Seven Organic Predictions for 2010

Did you know that only 1% of all pesticides causes nearly all pesticide-related risks to early childhood development from dietary exposure?

Just one percent is enough to bring on autism, ADHD, birth defects and allergies with the number of children to be impacted by these health disorders on the increase, according to the Organic Center (www.organic-center.org), which released its projections on March 16.

That one percent was #1 of the center’s “Food Safety, Agriculture and Nutrition: 7 Predictions for 2010 and Beyond.” Unless there is concerted action to address the root causes of systemic problems in how food is grown and processed — and in the American diet itself — the predictions will likely become or remain reality, in the not-for-profit organization’s view.

It proposes government imposed ban on high-exposure uses of these pesticides. Also, limit access to heavily sweetened foods and beverages in schools. And most important for a healthier future, promote affordable access to organic fruits and vegetables, which are generally free of toxic pesticide residues. Consuming organic produce would balance caloric intakes with an individual’s energy needs and largely eliminate exposures to pesticides known to predispose people to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome.

The center examines how agriculture and food policy roadblocks could continue to adversely affect our health, agriculture and environmental conservation. Its declared mission is to “advance scientific research on the health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming, and to communicate those benefits to the public.”

The other six predictions and recommendations are:

• An increase in the number of Americans who are obese, diabetic, or both. According to the center, government agencies and programs either directly control or shape one or more of the daily meals consumed by 25% of Americans.

U.S., farm program spending must shift away from subsidizing high-fat foods to supporting healthier fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and dairy products to halt the diabetic and obesity epidemics.

• A decrease in the efficacy of life-saving antibiotics. Several strains of bacteria are now essentially untreatable in humans. Unless major changes are implemented in how antibiotics are used on farms, more resistant strains will follow.

If a bill introduced in 2009 that would ban the subtherapeutic agricultural uses of human antibiotics is passed in Congress it would keep such antibiotics effective. Until then organically raised animal products are the only way to stop the evolution of newly resistant bacteria on farms and ranches.

• An increase in inflammatory diseases, especially in the elderly. Nutrient-dense foods assist the elderly (whose bodies produce fewer antioxidants) in fighting inflammation related diseases and promote brain health. Antioxidant levels are highest in richly colored fresh fruits and vegetables. Organic farming increases average antioxidant concentrations by 25%.

• Increased spread of “super weeds.” Genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops have increased herbicide use by over 380 million pounds since 1996, with 46% of the total increase in 2007 and 2008. The dramatic increases in herbicide use, resulting in the spread of ‘super weeds’ throughout the 160 million acres of U.S. GE corn, soybeans, and cotton grown annually, must be reversed. If voluntary resistance management isn’t put into practice by the industry in 2010, the center recommends the EPA should impose binding rules in time for the 2011 crop season.

• Continued rapid decline of the honey bees. Five seed treatment insecticides are known to undermine bee immune systems and the ability of bees to find their way back to the hive. In Italy there were virtually no bee losses after the insecticides were banned during the 2009 crop season. The U.S. should follow suit.

• Global warming. Farm and conservation program payments should be redirected toward proven ways to sequester carbon in soil organic matter. This will reduce America’s contribution to global warming while enhancing agricultural productivity, lowering farm production costs and helping to shrink ‘Dead Zones’ in coastal areas. Significant and diverse benefits would be obtained at modest cost.

“The American food system faces profound challenges that will grow worse if the nation fails to astutely and honestly identify the core problems eroding our health and the health of American agriculture,” says the center’s chief scientist, Dr. Charles Benbrook.  “We need new technologies and systems that prevent problems and sustain high levels of soil productivity.  Organic farming is a good example of just such an advanced, systems-based technology.”