specific content includes definitions, seeds and seedlings, transition period, chemical use, harvest, trade and internal quality control. 

In addition, the standard also specifies the inspection, certification and authorization system for organic agricultural products. This standard has provided an important basis for each member country to formulate organic agriculture standards. 

However, whether the United Nations organic agriculture standard can become a mandatory standard is still unknown. Once it becomes a mandatory standard, it will become the legal basis for the WTO to arbitrate the international trade of organic agricultural products.

What is the difference in the types of organic foods?

Price comparison

According to a survey of organic food markets in Beijing and Shanghai, the price of organic food is generally 30% to 80% higher than that of ordinary food. 

Some varieties, such as organic vegetables, are 2-3 times more expensive than ordinary vegetables.

No pollution

Whether food is contaminated is a relative concept. There is no food in the world that does not contain any pollutants. Because organic foods do not use chemically synthesized substances in the production process, the content of pollutants in organic foods is generally lower than that of ordinary foods, but excessive emphasis on its non-polluting characteristics will cause people to only pay attention to the analysis and analysis of the pollution status of the end products.

 Testing, while ignoring the purpose of quality control in the whole process of organic food production.

Conventional agriculture

In many cases, there may be a reduction in production at the beginning of the conversion, especially in areas that were heavily dependent on fertilizers and pesticides. 

However, in those areas that used less pesticides and fertilizers, organic planting may not reduce production. On the contrary, it may increase production. 

The reason is that:

1. Through crop rotation, intercropping and various plantings, the diversity of the agricultural production system is improved;

2. By using crop straws to return to the field (or return to the field after making compost), the nutrient cycle of farmland is promoted;

 

3. Better use of organic matter in the surrounding ecosystem;

4. Combining aquaculture and planting to improve the management of nutrients.

Organic foods are not allowed to use chemical pesticides. According to Fan Zhihong, associate professor of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Agricultural University, organic foods are not allowed to use chemically synthesized pesticides.

In the production process of organic agricultural products, there are strict regulations on all aspects. 

First of all, chemical fertilizers, hormones, and genetically modified substances must not be used in the cultivation or breeding of organic food. 

The land on which organic agricultural products are grown, its irrigation water, and ambient air quality all need to comply with relevant regulations.

Organic foods strictly limit the types and amounts of additives. Fertilizers for organic crops are generally composted with animal manure or crop waste in the organic agricultural system, and wastes that are not contaminated by chemical components to increase soil fertility, and minerals obtained by physical methods are also added. Substances, such as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other elements.

Organic agriculture generally adopts non-chemical methods to prevent insects, such as natural insect repellents such as peppermint and natural pyrethrum (extracts), or natural insect repellents such as lime and sulfur, and anti-bacterial and fungal insecticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis.

Food difference

Other labelled foods being promoted by relevant departments in my country include pollution-free foods and green foods. Non-polluted food is a safe food that is produced in accordance with the technical standards and requirements of non-polluted food production and meets the general hygiene standards and is recognized by the relevant departments. 

Strictly speaking, pollution-free food should be a basic requirement that ordinary food should meet.

Green food is a kind of food developed by my country's agricultural sector in the early 1990s. It is divided into A-level green food and AA-level green food. Among them, the use of chemically synthesized production materials is allowed in the production of A-level green food, while the AA-level green food requires stricter requirements not to use chemically synthesized fertilizers, pesticides, feed additives, food additives and other harmful to the environment and health in the production process. 

Of the substance. In essence, green food is a transitional product from ordinary food to organic food. 

The difference between organic food and other foods is reflected in the following aspects:

1) Organic foods absolutely prohibit the use of synthetic substances such as pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, etc. during their production and processing, and do not allow the use of genetic engineering technologies, while other foods allow limited use of these technologies and do not prohibit the use of genetic engineering technologies. For example, there is no regulation on the use of genetic engineering and radiation technology in green food.

2) In terms of production transformation, it takes 2 to 3 years for the production of other foods to organic foods, while the production of other foods (including green foods and pollution-free foods) does not require a conversion period.

3) In terms of quantity control, organic food certification requires fixed plots and fixed yields, while other foods do not have such strict requirements.

