Originally published October 19 2005
Demand for organic foods growing in the U.S.
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Growing by 20 percent from 2002 to 2003, the organic food industry represents 1.9 percent of total food sales in the United States.
Dairy farmer Bill Straathof says demand for his organically produced milk has been healthy, in more ways than one.
Straathof bought his farm near Hersey, 75 miles north of Grand Rapids in Osceola County, in 1978.
His interest in organic farming began in 1996, when he learned that organic milk was getting a higher price than that produced with conventional methods.
"The higher price is great, but as an end result I like to look at it as a healthier product," Straathof said.
Under U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering or ionizing radiation.
Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.
"You have to keep track of everything you put into the ground, the rotation and everything you feed the cows.
You also have to document what you harvest off the land.
The U.S. organic food industry grew by 20 percent from 2002 to 2003, although it still represented just 1.9 percent of total food sales.
The industry, however, should continue expanding, said Susan Smalley, extension specialist in sustainable food and farming at the Michigan State University Extension office in East Lansing.
"I think that some consumers will never be interested in organic, but at the same time, I think there will continue to be growing interest among a fairly large segment of consumers to know more about their food - how it was grown, where it was grown, who grew it, where the profits are going," she said.
"We are in the very beginning of research and so far there are some studies that say there could be health benefits for eating organic," Smalley said.
"But it may or may not pan out."
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