Why Does It Cost More To Eat Healthy?

Why Does It Cost More To Eat Healthy?

by Cliff Walsh

While there are a lot of positive characteristics to a healthy, organic diet, it is definitely more costly. The wide range of prices from organic to pesticide-laden produce to the chemical experiments called processed foods, stem from a handful of issues. Because organic farmers don't use pesticides, they need to use significantly more natural fertilizers as well as a lot more hands-on work and logistics planning, like crop rotation. The cost to certify a farm or food manufacturer is also substantial.

Perhaps the most frustrating reason, though, is that the government subsidizes unhealthy, chemical-laden foods while it penalizes organic foods. It all comes down to the approval and certification processes that are currently in place. When a chemical company or food manufacturer wants to bring a new chemical or food additive to market, the process is grossly in favor of the petitioning company. The majority of food additives in our food, which reduce nutritional value and lower the costs of making such food, are added to the food supply through a self-approval process known as GRAS, which stands for generally recognized as safe.

Herein lies the problem. A company can use public or private research to determine the safety of a chemical and whether or not it qualifies as GRAS. If it does pass, the FDA doesn't even have to be notified. It's a voluntary program. So basically the company who will profit from the sale of the chemical or food item is the one who stamps it as safe and they don't even have to report it. As you can see, it is very cheap and easy to bring new additives to market. Unfortunately, this has led to the rise in use of artificial sweeteners, flavors, and dyes as well as untested preservatives and other chemicals.

In contrast, the organic farmer or food preparer is required to go through a certification process by third parties authorized by the government's oversight bodies. This is at the cost of the producer. It is up to the petitioner to prove its products are organic, which is perfectly understandable. My concern lies with the drastically different approval processes. Why should organic farmers be put at a disadvantage in bringing their products to market when the food additive executives do not? It is ludicrous to think that the food industry is allowed to approve its own products for use, particularly when you consider we are ingesting these products, often without our knowledge. The dangers to our health are unquantifiable yet the food manufacturers continue to get paid.

Many people believe legislative action should be the strategy. While that is a possibility, we are in this mess because the government's ineptitude and susceptibility to outside influence (think lots of money and consulting jobs from the food industry). I believe the highest probability of success lies with making better food choices.

With legislation, you are relying on dubious politicians to do the right thing. I like to focus on action that has a direct impact on what I'm trying to accomplish. By purchasing healthier foods, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy as I'm helping to grow the organic industry, lowering their costs and my future prices. This profit also comes out of the hands of the chemical food producers, hurting their businesses, something I believe will sink in very quickly. It is up to us to shift gears and head in a new direction, one where we take responsibility for our own health and force our food suppliers to adhere to our needs and long-term health concerns.



Please see more information at my website <a href="http://theyputthatinmyfood.com">Dangers of food additives and preservatives</a> or this article <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Wake-Up,-America!-Your-Breakfast-(And-Every-Other-Meal)-Is-Full-Of-Chemicals!&id=8665331">what's bad about processed foods</a>

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