Slowly but surely, organic food is gaining territory. The organic market started evolving in the 1960s in tandem with a growing environmental awareness. Despite the fact that organics today represent merely 2 percent of the food industry worldwide, we can say the organic industry is booming. In the US and most of Europe, organic food is widely available. Some three-quarters of grocery stores in the US sell some organic vegetables and fruits as well as dairy, eggs and meat. The number of restaurants putting organic items on their menu is increasing. In Saudi Arabia, organic agriculture is also gaining popularity — albeit more slowly than in the West — as it helps in saving water in one of the driest countries in the world. Some supermarkets in the Kingdom have started an organic section with mostly imported food; certain restaurants claim to be using only organic products.
Advocators of organic food may make you feel guilty if you still buy conventional products. Do you not care about your health, they wonder. Or, if you don’t, what about the health of your kids, the planet and the welfare of animals? They claim that organic food not only saves the environment, but is also more nutritious and tastes better. But are these claims true? And is organic worth the extra cost? Prices of organic products are typically 50 to 100 percent higher than those of conventional food. Is the industry trying to fool us, or are these high prices justified?
First of all, the term “organic” should not be confused with “natural” food. The latter is an unregulated term, whereas specific requirements must be met to label products as organic. Organic crops must be grown in safe soil and have no modifications. No synthetic pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and petroleum-based or sewage sludge-based fertilizers can be used. Organic livestock must be given organic feed and access to the outdoors. They may not be given antibiotics to prevent illness, growth hormones, or animal byproducts.
This sounds all very well, but is organic food really more salubrious than conventionally grown food? According to Dr. Rowaidah Idriss, a Saudi specialist in healthy nutrition, the health benefits of organic food are more perceived than real. “There is little scientific evidence to prove that organic food is better in quality than traditional food,” she says. This coincides with a 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which found no difference between organic and conventional produce with regard to all but three of the vitamins and other food components studied. The former did contain more antioxidants and phenolic acids, which fight free radicals in the body that can lead to cancer and other diseases. However, not much research has been done on the issue, and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand that your body is not very content with the pesticide residues it receives through your food. Some pesticides have been linked to respiratory problems, neurological diseases, cancer and reproductive problems, not to mention the affects of pesticide on farm workers and people living near conventional farms. Washing fruits and vegetables helps remove traces of chemicals, but not all pesticide residues can be rinsed off. Peeling helps as well, but often leads to the loss of fiber and nutrients. The problem is even more serious as concerns conventional meat and dairy. It is unclear what the effects of antibiotics and growth hormones given to livestock on humans are, but they have been linked to various disorders, including early puberty in girls and an increased risk to cancer.
However, the main benefit of organic food seems to be its impact on the environment and its care for animal well-being. Conventional farms use pesticides to control weed and synthetic or chemical fertilizers for their crops that contaminate the soil and waterways and destroy habitat. Only a small percentage of pesticides applied to crops actually reach the pests they target; the rest of these chemicals enter the environment. Organic farmers, on the other hand, rely on biological diversity in the field to naturally reduce habitat for pest organisms and keep the soil fertile.
In Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Agriculture has come to realize the importance of organic farming with regard to health aspects and the environment. The year 2007 saw the establishment of the Saudi Organic Farming Association (SOFA), a nongovernmental, independent body under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. Among other things, SOFA created an organic product logo a couple of months ago to enable customers to identify organic products. “Although at the moment, less than 0.5 percent of agricultural land in Saudi Arabia is farmed according to organic methods, things are changing,” agrees Idriss, pointing out that government support already prompted more than 60 farmers to switch to organic farming methods in recent years, and more will follow in the years to come.
Availability of organic products, nevertheless, remains a problem in the Kingdom. “In Riyadh and other large cities, it is possible to order boxes of organic fruit and vegetables that are clearly labeled as such,” says Idriss, “but most organic products found in supermarkets are imported from the US and Europe.” This leads to the issue of “food miles,” the distance food travels from its production to where it is ultimately purchased. “When organic food travels a long distance to the market, it creates pollution that sometimes outweighs the positive environmental effects of organic farming,” explains Idriss. Alternatively, food grown locally is fresh and seasonal. “Buying local food also allows you to help your community’s economy,” she adds.
But calculating the “carbon footprint” of the food you buy involves more than the distance it traveled. Tomatoes grown in the desert need a lot of irrigation, whereas ones imported from countries with more precipitation might not need any, making them more environmental friendly. Buying vegetables and fruits out of season often also increases the carbon footprints these products carry, as they either have to be airfreighted to the country or stored in big freezers.
Whether it is your health or the environment that concerns you, the choice between organic or conventional products is not an easy one. Buying local organic products, if possible, could be the most sustainable option. In any case, the Ministry of Agriculture, with the help of the Saudi Organic Farming Association, is determined to promote and invest in organic food. It wants the organic farming sector to account for 5 percent of its agricultural industry by 2017. With the population becoming more concerned about their health and having more money to spend on food, as well as worries about water scarcity growing, at least the demand is there.
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