On a couple of other threads, we've had a couple of people getting on extolling the benefits of eating organic foods. While I believe in eating healthy, and I believe in eating naturally, I am increasingly becoming of the opinion that eating organic is bad for the planet, and that, ironically, organic food eaters who claim to "think globally" are, in fact, bigger contributors to world hunger than fatso Americans who chow down on large pizzas.

See, "organic" farming is basically one of the biggest rackets ever invented. Basically, the idea is that you can't use any "unnatural" chemicals or pesticides in the foods, and there cannot even be pesticide residue in the ground. Because of thie, the organic certification process is one that takes many years to attain; years during which the price benefits of organic labelling cannot be realized, but the pesticides and chemicals cannot be used. When all is said and done, the farmer gets the "organic" label and can put that stamp on it. But not until (they really should do a "schoolhouse rock" on this!)

What organic food fans are missing is that these chemicals are often processed out of the very things they use to control pests and increase their yields. They're just in a concentrated form. Veggie steroids, if you will.

Organic food necessarily has a lower yield per acre. Because the farmer can't use chemical fertilizers or pesticides, much of the crop can be lost to pests or to lower productivity. This is one of the reasons organic food is so much more expensive than commercially grown agriculture.

As the demand for organic food increases, more acreage is set aside for organic gardening, which is priced well out of the reach of the average consumer. $2 for ten pounds of potatoes is quite enough, thank you; I don't need to pay 5 bucks for the organic variety. So the organic food basically will only be sold to a niche market, and never to the hungry or needy on the planet.

This planet has a finite amount of arable land. The more that is set aside for organic gardening, the less land can be used to provide food for Third World countries, or even America's hungry. This increases food prices for all of us, leaving the have nots with just a little more to not have. Ironically, many organic food eaters chide meat eaters for using up resources to raise the meat they eat that could be better used lower on the food chain.

You want high quality, fresh produce? Take a spade and turn over a few feet of your backyard. Or, if you live in an apartment, look into square foot gardening. But when you insist on buying only organics, you are taking away resources needed by the poor. And hurting the planet in the process.