Organic Food

Organic products are now sold in conventional supermarkets with high marketing efforts.

Health and environmental advantages of organic food [1]
Organic food has fewer pesticides associated with human disease. Organic farming causes a reduced environmental impact compared to conventional farming. There are, however, no convincing facts which support higher nutritional and health benefits, or disease protection from organic diet compared to conventional diet.

A review of 223 studies  of nutrient and contaminant levels of organic and conventional foods. Smith-Sprangler et al. 2012 found no difference in nutritional value or bacterial contamination between both classes of foods. [1]

The kingdom of Bhutan had adopted years ago Gross National Happiness  instead of  gross domestic product (GDP) to measure the progress of the nation. At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012, His Excellency Jigmi Y. Thinley, Prime Minnister of the Kingdom of Bhutan announced Bhutan's commitment to organic agriculture to include the environmental, spiritual and mental well-being in their calculations. [1]

 Hen farms in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and other parts of Germany had been closed in April 2012 by German food authorities because of elevated  PCBs and Dioxin contamination. Non-dioxin-like PCBs contamination in eggs of a organic farm at the district of Oldenburg/Germany were recently found in May. Some ot these eggs were sold at different places and were already consumed. [1]

The dioxin scandal in European eggs in early 2011 is being followed by new dioxin-like PCB tainted eggs found in Germany. The source of the 2011 poison was tracked back to fatty acids  of the production of bioDiesel which were illegally added to the feed of hens. However, no source is known which might have caused the 2012 PCBs which poisoned organic eggs of North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany and conventional free range farms in Lower Saxony/Germany. PCBs levels in eggs were found to be six times the permitted limit.

The EU- Directive 1999/74 defines and specifies the standards for the protection of laying hens, defining the barn egg, the free range egg and the organic egg. [1]

Shortly before the eastern feast, in early April 2012, news were spread that organic eggs are tainted by dioxin-like PCB. The chicken farm in North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany with 25.000 laying hens was closed by veterinary authorities. The dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenylen (PCB) content was found to be three to six times of the permitted levels. [1]

A study of Pan et al. 2012 supports the long ongoing hypothesis that red meat consumption increases the risk of total, CVD, and cancer mortality. The data of more than 120.000 observations and dietary habits of 2 prospective cohort studies over the course of 20-30 years demonstrate that people eating daily red meats, such as hot dogs, sausages and other processed  red meats, had a 20% increase in mortality rate. [1]

According to “La Republica” four out of five bottles of extra-virgin Italian olive oil are cheap, less aromatic olive oil from Greece, Spain, Morocco and Tunisia. Italian companies import these oils for less then 25 cents, mix them with a small amount of Italian oil and sell it  for up to 4,00 euros per kilo to supermarket chains abroad, to tourists and to wholesale trade. [1]

Seven executives of the Italian food companies Sunny Land, Sona and Bioecoitalia and  the director of a certifying body from the Marche farming region of central Italy faked the origin of food, labelled as “organic” over years. It is assumed that 700.000 tons (valued 220 million Euros) of faked foods were sold all over Europe. Only 2.500 tons could be arrested. [1]