Dear friends of good food,

There is a change taking place in Irish society. Not too many years ago all food was good. However, some developments in food production have alerted people, especially young mothers, to have a closer look at what they eat.

Modern food production, be it at farm level or processing level, has made food cheaper, no doubt. But are we still talking about the same food? In many cases we don’t. For the first time in human history there are health risks attached to food. We don’t see them directly, but as time goes on they add up to become real health problems.

Some people will say there is nothing one can do about it. Others make a conscious change in their life. These people don’t want to rely on the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry or the doctor for their health. They take charge of their own well-being.

One doesn’t have to be a scientist to have all the right answers. Building up a certain amount of knowledge about food and our exposure to harmful substances plus a good portion of common sense is all that is needed.

Now and again we put information, which we consider important, on our web site  to accompany you on your way.

Good Herdsmen Ltd
Clogheen Road
Cahir
Co. Tipperary
Ireland

Phone: 00353 - 52 - 7445500

Fax: 00353 - 52 - 7445486

e-mail: goodherdsmen@eircom.net

14 reasons to eat organic

You read it every day: “pesticides in strawberries”, “antibiotics in chicken” and so on, and so on. Here are 14 reasons why you should change to organic food.

More vitamins and minerals
Organic fruit and vegetables contain much more vitamins and minerals than non-organic. This has been established by researchers at the Vienna Institute Ludwig Boltzmann. They analysed 175 studies worldwide and the result was that important minerals for the body’s biochemical balance have over the past 60 years declined by between 25% and 75%. Keep this in mind when you think organic food is expensive.

A better taste
Because of the lower water content in organic fruit and vegetables aromatic substances are present at a higher concentration level.

Hardly additives in organic food
Only 10% of commonly used additives are permitted in organic food. Preservatives and colorants (remember Sudan red) are not used in organic food which reduces the risk of allergies substantially.

More secondary nutrients
Secondary nutrients are important for our health as many of them affect our immune system. Organic grapes for instance contained ca. 26% more resveratol, which protects against cancer, antioxygenes which fight cancer are significantly higher in organic milk and organic beef just to name a few. The reason: As  plants are not sprayed with pesticides they have to develop their own immune system and by eating organic food you incorporate these forces into your own immune system.

No animal mass production
Most important in organic standards are issues of animal welfare such as, access to outdoors, space at housing, natural organic food, no preventative medication. These are all areas where organic farming differs from conventional farming to the benefit of the health of the animals.

Eating meat from sick animals could hardly give you vitality. Chicken is probably the worst example where they have just 41 days from hatching to slaughter. This enormous pressure can only be survived with heavy doses of medication, even which include anti depressants in cases.

Lower nitrate levels
Organic vegetables store significantly lower levels of nitrate than non-organic plants. The reason: Synthetic fertilizers are not permitted in organic farming. The danger of taking in nitrates, which our bodies turn into carcinogenic nitrosamines, through organic food is hardly prevalent.

No GM Technology
The introduction of GM technology is strictly prohibited in organic farming. Actually organic farmers belong to the strongest critics of this technology as it goes to the very substance of our coexistence with nature. The GM industry has so far failed to convince the public that this technology is for the benefit of farmers and consumers worldwide. Instead it concentrates food production in less and less very powerful  hands and right now the first research results come out showing that this technology triggers chain reactions which cannot be controlled.

No radioactive irradiation
Irradiation, a technology widely used in non-organic food production, is strictly prohibited in organic food production. Feeding trials with irradiated feed have shown negative side effects, e.g. the build up of tumours, damage of the immune system, malnutrition and growth irregularities.

Untreated grain
The bread chain can contain up to 100 different pesticides and chemicals, starting from dressing the seed, spraying during growth, harvest and storage pesticides and additives from milling and baking. Many pesticides persist in the bran which also contains the most valuable parts of the grain. If you like whole grain products you should change to organic.

No pesticides
Every year consumer associations across Europe are warning their members about high levels of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables. EU experts are saying now that a risk to our health cannot be excluded anymore. Even prohibiting certain pesticides doesn’t work as farmers now can buy anything they want through the internet. Our authorities are not capable of protecting the consumer from the health risk from pesticides.

Stringent controls
The organic food sector is the most highly controlled food sector worldwide. Every stage of the food chain is inspected and controlled. Long before the word traceability entered the food world it was already practised by the organic sector. At a time when food technology can do nearly anything with food it is most important  that consumers can rely on a well working food chain control based on proper standards.

Protecting our environment
 Organic farming co-exists with nature,and doesn’t dominate nature. Our environment is a limited resource and if we want our children to enjoy life on our globe it is important to engage in sustainable farming practices. Organic farming is no burden on our environment and creates no clean-up costs, e.g. cleaning our drinking water from leeched nitrates and phosphorus from chemical fertilizers.

Better storage quality
Organic fruit and vegetables have a better storage quality. Trials in Austria have shown that organic potatoes had 50% less losses at storage than non-organic. The reason is a higher dry matter content in organic potatoes. This is why organic potatoes  are particularly resistant against microbial decay. However, potatoes are only one example, the principle applies to all organic fruit and vegetables.

Good for babies
Organic food makes breast milk healthier. Tests have shown that breast milk from mothers who eat organic had a significantly higher level of Omega 3 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fats. These are particularly important for the development of the brain of the child. On top of this the pesticide residue level in breast milk from organically eating mothers was much lower than their counterparts.

Paediatrics meanwhile question the safety levels of pesticide residues in food, published by the EU as these don’t differentiate between adults and babies.

The study was conducted on four groups of Limousine lambs under two feed regimes: two groups of lambs fed on grass, one group organically fed and the second conventionally fed; and two groups of lambs fed on hay or animal feed concentrate, one group organically fed and the second conventionally fed; both feed regime groups revealed varied results.

In terms of organoleptic qualities no significant differences were detected between the organic or conventionally fed animals within the feed/hay regime group. However, a higher fat level and stronger odour was detected from the lamb-chops of the organic grass-fed animals.

An interesting result of the study was the superior nutritional properties of lambs fed on organic hay or feed concentrate relative to conventionally reared lambs. These results included a reduced level of saturated fatty acids (6.1%) and an increase (32.2%) in the level of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), purported to be beneficial to human health and typically found in significantly higher levels in grass-fed animals.

The organic sector in France recorded a growth of 15% in sales in 2007 to reach €2 billion. The French government has set ambitious targets for the organic sector, namely; 6% of agricultural land to be devoted to organic farming by 2010 and rising to 20% by 2020. Currently, 2% of farmland is under organic cultivation.

Currently more than 25% of organic products sold in France are imported, and this deficit is expected to continue, leaving gaps in the market for Irish organic producers.