Nowadays, the topic-organic food has become very popular. A lot of people, though, do not know that there is a difference between organic and natural foods. Nowadays, there is a lot interest from the consumers for organic and natural foods and that is why the sales have gone up immensely. According to the data, the sale of organic and natural foods and beverages was as high as $28.2 billion in the year 2008.
People need to know that most of the diets, which are known to everyone to be the promoters of healthy and good life, contain these organic and natural foods.
Difference between Natural and Organic Foods
Even though a lot of people believe that natural foods are the same thing as organic foods they should know that that is not true and that there is a difference. People need to know that out of all the foods which are considered to be natural, only meat and poultry are regulated. All of the food products which are minimally processed and free of synthetic preservatives are considered to be natural foods. The same goes for foods without artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors and other additives which are all considered to be artificial. Hydrogenated oils, stabilizers and even emulsifiers fit into this category.
It is important that natural meat and poultry do not contain any of the artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives or ingredients. However, people need to know that both meat and poultry can be processed a little bit but as long as it does not change them quite a lot. The “natural” sign on the label means that meat and poultry are without any artificial ingredients but people should know that if there is a “natural” sign on the label it does not say how exactly the components of these foods were raised.
On the other hand, “organic” will not only relate to the actual foods product but it will also relate to the way in which that food was made. Not every product can have the label “organic” on it as it needs to meet certain regulations which were established by the National Organic Program in the October 2002. In order for the food product to be labeled as organic, the product must be grown and processed using special organic farming methods. In addition to this, it is important to know that these methods promote recycled resources and biodiversity.
For instance, in order for the crops to be able to provide any organic foods they need to be grown without the use of any synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes, petroleum-based fertilizers or sewage sludge based-fertilizers. Organic livestock must not receive growth hormones and needs to be able to go outside.
Whole health solutions are known to a lot of people. It is a known fact that these have organic foods as their most important components. Those people who are not familiar with the whole health foods should know that they promote a healthy lifestyle and overall health. Apart from that, they are even able to cure certain ailments and make sure that the environment remains protected as well. Are Natural and Organic Foods Healthier?
Nowadays, it is very important that the foods do not only taste good but that they meet some other requests as well. For instance, foods nowadays should be healthy and should not cause any damage to environment. According to the experts almost 80% of all the people want for their foods to be of good nutritional value and that is what the makers of organic foods are focusing on. Apart from good nutritional value, it is important to the consumer that organic foods are fresh for a long period of time and that they promote long-term health. A lot of people who buy organic and natural foods believe that these food products are able to prevent certain diseases and ailments.
A lot of people were not sure which foods were organic until the federal rules were established but since 2002 there is no more trouble with that. A vast number of people and chefs agree that organic foods even taste better than normal one because there are no flavors.
More Consumers buy Organic and Natural Foods
Every year there is an increase in the sales of organic and natural foods. For instance, in the year of 2005 the retail sales of both organic and natural foods and drinks reached $23 billion. In the following year the sales reached $28.2 billion. According to the data, the increase of sales of organic foods was increased by 22%. People prefer buying organic products and that fact is backed up by the Natural Foods Merchandiser. According to certain data, more than half of the population in the United States prefers buying organic foods. Experts believe that the main reason why that is so, is because organic foods taste good, provide health benefits and cause no damage to the environment.
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