Therefore, it is much more difficult to produce organic food than other foods. 

It is necessary to establish a brand-new production system and monitoring system, and adopt corresponding alternative technologies such as pest control, soil protection, seed cultivation, product processing and storage.

What are the Organic Food Product benefits?

Healthier

Studies have shown that organic products contain more trace elements such as iron, magnesium, calcium and vitamin C, while the content of heavy metals and carcinogenic nitrates is lower.

Taste better

Organic agriculture promotes the preservation of the natural ingredients of the products, so the original taste of the food can be maintained.

Avoid disease

Intensive animal feeding methods make it easy to spread diseases, while organic farming requires open animal feeding methods to allow animals to stretch out, enhance their resistance, and reduce the chance of disease spread.

Chemical material

Under the concept of organic production, all production and processing processes are only allowed to use chemical substances under restricted conditions.

Production process

Under the concept of organic production, no genetically modified organisms and their derivatives can be used in all production and processing processes..

Favorable environment

Organic production encourages the use of natural materials, proper fertilization and irrigation, reduces resource waste, and increases biodiversity in and around the farm.

Protect the soil

Soil degradation and pollution are becoming more and more serious, and as the basic element of food production, humans must protect it.

 The soil protection measures required by organic agriculture are to restore and maintain the vitality of the soil, so that the soil can continue to provide humans with sufficient and high-quality food.

Not expensive

Organic production scale is small, human investment is large, risk cost and transportation cost are relatively high, so organic products are naturally more expensive. However, conventional agriculture does not include environmental costs such as pollution and soil fertility damage. 

If environmental costs are reflected in prices, the prices of conventional agricultural products and organic agricultural products will be similar. 

More importantly, if you eat healthy and green food for a long time, you can obviously feel that your immunity will increase and your physique will improve. This is a normal phenomenon in which toxins are gradually eliminated from the body.

Food identification

First, check whether the label has the words "ORGANIC". Next, look at the icons and pay attention to the difference between organic products and conversion-period foods.

For processed products with an organic ingredient content equal to or higher than 95%, the word "organic" can be marked on the product or product packaging and label.

For processed products with an organic ingredient content lower than 95% and equal to or higher than 70%, it can be marked "Organic ingredient production".

If it is a processed product with an organic ingredient content of less than 70%, only certain ingredients can be marked as "organic" in the product ingredient list.

What are the ways to purchase Organic Products?

Website purchase

Have you tried buying organic grains and oils, pollution-free vegetables and even meat, eggs and milk online? 

Just click, click, click on the computer keyboard with a few clicks, and there are hundreds of dazzling safe ingredients to choose from. You can shop around without going out, and you can always find the lowest price. 

All you have to do after placing the order is to wait for the ingredients to be delivered to your door. 

The advantage is that the products are rich in choice and can be delivered to your door, but the disadvantage is that you need to increase the extra freight and you cannot choose by hand.

Farm direct purchase

If organic food is locked in for a long time, direct purchase from organic farms is a good choice. Take a well-known organic farm as an example. 

The vegetables are delivered twice a week (3 kg each time), and the annual price is about 300 dolars. It not only saves the trouble of buying vegetables, but also guarantees the exact origin, and the daily cost is only 3 dollars. 

Also, there are members picking activities every year, which is equivalent to giving away free farmhouse trips. But the problem is that in addition to rice and vegetables, organic farms generally do not provide meat, which means that additional meat dishes such as chicken, duck, fish, etc. need to be purchased, and waiting for food delivery every week is also a big trouble.

Supermarkets and physical stores

Women love to go shopping for a reason, even if they are not for possession, they will feel satisfied when looking at the dazzling array of neatly stacked goods. 

Similarly, in the exquisitely packaged, warm-style high-end food store or imported goods area of ​​the supermarket, before the appetite is temporarily satisfied, the eyes have already enjoyed the "fresh" sound. But the problem is that the price here is much higher than other channels, including store rent and personnel costs, and no woman is willing to often carry 5 kg of rice and a basket of vegetables to return home, so buying cereals and oil products is more than worrying. The "power" is insufficient.

