REGULAR FARE OR FOOD ORGANICALLY GROWN

It is easy to say that no disadvantage comes from eating the usual, generally accepted food rather than organically pure produce. Such dubious assertions have caused a stir for some time now. To crown it all, in May 1976 the “Gesundheitspolitische Umschau” (Health Policy Review) published an article entitled “Organically Grown Food: No Better than Regular Fare.” This article created much excitement and protest in certain circles. If we look at the matter from the opposing side, we can understand that they do not want to stand idly by, while more and more people start showing a preference for organically grown fruit and vegetables. Their interest was not the result of advertising but came from a conclusion of their own experience. An acquaintance asked me why my unsprayed cherries did not cause her any trouble, whereas she suffers fermentations, gases and stomach ache every time she eats cherries bought at the greengrocer’s, having of course no guarantee that they had not been sprayed. When Professor Buser’s boarding school for girls was still in operation in Tauten, I was called in one day to examine a strailge occurrence. After eating some cherries, all the girls, with only one exception, came down with diarrhea and vomiting. On examining the evidence, it was found that tliis one girl had not eaten any of the fruit. It was clear then that the trouble came from the- cherries. Besides, those that was left showed evidence of milky white spots from the spray. In. dozens of cases I have been able to identify disorders and mild poisoning caused by sprayed fruit and salad vegetables.

Carrots and berries, above all strawberries, if organically grown, are sweeter and have a stronger aroma. This important difference in quality over that the assistance giving aroma and flavor are coupled with active ingredients. From experience it can be shown quite easily that organically grown fruit keeps better and longer than that grown with chemical fertilizers. Anyone can examine this for himself. E[he above-mentioned article admitted that organically grown produce was free from insecticide and fungicide residues, which was riot the case with produce not grown this way, for it ‘contained residue of Linda, a chlorinated hydrocarbon similar to IJDT. Fond. This we can see at once that the controversial subject was treated and judged un Objectively.