The Rise (and Possible Fall)of Organic

Betty Liu

∷潘鑫 注

Over the years, organically grown food has seen a marked increase in popularity. This is likely because Americans have recently been putting a greater emphasis on eating well and exercising. Organic food has been marketed as healthier because producers claim that they are grown without chemical and pesticides1. pesticide: 农药，杀虫剂。. Once considered to be a luxury item only available in health food stores, organic food has become a staple in the diets of many Americans.2. luxury: 奢侈的，豪华的；staple: 主食。To keep up with the growing demand, many supermarkets and grocery stores have been stocking3. stock: 存货，储备。organic food.

“Food purists,” a group of people who advocate organic and non-processed food, have a slew of reasons to advocate organic food.4. purist: 纯粹主义者；a slew of: 大量，许多。Conventionally grown produce is treated with many synthetic chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizers.5. conventionally: 按惯例地，按常规地； synthetic: 合成的，人造的；fertilizer:化肥，肥料。Toxic residue from these chemicals may still be present in the vegetables we eat. As for livestock, conventional farmed animals are treated with an excess of growth hormones and antibiotics which are associated with serious health risks.6. livestock: 牲畜，家畜；hormone: 激素，荷尔蒙；antibiotic: 抗生素，抗菌素。Organic food provides an alternative. Organic produce is grown and processed without any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and organic livestock must be raised without hormones and antibiotics. Furthermore, organic food is produced with sustainability7. sustainability：持续性。in mind. Typically, people associate organic food with small-scale farmers who focus on using renewable resources and reducing pollution.

The rise in organic food is also related to the health and wellness movement.As heart disease and obesity rise in American society, people are doing much more to combat this.8. obesity: 肥胖；combat:战斗，对抗。Healthy initiatives are encouraging eating healthy foods and for most people, “healthy” is connotatively linked to “organic.”9. initiative: 举措，倡议；connotatively: 隐含地，含蓄地。Besides produce, meats, and dairy, there is an increasing number of “organic”options for processed food. While processed organic food seems kind of counterintuitive10. counterintuitive: 反直觉的，反直观的。, there is a large market for these foods. This has led to a number of food trends such as veggie muf fins, breakfast bars, and other kinds of “organic” junk food.11. veggie: 蔬菜；muffin: 松饼。As for FDA regulations, processed foods only have to be 95 percent organic materials to be labeled as such.12. FDA: Food and Drug Administration，美国食品及药物管理局；label: 贴标签。

Critics have pointed out that organic food is not necessarily healthier than conventionally grown food. Or at least that the difference is not as great as the public perceives13. perceive: 感觉，理解。. Many people believe that organic food has increased nutritional bene fits as well, such as an increased amount of vitamins, however studies have shown that there is virtually no difference between organic food and conventional food. But the studies are inconclusive14. inconclusive: 不确定的，无定论的。; for every study advocating the bene fits, there is another one out there voicing the opposite opinion. With the cost of organic food being so high, sometimes costing twice much as conventionally produced food, some people are beginning to rethink going organic.

With all of the different information out there, perhaps it is best to take it with a grain of salt.15. a grain of salt: 有保留，持保留态度。The food purists present a good point: eating less processed foods and going organic can have health bene fits. At the very least,they have less harmful chemicals present in them. However, a label stating“organic” does not inherently16. inherently: 内在地，固有地。mean healthy. Also, the high cost of organic food often outweighs any bene fits it has. Perhaps the key is moderation17. moderation: 节制，适度。.Many families choose to only buy organic versions of food heavily contaminated18. contaminated: 受污染的，弄脏的。with pesticides residue. This option can be bene ficial to health without so much of the financial burden.

人们对饮食要求的提高加重了有机食品在市场上的分量，同时也减少了传统食品的份额。有机食品似乎有着很明显的优势：“无害虫”、“无农药”等等，但其中也不乏“是否真的比传统食品更健康”、“价格偏高”等质疑之声。看来，在尘埃落定之前，有机食品与传统食品的这场遭遇战，必定是要经历一番起落沉浮了。