Development

Organic food is in a period of rapid development, but it is mainly used for export. Because organic food is very popular in the international market and export profits are relatively high, many manufacturers prefer to export.

In 2005, China’s organic food industry had 416 companies certified by China Green and China, and the number of product categories was 1,249, and their domestic sales of products were 3.71 billion yuan and exports were 136 million U.S. dollars.

The total certified area reached 1.655 million hectares, of which certified the highest area is wild collection with 695,900 hectares, followed by 638,200 hectares for processing industry, 167,400 hectares for fishery, 90,700 hectares for animal husbandry, and 62,800 hectares for plantation.

By the end of 2006, the number of companies certified by China Green Huaxia has reached 601 (including the conversion period), the number of products is 2,647, the certified area totals 2.64 million hectares, the total physical products are 2.11 million tons, and the product sales are 6.17 billion yuan. 

The amount is 160 million US dollars. The number of certified companies, certified area, and total products accounted for 26%, 50%, and 56% of the country's total. 

The development speed and total scale have ranked first in the domestic organic certification industry. 

By the end of 2006, the domestic sales of organic foods had reached 5.6 billion yuan. 

In 2007, the market size had reached 6.17 billion yuan, and the number of domestic organic food manufacturers had reached more than 2,300.

For the development of China's organic food industry, the government must support vigorously in terms of policy and economy. 

Enterprises must seize the opportunity, change their concepts, give play to their own advantages, effectively solve the problems of organic food production technology, and open up domestic and international markets. 

During the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" period, the relevant departments of the Chinese government will vigorously promote the development of the organic food industry in accordance with the role of "guidance, standardization, cultivation, and supervision". 

China's organic food industry has great potential and good market prospects. The development of the organic food industry is the best way to prevent rural and agricultural pollution. 

The relevant state departments will increase support and formulate industrial development plans.

What is Super Organic?

The concept of "super organic" has been "hot" for several years. Since 2008, the "Economy Half an Hour" column of CCTV Economic Channel has carried out several publicity reports on the concept of "ultra-organic" with the topics "Behind the Harvest of Summer Grain" and "The San'an Model for Food Safety". 

Dating back to September 29, 2009, the CCTV Economic Channel introduced the signing ceremony of the strategic cooperation between San'an and Germany under the theme of "Chinese Super Organic Food Is Expected to Enter the European Market". 

"This signing is expected to enable China's super organic food to enter the German and European markets."

Wei Gang believes that Zhang Lingyu's "life information regulation technology" is very effective. 

"Using the technological achievements of San'an, it is possible to create safe and high-efficiency new drugs for the treatment of AIDS, leukemia, various tumors, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, uremia and other difficult diseases. 

Alternating electric fields are used to control the gene expression of microorganisms so that microorganisms can ferment. 

The resulting microbial preparation has the effects of resisting insect pests, increasing soil fertility, absorbing heavy metals in the soil, etc. 

So we don’t need the laborious set of organic agriculture at all. 

Organic agriculture has a conversion period, and organic agriculture has various effects on the land We also don’t need the requirement of “San’an” super organic farming whether it is polluted by heavy metals or poor soil fertility.”

 “The concept of organic is not whether the final product has pesticide residues, but emphasizes the entire production The whole process is controlled in accordance with organic standardization."

 Guo Chunmin said, "The premise of super-organic cultivation is that various degradation agents have been used, which is contrary to organic production and is not comparable at all."

With the continuous improvement of living standards, organic food has been on the table of more and more families. Compared with traditional foods, organic foods are grown or cultivated in a pollution-free environment. 

Not only do they do not use pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators and other chemicals, but they also need to be certified by professional organizations before they can enter the market.

What level of nutrition do organic foods give?

Argument

In 1958, the British Food Standards Agency commissioned the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to study the nutrition of organic food.

In the following 50 years, scientists first conducted 160 independent experiments to compare the differences in nutritional content between organic foods and traditional foods, but finally found that the two are in terms of vitamins and minerals, which are vital to human health. 

There is no difference at all. The subsequent 50 trials focused on the effects of organic foods on the human body, but they did not find sufficient evidence that they have higher nutritional value.

