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 Food is defined in the dictionary as ‘any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink…in order to maintain life and growth’. Food is necessary for life. Without it we would quickly become malnourished. As people begin to understand more about the food manufacturing process, there is increasing concern about the farming, processing, and packaging of food. There are three ways that food is grown and manufactured: genetically modified (GM) foods, natural foods and organic foods. These growth processes have varying degrees of quality control and regulation. GM foods often attract controversy for their ‘synthetic’ alterations. At the same time, it is unclear what differentiates natural and organic foods.
Natural food does not equal organic food. The major difference between the two is that, unlike natural food, the cultivation of organic produce is strictly regulated (i.e. no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides). The ‘organic’ label also carries serious legal implications which cannot be ignored for the sake of making a product seem healthier. On the other hand, natural food is produced with an ‘organic’ inclination, but lacks regulation. The labelling of food as ‘natural’ carries no legal weight. Natural foods are considered better than GM foods, but could contain artificial elements as well. The main point in support of organic food is that, as it is entirely unprocessed, it should be better for you. As the production of organic food is also highly regulated, it could be considered safer for human consumption and better for the environment. This is an argument that will undoubtedly persist for many years to come.
There are some arguable upsides to organic food: they are better for the environment, less likely to harm your health, and could even be good for you. However, organic food is not protected against contamination from microorganisms in the same way as conventionally produced food. This means that organic food could have a higher risk of containing harmful bacteria. However, the jury is still out on this. As long as regular agricultural practices are followed, there should be a risk no greater than that of conventional food. In Hong Kong, organic food is easily identified by its ‘organic’ or ‘VMO’ labelling, issued by two local certification authorities respectively. If there is no label, you may ask the vendor for clarification. Organic or not organic? You decide.
To reduce the risk of containing harmful bacteria in organic food and natural food, Chemlab (HK) can provide microbiological analysis and chemical analysis on those items.
Microbiological Tests:
1. Aerobic Plate Count
2. Escherichia coli Count
3. Coliform Count
4. Yeast and Mold Count
5. Bacillus cereus Count
6. Staphylococcus aureus Count
7. Detection of Clostridum perfringens
8. Detection of Salmonella spp.
9. Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7
10. Detection of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp.
11. Detection of Listeria Monocytogenes
Chemical Testings
1. Pesticide
2. Insecticides
3. Herbicides residues
4. Heavy Metals
5. Food additives
6. Nitrates
7. Preservatives
8. Mycotoxins
9. Colouring
References:
1. http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-food/difference-between-organic-and-natural-food.html
2. http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-difference-between-natural-foods-and-organic-foods.html#b
3. http://www.stonyfield.com/blog/natural-and-organic/
4. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880
5. http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/06p0094/06p-0094-cp00001-05-Tab-04-Food-Marketing-Institute-vol1.pdf
6. http://www.helpguide.org/life/organic_foods_pesticides_gmo.htm
7. http://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/hottopics/should_i_choose_organic_foods.html
8. http://www.nutrition.org/asn-blog/2013/02/interpreting-food-labels-natural-versus-organic/
9. http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf_39_02.html
10. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/08/organic-foods-the-safety-question/#.U0U2q_mSy6M
11. http://www.livescience.com/22893-organic-foods-conventional-nutrition-bacteria.html
12. http://www.organicagcentre.ca/consumers/health.asp
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