[Eco] Organic milk and meat worse for the environment?

[Jonathan G.]

If there are problems with GM food, then that's a different issue.  It seems 
like people that are into organics are against GM foods as a concept, even 
though they make food better and more affordable.  It's also true that 
organics can benefit from economies of scale, and that's more than welcome. 
But they will never be able to be as cheap as conventionally grown products. 
It take more land and more resources to make organics.

And keep in mind that when I say "the poor," I don't mean just the American 
poor.  I'm generally referring to poor people all over the world who are 
much worse off than the American poor.  People in impoverished countries and 
such.  (Though even if I were talking about the poor in industrialized 
countries, would you really want to put another barrier in front of them to 
eating vegetables?)

J/


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <becca at earthlingshandbook.org>
To: "Eco Foundation Discussion List" <eco at lists.looneylabs.com>
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 12:49 PM
Subject: Re: [Eco] Organic milk and meat worse for the environment?


Jonathan wrote:
> My biggest problem with the organic "movement" is the opposition to
> genetically modified foods.  I figure cheaper, longer-lasting,
> pest-resistant foods would be something that everyone would agree with,
> but I guess not.

The problem is that the genetic tinkering often results in plants that are
dependent on specific patented chemicals, that cross-breed with normal
plants causing problems, or that have unintended health consequences.
I've read several articles on the subject in environmental magazines,
_Mother Jones_, and _Science_, but I don't have any links handy right now.

>I have no problem with organic products as a premium option to
> consumers, but it seems like a lot of folks want organic produce to
> replace
> conventionally grown products.  Something like that will only hurt the
> poor,
> since they'll be unable to afford as many vegetables.

Ever heard of supply and demand?  As more organic food is grown, the price
is dropping.

Many vegetables are very affordable now, yet many poor people don't buy
them.  A pound of baby carrots (4 or more snacks) costs the same amount as
1/8 pound of potato chips (1 snack), but most people, especially poor
people, are more likely to eat the chips.  That's because money is not the
only factor.  There's also marketing, availability (many poor
neighborhoods have no real grocery store, only mini-marts that carry a
very limited selection of fresh foods at triple the price), learned
tastes, and habits.
---'Becca
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