In 2009, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the United Kingdom published this research report, which assessed the nutritional difference between organically produced fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy products and similar non-organic foods. 

A research team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine systematically reviewed 162 publicly published research results in the 50 years from January 1958 to February 2008, comparing the nutritional value of 3558 foods. 

The research team specifically stated in the first paragraph of the FSA report that this research did not focus on the environmental impact of organic agriculture or pesticides. 

This study only focuses on the comparison of nutrients. This is a complete and rigorous study.

Between organic and conventional crops, certain minerals (traditional crops contain higher nitrogen; organic crops contain higher magnesium and zinc), phytonutrients (phenolic compounds and flavonoids are higher in organic crops). High) and sugars (higher in organic crops), there are significant differences (Significant differences). 

When the analysis is limited to the research results that meet the required quality, the significant difference between the composition of organically produced and conventionally produced crops is only in total nitrogen (higher in traditional crops), phosphorus (higher in organic crops), and titratable acidity.

Soluble solids mainly refer to soluble sugars, including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides (except for starch, cellulose, chitin, and hemicellulose, which are insoluble in water). 

The juices we drink generally have sugars above 100g/L (Calculated by glucose), mainly sucrose, glucose and fructose, the soluble solid content can reach about 9%.

Titratable acidity is one of the important constituent traits of plant quality, especially for fruit crops that use fruits as the target product. Titratable acid, like sugar, is an important factor that affects the flavor quality of fruits. 

For fresh foods, generally speaking, high sugar and medium acidity, strong flavor and good quality. 

For processed varieties, high sugar and high acidity are required. Therefore, the quantitative study of titratable acid is of great significance to the quality breeding of fruit trees.

The head of the study, Dr. Alan Dungu of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, described the latest report as "the most comprehensive analysis of the nutritional value of organic food to date." He said: "Our work shows that the claim that organic food is more nutritious has not yet been supported by more sufficient evidence." 

Organic food can be sold at a better price. And organic food sellers cleverly took advantage of consumers' fear of mad cow disease and E. coli to blow organic food into the wild. 

The reaction of the British newspapers was very polarized. Some newspapers claimed that this study was a great irony of the luxury shopping habits of the bourgeoisie, while others attacked that the study was an insult to common sense.

FSA Research on Organic Food

Very good, the organic food industry attacked this research result instead of agreeing to its correctness is obviously not scientific enough. 

For those who continue to support organic farming, the other reasons for choosing organic food are sufficient. For example, to protect the soil, avoid pesticide residues, improve animal husbandry conditions, or simply to taste better flavored food.

In this regard, the instructions on the official FSA website are:

Isn't there evidence that organic food is safer and more nutritious? It is true that some scientific papers reach this conclusion. However, others find no difference. 

As in any field of science, to reach a robust conclusion it is necessary to evaluate the weight of evidence across a range of published papers. Care should be taken over reliance on single papers.

The Agency maintains a close watch on scientific papers that evaluate organic food and will continue to assess new research as it is published.

Some loyal supporters of organic food actually no longer regard organic food as just a kind of food, or even as their own belief. Many of them have a natural rejection of unnatural things. 

They believe that all natural objects, such as a flower or a grass, have their own unique properties that cannot be changed. 

This is also the reason why biotechnology, especially genetically modified technology, is excluded from the organic food regulations. "In fact, pure natural products are not necessarily good for mankind."

Regardless of whether organic is a production method of crops or a fashion, Meng Fanqiao, a professor at the School of Resources and Environment of China Agricultural University, believes that from common sense, organic food will not be healthier and safer than traditional food. "If it were not, we The food supervision department can dismiss classes."

Meng Fanqiao said that British research results show that traditional foods are as healthy and safe as organic foods (if they are made in accordance with food production standards), there is no doubt. "

Direction of development

How will organic food and even organic agriculture develop in the future? 

Alexi’s point of view is also very clear: organic food will not have much room for growth in the future. From the perspective of cost performance, so-called organic food is far inferior to ordinary food.

Organic agriculture is not only expensive, but it is also the least advantageous method of food production for ecological and environmental protection. 

Intensive agriculture can use various best methods to solve production problems. "Regardless of organic food or organic agriculture, the biggest feature is that it opposes technology and advocates nature. 

