Organic Food Is The Future of Eating

Matthew Saline October 5th, 2009

Even with the bumps in the road (the economy, prices, and the like), organic continues to grow. No surprise there. The NPD Group, a leading market research company, forecasts that “better for you” foods, such as organic and light or low-calorie foods and beverages, will be among the fastest-growing food trends over the next decade. NPD is predicting a 41% growth in organics alone.

The back story here is that consumers are shifting their priorities. They’re interested in not only what’s good for their health, but also what’s good for the health of the planet.

A recent MamboTrack study found that the majority of natural/organic consumers were not willing to give up eating healthy, despite the economy. Respondents said they would continue to buy healthy foods and many indicated that the “cost” of not doing so was too high — with costs to their health and the planet.

Organic food is better for the environment because it reduces our chemical exposure, with less contamination in the soil and the air (not to mention what we eat).

Moreover, organics are typically grown in a sustainable manner that not only treats the environment well but provides the workforce with a fair living and safe working conditions.

Economically speaking, a fair living for one benefits all. Plus, organic agriculture reduces our dependence on fossil fuels used to create chemical fertilizers.

And coinciding with the surge in organics is a distinct interest in eating local. Farmers markets are growing and often feature local organic farms. This too ties into quality-of-life for the agricultural workforce, increasing the number of self-employed farmers and entrepreneurs and further balancing wage disparities.

This trend toward organics will have a lasting impact. Young families are committing to natural and organic living, raising a new generation of children who will see these earth-friendly habits as a regular way of life.

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Related Topics: Natural/Organic, A Healthy Dish

2 Comments to “Organic Food Is The Future of Eating”

Jeff Weidauer Says:

October 7th, 2009 at 8:46 pm

The question of how popular organics will be, and what role they will play in the diets of the future, is dependent on two things:

First, we need to define — really define — what “organic” really means. Because of its popularity, organic foods have become big business, and the term has been twisted in ways that the average consumer wouldn’t necessarily think of when the whole truth is revealed behind some so-called organic products. Transparency of methods is needed; not through legislation, but voluntarily by those claiming to be organic.

The other change, and the more difficult one, is our expectation for cheap food. True organic farming costs more than the factories that serve as farms today. Getting consumers to accept the idea of paying more — sometimes significantly more — for food will take time and clear communication of the true value of organics.

In a world of $1 cheeseburgers, we have a long way to go before we can claim that organics will be the way of the future.
peio revuelta Says:

March 6th, 2010 at 11:21 am

It is a really helpful information about organic foods. I live in a village which is a small and and isolated place.
We are 120 km far from the nearest city and as a result we produce our own food. While doing that we use extreme caution of our food to be organic so every information about organic is very important for me, thanks to the authors here. I also found another useful guide for organic food and also so many other things about agriculturing, I recommend this site to everyone who wants to learn useful information.

http://agricultureguide.org