Organic and non-organic food

1. Organic food has become very popular. But navigating the maze (бродить по лабиринту) of organic food labels, benefits, and claims can be confusing. Is organic food really healthier? Do GMOs and pesticides cause cancer and other diseases?

2. Organic foods provide a variety of benefits. Some studies show that organic foods have more beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants, than their conventionally grown counterparts (копия). In addition, people with allergies to foods, chemicals, or preservatives (предохраняющие средства) often find their symptoms lessen or go away when they eat only organic foods. Instead of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, organic farmers rely on biological diversity in the field to naturally reduce habitat for pest organisms.

3. The ongoing debate about the effects of GMOs on health and the environment and whether GM food should be labeled is a controversial one. In most cases, GMOs are engineered to make food crops resistant to herbicides (weedkillers) and/or to produce an insecticide. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the biotech companies that engineer GMOs insist they are safe, but many food safety advocates point out that these products have undergone only short-term testing to determine their effects on humans and the environment, no long term studies have ever been conducted to confirm the safety of GMO use. Some animal studies have indicated that consuming GMOs may cause internal organ damage, slowed brain growth, and thickening of the digestive tract.

4.Understanding the terminology is essential when you’re shopping for organic foods. "Natural" on packaged food is an unregulated term that can be applied by anyone, whereas organic certification means that set production standards have been met. When you’re shopping for organic foods in the U.S., look for the “USDA Organic” seal. Only foods that are 95 to 100 percent organic (and GMO-free) can use the USDA Organic label.

What do the food labels such as “organic,” "natural," "free-range," and "non-GMO" really mean?