Of course, it is unlikely to disappear, because there are always a group of people who respect organic food."

Meng Fanqiao believes that organic food should not be developed in China, but how to develop it. In response to the expert's view that China's 1.3 billion people would starve to death if they developed organic agriculture, he said that he did not say that there would be a "one size fits all" or that all organic farming would be adopted. "Since there is a demand for organic food in society, why should we stifle its development? 

This society always has different levels of consumption. How to develop 1% or 80% is a question worth considering."

Meng Fanqiao said that the development of organic agriculture in China now seems to be somewhat chaotic. Although the National Certification and Accreditation Administration inspects organic food certification bodies every year, the level of certification bodies is still uneven. 

In order to make more money, certain certification agencies give the green light to products that do not meet organic food standards. 

If a certification body can self-discipline, the organic food market may be much better.

"But it will be difficult for the organic food market and China's entire food market to be truly clean in at least ten years. Only when society has established a universal integrity system can this day come."

Organic Foods Cooking guide

Organic food is full of nutrients, but the wrong cooking method will destroy these essences and produce toxins and waste. 

How to cook organic food? 

Since organic food has a short shelf life, is delicious, and does not contain pesticides, chemical additives and genetically modified ingredients, Dr. Nishiki specifically recommends:

• Purchase organic food 2-3 times a week and try to eat as fresh as possible. If you can’t purchase it in time, you can store it in frozen (around minus 18 degrees).
• The refrigerator preservation temperature can be kept at about 5 degrees, organic fresh fish can be kept for about 12 hours, organic poultry for about 24 hours, organic red meat for about 48 hours, organic milk for 2-3 days, and organic eggs for 1-2 weeks.
• No need to peel, because about 50% of the nutrients are usually distributed in the epidermis of plants.
• Do not need to soak for a long time, otherwise the water-soluble vitamins will be lost.
• Eat raw as much as possible (except food), if heating and cooking, use the lowest possible temperature or the shortest possible time;
• Choose organic whole grains or whole grains for food, such as brown rice, wheat grains and beans.
• Put less seasonings, because the taste of organic food is very delicious.
• You can use lemon juice or orange juice instead of salt.
• If using salt, the first choice is natural sea salt, followed by low sodium salt.
• Use natural mineral water or reverse osmosis filtered water for cooking, instead of using tap water for boiling soup.
• The best utensils are glass and ceramics, because they will not react with food, avoid or minimize the use of plastic, metal and paper utensils.

If you are not sure about the hazards of heating and cooking, the following is the degree of damage to food nutrition by various storage and cooking methods:

Keep fresh

Water-soluble vitamins in fresh meats, vegetables and fruits can easily lose more than half of them during storage. For example, if spinach and asparagus are stored at room temperature for three days, folic acid will lose 50%-70%. The loss of refrigerator preservation will be smaller.

• Freezing in the refrigerator can destroy about 50% of water-soluble vitamins and about 25% of fat-soluble vitamins. For example, frozen vegetables can lose about 47% of the B vitamins, especially vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and B6, and about 20% of 　-carotene. The situation is similar for frozen meat.
• 70%-80% vitamin loss from bottle packaging.
• Dehydration and drying lose about 50% of vitamin C and part of vitamin A.
• Boiling loses 100% enzymes, 90% folic acid, 70% vitamin C, part of the vitamin B family, and part of DHA; minerals are "inorganized" and the absorption rate decreases. The heat loss will be smaller.
• Steaming loses 100% enzymes, part of vitamin C and vitamin B, and part of DHA, but the loss is less than boiling.
• Frying loses 100% enzymes, part of vitamin C and vitamin B, and part of DHA, resulting in free radicals.
• Roasting loses 100% enzymes, 20% vitamin B family (especially thiamine), part of vitamin C, part of vitamin E and part of DHA, and generates free radicals.
• Frying loss 100% enzyme, most of vitamin C and vitamin B family, 50% vitamin E; protein is distorted and lost up to 70%, especially glutamic acid, lysine and methionine. Most of DHA is lost. A lot of freedom is produced base.
• Microwave oven loses 100% enzymes, most of DHA, part of vitamin B and vitamin C, carcinogens are produced.

