Organic food
As organic foods foods are referred from organic farming. The term is legally defined in the EU. These products must come from controlled ecological cultivation, must not be genetically modified and are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers or sewage sludge. Animal products come from animals that were treated humanely according to EU-Eco - Regulation and usually less with antibiotics and growth hormones. The products are not irradiated ionizing and contain less food additives than conventional food, but, up to 30 % do not contain organically produced ingredients.
The EC Organic Regulation 2007 defines how agricultural products and foods that are labeled as organic products have to be manufactured and labeled. In order to distinguish them from conventional ecologically produced food, led Germany 2001, the state-controlled organic seal one, may be marked with the manufactured only after the EC Eco- prescription products. While organic food can be regarded as a synonym for organic food, natural food does not come from organic farming according to EU-Eco - Regulation.
Available are organic food in health food stores, health food stores and increasingly in the food retail and in supermarkets. In Germany there are a number of ecological farming associations, which guarantee a higher standard of quality, as prescribed by the EU-Eco - Regulation.
History
The precursors of modern organic foods are at least partially in the organic food movement (see life reform ), the settlement on the Monte Verità and other groups to see who joined at the beginning of the 20th century, nutrition and awareness together. These precursors had their base in nutrition lessons to whole foods and vegetarianism. Initially there was natural food mainly made of fresh vegetables. The former consumers who were interested in natural foods, foods examined, which were processed free of additives, fresh or minimally. Initially, only a portion of the products originated in natural food stores actually organic content. They were mainly processed bit and fully satisfying. On the part of producers of organic food is to be called esp. the Demeter Association, which on the basis of anthroposophy a biodynamic agriculture propagated since the 1920s.
The modern health food movement received a boost in the hippy era of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The proverbial cereal gained popularity (see also macrobiotics, whole food nutrition ). In the 1970s, emerged in West Germany, the first " health food stores " in Berlin, Hamburg and Münster. In the late 1970s, there were around 100 of these stores nationwide. The distribution of the organic food increased since the mid- 1980s.
To focus on minimally processed foods are increasingly joined the importance of a " biological " farming. 1971, the registered association " organic vegetables " the precursor to the widespread organic farming association for organic food has been established (founded in 1976). 1982 came the Naturland farmers' association. Mid- 1980s, there were already about 2,000 producers of organic food in Germany alone ( see also organic farming ).
Types of Organic Food
Dairy products, baked goods, vegetables and fruits are the most requested organic food. Processed organic foods are usually sold in supermarkets, natural food stores and organic supermarkets. Processed organic food usually contain only (or at least explicitly specified ) organic ingredients and no artificial food additives such as coloring and preservatives, flavor enhancers, artificial flavors or preservatives. In addition, the end products must not have been processed by artificial methods, materials, or processes such as artificial maturations or food irradiation.
Studies
Health
In a study of the Senate of the Federal Research Institutes slight differences in the nutrient content of organically and conventionally grown vegetables were found, however, prevent conflicting results unambiguous conclusions. According to the Report for the detection of the health value of vegetables cultivation methods are further studies on the functional differences - such as antioxidant and potential antimutagenes - necessary.
Pesticide residues
A study by Greenpeace in 2005, when a total of 658 samples were tested by eight typical seasonal fresh foods from conventional cultivation, showed partially significant pesticide contamination of the three fruit and five vegetable species from several major supermarket chains in Germany, Austria ( Billa ) and Switzerland (Migros ), warns of health risk from eating and recommends organic fruits and vegetables.
A summary paper from the year 2006 indicate that, approximately three to five times as likely to pesticide residues found in conventional food as organic food. Comparing the samples in which pesticide residues were found, the load was generally lower in organic foods. However, residues were too low even with conventionally produced food, to represent a health hazard. In addition, chemically there is no difference between a synthetic and the same naturally occurring (ie, synthesized by the plant ) pesticide. An analysis of 52 natural pesticides revealed that 27 of them may be carcinogenic, and are found in many common foods. For example, about a cup of coffee contains the dose of carcinogens, which are typically taken in the form of residues of synthetic pesticides in conventionally produced food in the course of a year.
Nutrient content
The American nutritionist Virginia Worthington came in a review of 41 published scientific studies that compared the nutritional value of organically and conventionally grown vegetables, fruit and cereals to the conclusion that organic foods contain more nutrients significantly different groups. Average Biorohware contained 27% more vitamin C, 21.1% more iron, 29.3% more magnesium and 13.6 % more phosphorus. In addition, the organic products contained 15.1% less nitrates than conventional comparison group. An influence on health was not thereby proved.
A number of other studies also compared the nutrient content, partly a significantly higher nutrient content was found, especially in organic acids and polyphenol compounds, in part, there were no significant differences. There are also harmful plant compounds, some come here with organic food, others in conventional foods more frequently.
A review of the University of London to all scientific studies from the last 50 years came to the conclusion that there are no significant health-related differences in nutrient content between organically and conventionally produced foods. A document published in September 2012 Review of scientists from Stanford University came to the conclusion that the research so far failed to provide evidence of a significantly higher nutrient content of organically produced foods.
Metabolite profile
In a study published in 2006 comparative study of the Federal Research Centre for Nutrition and Food in Detmold ( BfEL ) the metabolite profiles of conventionally and organically produced wheat were investigated. In both samples, the relative amounts of 52 metabolites ( including amino acids, organic acids, sugar alcohols, sugar phosphates and nucleotides) were determined. The result showed 44 of the metabolites studied, no significant differences between wheat from conventional and organically produced. The authors concluded that the method of cultivation had no or only a very small influence on the metabolite profile of wheat.