Organic food: What does it mean?

What is meant by organic food and organic agriculture? By organic food we mean all those products that come from organic farming. So what is meant by organic farming? A production system that respects human health and the environment in all its different stages, excluding the use of any synthetic chemical product and any genetically modified organism, in order to preserve and improve the characteristics of the soil and respect the life forms and biodiversity.

In organic agriculture, recycling and recovery are the watchwords and the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and synthetic insecticides is banned, replacing them with natural fertilizers such as: manure or organic compost (derived from the decomposition of food). Therefore we can say organic those foods that are defined as such because they derive from these natural methods.

Organic farming and biodynamic farming: What are the differences?

Organic farming method

The organic farming method differs from the biodynamic method based on the cultivation techniques. The organic products are the result of a careful and important commitment to the environment, of his respect, through an agriculture that will not only differentiate but also which carries the idea of the importance of natural resources.

Ancient techniques such as “green manure” (burying plants that enrich the soil after harvesting) or using medicinal plant extracts as plant insecticides are typical of organic agriculture. For example, plants such as Equisetum Arvense, Urtica dioica, Valerian and many others can be used which properly macerated and sprayed on crops and thus avoid infestation.

Also the use of pollinating insects, which carry pollen from one flower to another allowing pollination to favor the development of the fruit. Substances of mineral, animal and vegetable origin thus give rise to the “integrated struggle” to combat infections and diseases of cultivated plants.

Even the breeding of animals with an organic method to obtain high quality meats consists in excluding the use of antibiotics and hormones and plans to feed the animals with non-chemically treated feed.

In the food industry, the use of dyes, preservatives, synthetic additives and preservation procedures is banned for the preparation of organic prepackaged foods. Therefore, the final product must comply with the organic certification standards.

Biodynamic faming method

Biodynamic farming embraces many principles of the biological one, such as the ban on the use of fertilizers and pesticides of chemical origin, but differs in the use of special herbal and mineral preparations, sprayed on the plants, and because it follows the lunar cycles both for sowing and for work in the fields.

Rudolf Steiner, philosopher and creator of Waldorf’s educational method, created the principles of biodynamic agricultural method. Biodynamics encompasses a lifestyle that involves not only the land but also the farm and its vital systems based on harmonic activities such as: moon phases, recovery of food disposed of, self-production of fertilizers and use of rotation in cultivation. A harmonious whole that binds man to his land and sky, creating an ideal environment.

What are the advantages in daily use of organic food?

The use of organic crops allows plants to develop their natural immune defenses thus making fruits and vegetables richer and more substantial. Many times eating organic is considered a fashion, a passing lifestyle, but it is not so. A power organic involves fact many benefits for our body, strengthens the immune system, reduces the risk of heart disease, promotes weight loss and improves sleep habits.

The habitual use of “organic” foods allows a better quality of the blood (thanks to the antioxidants contained) and a lower quantity of toxins to be disposed of. Feeding biologically especially in the growing child means having a better blood quality and less pollution from toxic substances.

Who controls compliance with the rules of organic farming and breeding?

There are companies that have developed activities such as control and certification orders that serve to guarantee the final consumer that what he buys and pays corresponds exactly to the product to which the Organic and Biodynamic certification is issued.