Organic corn is $1.9 per catty, and organic yam is $1.75 per catty. Organic food known for environmental protection and health can be found everywhere in major supermarkets. 

Out of concerns about food additives, pesticide residues, growth hormone and other issues, consumers are increasingly favoring them.

Organic carrots $ 1.2 per catty, ordinary carrots $ .25 per catty. 

Organic winter melon $ .4 per catty, ordinary winter melon $ .18  per catty.

Organic Dutch cucumber $1.2 per catty, ordinary Dutch cucumber $ .34 per catty.

 The reporter visited Shanghai Carrefour New Village Ludian found that the price of organic vegetables on the price tag was three or four times more expensive than regular vegetables.

At Walmart's Shanghai Wujiaochang store, organic foods such as organic tomatoes, organic green peppers, and organic corn are also common in the fruit and vegetable section, and the prices are significantly higher than conventional foods, some even more than ten times higher.

The clerk at the vegetable counter of the Shanghai Carrefour Xincun Road store said that because the price is too high, the number of customers buying organic vegetables cannot be compared with the number of regular vegetables, but there are not many loyal customers of organic vegetables.

How to Identify Organic Food?

Difficult to be "organic"

The reporter visited many supermarkets and found that many rice on the market with the word "organic" printed on the packaging did not have the relevant standard certification, and the price was still expensive, and it was difficult to tell whether it was organic or not.

Ma Zhiying, chief engineer of the Shanghai Food Research Institute, said, "As far as I know, there are not many truly organic foods on the market. 

Whether the products that make ‘organic food’ can really meet the organic product standards still have to be questioned."

Ma Zhiying said that it is difficult for ordinary consumers to identify whether a product is organic food from its appearance, and can only see whether the label on the product is standardized and whether the certification body is an authority recognized by the country.

Mr. Wang Lin, who has been choosing organic food for a long time, also said frankly that he is not sure whether the things he bought are actually organic food. "Since it says so, it's better than nothing. Although it's a lot more expensive, please feel at ease."

Organic food is not necessarily excellent

Ma Zhiying believes that the production cost of real organic products will be very high, and the high prices are justified. But from a nutritional point of view, the nutritional value of organic food is not necessarily higher than that of conventional food. 

For example, organic vegetables and general vegetables are not much different in vitamins and trace elements.

Yun Wuxin, a Ph.D. in Food Engineering from the Department of Agriculture and Biology, Purdue University in the United States, said that consumers prefer organic food because they think it is safe and nutritious. 

On the one hand, a previous study by the British Food Standards Agency showed that organic products and conventional products are Nutritional differences are difficult to distinguish. 

There are dozens of countries that implement national standards for organic products, but not many official organizations claim that organic products are superior to conventional products in terms of nutrition, taste or safety. 

On the other hand, due to the extremely high requirements for environmental factors in the production of organic food, and the environment such as soil and moisture is difficult to control, the "safety" is not necessarily much better than conventional products.

Yun Wuxin pointed out: "From a certain perspective, organic food is only worth the consumer's belief that it is better to be trusted."

Experts believe that due to the limited conditions, the production scale of organic food is relatively limited. In fact, ordinary consumers do not need to purchase organic food specifically for the pursuit of nutrition.

Organic industry

1. It is necessary to clarify positioning and development strategies based on the local market

No matter what you do, you must have a positioning. The same is true for organic products. 

As organic products become more and more abundant, it is very important to choose marketable products to meet the needs of the regional market. 

Combining local resources, clarify its own positioning and development strategy in order to maintain a leading position in an increasingly fierce market.

It is normal that there are many closed organic food stores. On the one hand, the awareness of the market is not enough. 

On the other hand, there is indeed the problem of insufficient purchasing power.

 What is more important is that many companies just sell them in a way indistinguishable from ordinary food, and eventually go bankrupt due to poor management.

The author believes that the formation, development and growth of an industry must go through a process to make the organic food industry stronger and bigger.

