Healthy Options' Romy Sia advocates organic farming.

Organic eggs from free-range chickens

So, you have committed to healthy eating. You consume more fruits and vegetables, coupled with whole grain products. You opt for more lean meat and less fat. But eating healthy goes beyond consuming go, grow and glow food.

There is the question of how much nutrition one actually takes in, how the food is handled from the farm to the dinner table, and how clean and safe the food one is consuming. How food is grown or raised has a big impact on one’s health, and the environment, too.

This comprehension leads to the introduction of the latest healthy trend. In recent years, more and more people are hitch-hiking on the organic food bandwagon.

But what exactly is organic food? What is the difference between organic food and conventionally grown produce? Is “organic” really the best?

DEFINING ORGANIC 

The word organic refers to the farming system that has been used to grow and process agricultural produce. It is considered the most natural system that has been practiced for thousands of years.

Organic agriculture follows the basic principle that growing plants in healthy balanced soil produces healthy food products. It emphasizes the farm and livestock operations that promote healthy ecosystem, as well as encourages rich biodiversity and flourishing soil biological life. Its mode of production utilizes mechanical, biological and cultural methods as opposed to synthetic and commercial ones.

It relies on crop rotation, taking into account that regional topographical conditions require locally-adapted systems, green manure and compost for fertilizers, and biological pest control, using biological diversity to reduce habitat for harmful parasites and pest organisms.

But the task doesn’t end at the farm. The farmers usually keep detailed records to track all their organic products from the farm to the market. They also have to maintain buffer zones to prevent contamination caused by synthetic chemicals from adjacent conventional fields.

ORGANIC, NATURAL, FREE-RANGE, GMO-FREE: WHICH TO CHOOSE? 

When you’re in the supermarket buying food for your daily consumption, you would certainly come across different food labels. One food brand would claim its product is made from natural ingredients. Another would declare that they have GMO-free meat. Then, there’s the free-range chicken from another brand.

How do those translate to organic products? Understanding these terminologies is essential when you’re shopping for healthy food.

One has to remember that natural doesn’t mean organic. Natural food production doesn’t have a defined regulated definition, while organic does. The label “natural” on food packaging may mean different things such as who the manufacturer is and what store is carrying the product. In fact, the term “all-natural” is the third most frequent claim made on food and beverages, appearing in 2,617 food products and 542 beverages. (Source: Mintel's Global New Products Database)

Not everyone can claim that their products are organic. Organic growers have to follow the strict guidelines, approved by local and national health standard policies, detailing the strict plans from building soil fertility to applying the manure. The crops don’t have chemically-manufactured pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. The livestock are not bio-engineered and don’t take antibiotics and growth-hormones.

BEST CHOICE?

Through the years, the popularity of organic food has been skyrocketing. The sales of organic products are on the rise, even though the price of organic foods is often twice as expensive as the conventional products. Based on their commercial value, some people perceive organic food as the healthy option.

But whether organic food is the best choice remains an open debate. The confirmation is still uncertain. There are some studies suggesting that organic fruits and vegetables contain slightly higher levels of vitamin C, minerals and antioxidant properties compared to conventionally-grown products. However, other studies show that there are no nutritional differences between organic and non-organic products.

New findings from Stanford University shook the health industry when the study concluded that there isn’t much difference between organic and conventional food.

Dr. Denata Bravata and Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler, the senior authors of a paper comparing the nutrition of organic and non-organic foods, published in the Sept. 4 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, led a medical research team and did the most comprehensive meta-analysis on organic and conventional product.

The researchers sifted through the 237 studies on organic food done over the last four decades, including 17 studies (six were randomized clinical trials) of populations consuming organic and conventional diets and 223 studies comparing either the nutrient levels or the bacteria, fungal or pesticide contamination of various products.

After extensive examination, the researchers did not find strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or carry fewer health risks than conventional alternatives.

“We were a little surprised that we didn’t find that [organic food is healthier]. No consistent differences were seen in the vitamin content of organic products, and only one nutrient, phosphorus, was significantly higher in organic versus conventionally grown produce. There was also no difference in protein or fat content between organic and conventional milk, though evidence from limited number of studies suggested that organic milk may contain significantly higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids,” shares Smitch-Spangler in an interview.

She adds: “There is scant evidence that conventional food posed greater risks than organic products. While the research found that organic produce had a 30 percent lower risk of pesticide contamination than conventional fruits, but not necessarily 100 percent free of pesticides.”

GOING BEYOND

The Stanford study aims to educate people, and not to discourage them from making organic choices. Going beyond the health effects, there are other reasons why people should go organic.

In his Huffington Post article, Dr. Jonny Bowden sums up the possible reason why people go organic: “We don’t eat organic food because we expect it to have more nutrients than conventionally grown food. We eat organic food because of what it does not have: namely, pesticides, pollutants, chemicals, carcinogens, and hormones, antibiotics and steroids (in the case of milk and meat). In my book, that's a pretty big difference.”

Since organic produce is grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, the risk of chemical contamination is lower. Chemicals used in conventional agriculture retain residue on the food that we eat.

And this is harmful. Children exposed to pesticides are likely to have developmental delays, behavioral disorders and motor dysfunction. The chemicals consumed by pregnant women may be passed on to the fetus, from mother to child through breast milk.

Exposure to these chemical can lead to various health issues such as headache, birth defects, and weak immune system.

THE PINOY ORGANIC

The organic food craze has also reached Philippine shores. More and more Filipinos, consumers and companies alike, are joining this trend. The recent to hop aboard is Healthy Options, which recently launched the “Good food grown the good way” campaign.

The natural products brand partnered with local Filipino farmers to provide organic vegetables, herbs, meat and dairy products, collectively known as “Organika,” in their stores nationwide.

“Food should be made without chemicals and without cruelty to animals. We bring in premium organic produce from our farm to your plate, so consumers can enjoy food the way nature intended it to be,” says Healthy Options managing director Romy Sia.

Sia shared that the idea of venturing to organic products started when he witnessed the heartless way the pigs are transported (often crammed in trucks) from the farm to the slaughterhouses.

“While driving to the office, I noticed this truck full of pigs. The animals were not treated well. I believe that just because pig are parts of our food chain doesn’t mean humans should mistreat them. I can’t bear to sit down and eat lechon knowing that the pig has suffered.”

So, in 2012, the company invested approximately P3 million in a five-hectare organic farm, owned by the Costales Nature Farms, in Majayjay, Laguna. The initial investment was used to build chicken coops, buy more pigs and set up a hygienic vegetable processing plant which is crucial to keep the produce clean and fresh.

The farm animals live in five-star conditions. The chickens can run around and forage for food, and are fed with whole grains, organic vegetable trimmings, wild bugs and insects. The pigs eat an all-natural diet of rice bran, duck weed, copra meal, fruits and vegetables, and are raised in odor-free pens with soft beddings made from soil, sawdust and carbonized rice hull.

After six months, the pigs will be brought to a double-A slaughterhouse in Sariaya, Quezon to ensure the sanitary conditions for slaughtering.

“We renew our commitment to give consumers better choices for a better life. It is also to show our support for small organic farmers, and for healthy, humane and sustainable farming,” says Sia.

Organika products are available at all Healthy Options branches nationwide.