579 there is a very strict process to go through to be certified organic. Growers really do have to jump through hoops to get there.

A mate of mine so certified had a hell of a job to stop the electricity people spraying under the power lines through his property, which would have lost him his certification. Another lost his when the council sprayed lantana along his boundary, due to spray drift. I think that is still in arbitration re his damages claim.

Prices are crazy. The mate finally gave up on organic, when he was getting less than the cost of cartons & freight for his produce sent to Brisbane markets. If anyone was making any money out of it, it most certainly wasn't the grower.

Careful what you put in your mouth Yuyutsu, that special taste is actually the flavor of the grubs in the stuff. I have let my fruit trees die this dry summer. I got sick of feeding fruit fly & lorikeets. Without a regular weekly spraying fruit fly struck all but the first weeks peaches & apples, & without netting, [& probably a shot gun unfortunately], the birds ate every apple while only half grown, leaving the cores hanging on the trees, to show where they've been. It is not a pretty sight.

If you really like organic, the apricot tree survived. I have hundreds of fruit fly stung apricots every year. The lorikeets must not like apricots. Come & get them, you're welcome. Just don't tell the horses. They might get upset at you pinching their treat.

Nhoj, if you portray yourself as a self confessed ambasitor of eating healthy, then I would consider myself as being very proud to be a beer drinking, pig fat consumer, if for no other reason othe than it would place a huge dividing wall between us.

Now of cause your argument does not shed light on the fact that how do you know the food you are paying a premium for, is actually organic.

Also, how do you think the likes of Coles decides who to buy their Organics from and, if a cheaper supplier comes along, do you think they will stay loyal. After all, they have all but KNOWINGLY ruined the dairy industry, so what's to stop them with Organics and, more importantly, what measures, other than substitution or short cuts can the farmer take to retain his contract.

It's like saying that just because a driver has a license, they won't break the law.

As they say, money talks and bull sh1t walks.

Gee Rehctub, you must be a good walker then.

Rehctub wrote, "how do you know the food is organic?". Google is your friend Rehctub. Google the standards that organic growers are obliged to follow in order to gain certification, and the standards that shopkeepers are obliged to follow.

There ya go Rehctub, you can now consider yourself educated on this important matter. Remember now, just make the effort to look it up.

Whether or not food labelled as organic is actually organic is a side issue. There is no evidence that it is any better and there is some evidence that it can be more harmful.

NathanJ,

<<…each week the dosage adds up. So the more you consume that is sprayed, the more you are taking in and causing damage to yourself and the environment.>>

The dosage doesn’t add up because our bodies are capable of metabolising pesticides: http://joa.isa-arbor.com/request.asp?JournalID=1&ArticleID=2323&Type=2

In fact, the reason organic food can be more harmful (as I mentioned above) is because organic farmers are often forced to use pesticides - only they use natural pesticides, which are more harmful. Natural pesticides were better than synthetic pesticides back in the days of DDT, but since then, synthetic pesticides have improved so much that they are now far safer than natural pesticides (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~lhom/organictext.html). Natural pesticides can be quite toxic in comparison.

Your risk of developing cancer is 1000 times greater with the average cup of coffee than it is with a year’s worth of synthetic pesticide.

You should read that link to Skepdic.com that I provided. It’s fully referenced with peer-reviewed material if you want to check their sources. You’d be hard-pressed finding a nature-woo website with credible citations.

A.J Phillips - I was just reading your link and there were problems with it. For example, I recently bought organic spinach and I found a caterpillar on it. A lot of life, with no dead elements there - only life.

So imagine what the chemicals are doing to you, if they were killing insects like I've just mentioned?

Why anyone would want food covered in toxic chemicals is beyond me and quite frankly - and too many people don't eat enough vegetables already, let alone organic ones.

If organic fruits, foods and vegetables are not safe in Australia - we know they can't be sold - with our tight food safety standards.

....If organic fruits, foods and vegetables are not safe in Australia - we know they can't be sold - with our tight food safety standards.

Nathan, once again you are assuming the growers/traders are being 100% honest with you.

One example is how much meat do you see now that is sold as 'Black Angus', too much I can tell you.

Offaly is simply another gimmick that is all too often substituted by sub standard traders and purchased by unsuspecting shoppers. Not all Organics, but most certainly some.

Nhoj, tell me, how do you know fruit, veg, meat or chicken is organic?

Or, are you simply taking the label for what it says.

Now I know it's very difficult to become a certified organic producer, but I also know there are shanks out there.

The trick is knowing, because I can't accurately tell if meat or chicken is, and I've been in the industry for the best part of forty years.

It's no different to the use of the words 'free range' and we all know that's been a well abused marketing ploy over the years.