2. The upgrade of organic specialty stores is imminent

Many organic specialty stores have unclear positioning, which has caused a series of problems in store location, purchase of goods, store decoration and display, and promotion services. They need to be upgraded urgently. For example, Shanghai Hexin Organic Store has been renamed as a health food store. It will be connected with the vital interests of consumers, and it will be easier for strange customers to enter the store to understand and purchase.

As a service terminal, organic specialty stores have not been fully utilized. This is a common problem faced by all organic terminals. In addition, the manufacturers only stayed in the supply stage, and there was almost no pull and promotion of the terminal. 

The strengthening of the sales of the group organization failed to form a system, resulting in a natural sales status of some organic products, and therefore slow sales.

At the same time, many consumers are not eager to consume organic food. Therefore, a large-scale campaign is needed. The Hundred Cities and Thousand Stores Plan will continue to allow more organic investors to join in, and achieve regional linkage and joint procurement. 

The form of joint promotion, awaken the market and make the market bigger.

In short, organic food is a high-end product in food. Some products are not as expensive as imagined. For example, organic rice can be popularized. 

Some distinctive products can also be used for special groups, such as pregnant women and children. The essential food and gift market is also a huge space worthy of development. 

Grasping the pulse of the market, combining social hotspots, deep understanding of organic concepts and knowledge, doing a good job in organic food, a promising business, can achieve higher returns.

Domestic situation Locally in various Countries

Many country's organic food industry has maintained a relatively rapid development trend, has established a certain foundation for development, and has continuously expanded its brand influence. many countries now have become a large consumer of organic food.

Chen Chen, a researcher in the food industry of CIC Consulting, believes that his country’s organic food industry is growing rapidly, and there is huge room for development in the international market. The agricultural foundation is solid, and health and environmental concepts are gradually deepened among the masses. 

This is a powerful force in promoting organic consumption.

According to data from a country's Ministry of Agriculture, the global organic food market is currently growing at a rate of 20% to 30%, and my country's organic food industry has maintained a good development trend. 

There are about 50 categories of organic and organic conversion products in my country, with 400-500 varieties, including vegetables, beans, grains, aquatic products, and wild-collected products. 

As of the end of 2012, China Green China Organic Food Certification Center has certified 850 companies, with a total product volume of 1.95 million tons and a certified area of ​​2.469 million hectares, including 126,000 hectares of planting area, 600,000 hectares of grazing area, and 249,000 hectares of water area. 

The collection area is 1.494 million hectares.

In the next ten years, China's organic agricultural production area and product production will increase by 20%-30% annually, accounting for 1-1.5% of the agricultural production area, reaching 18-23 million mu.

Organic food exports will account for the proportion of agricultural exports or more than 5%, but some organic foods will still rely on imports, especially dairy products, wine, cosmetics, textiles, chocolate, oats, sugar, fruits and other products.

China will become the fourth largest consumer of organic food, and organic food is expected to account for To 1%-1.5% of the entire Chinese food market, the international organic food market's demand for Chinese organic food will reach or exceed 5%.

Chen Chen, a researcher in the food industry of CIC Consulting, believes that the pursuit of purely natural and pollution-free organic food consumption has become a fashion that people are pursuing, and consumers in industrialized countries are particularly fond of organic food. 

With the improvement of people's living standards and attention to health and environmental protection, the organic food consumer market also has huge potential. 

The development of my country's organic food industry is growing rapidly, and there is huge room for development in the international market.

According to China Investment Consultants' 2009-2012 China Organic Food Market Investment Analysis and Prospect Forecast Report, it is estimated that in 2012, the global organic food market will reach 100 billion US dollars. 

At the same time, the international market's demand for Chinese organic products is also increasing year by year.

From May 23 to 25, 2013, the 7th BioFach China China International Organic Food Expo will once again kick off at the Shanghai International Exhibition Center. 

The exhibition will, as always, pursue high quality and high taste, follow a professional and international track, and strive to present a gluttonous feast of industry elites and unlimited business opportunities for brand merchants at home and abroad.

 

Author's Bio

Name: Gwynneth May

Educational Qualification: MBBS, MD (Medicine) Gold Medalist

Profession: Doctor

Experience: 16 Years of Work Experience as a Medical Practitioner

Research: Done research on Health and Organic Food

About Me