Besides the various brand-name foods and flashy packaging that influences many students spending decisions when grocery shopping, a different preference is beginning to make or break the choice between one food and the other: organic, or not?
Organic foods have slowly assimilated into mainstream culture over the past decades as both public and private sectors have responded to the growing interest. The movement is most visibly seen in the wide variety now available in grocery stores, the emergence of self-professed organic suppliers such as Whole Foods and the passing of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines organic food as produce grown on land without the use of pesticides, fertilizers or chemicals. In addition to these guidelines, the farmers who produce organic food must emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water. Many students go organic because it seems like the healthier option.
I buy organic food when Im able to, said Taylor Walling, senior mathematics major. It doesnt necessarily taste better than [conventionally] produced foods, but I feel better about eating it because I dont like the thought of putting man-made or synthesized foods into my body.
But does eating organic actually have a positive health impact?
Eating organic is a consumer preference, said Linda Talley, lecturer at Texas A&Ms Department of Nutrition and Food Science. [Science] is unable to prove whether foods popularly defined as organic are nutritionally any different than food produced through conventional means Consumers view pesticides as a huge problem, but when was the last time you heard of a pesticide poisoning case?
A more significant determinant for food health is not whether the food is organic, but how consumers handle it after purchase.
Talley said there are 48 million cases of foodborne illness in the U.S. ever year, primarily from bacteria. She said the number could be cut drastically if consumers handled their food properly by storing it at the designated temperatures or washing it before consumption.
However, the current scientific consensus does not completely undermine the possible health aspect of organic foods.
Theres a lot of controversy on the topic, said Weston Porter, associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Its a healthy argument. [Mass-produced foods] can introduce compounds not normally made by the body, which could affect reproduction and cause cancer. However, cancer rates have actually been going down and there havent been any population changes.
Some students said eating organic foods is not about nutritional value, but about a lifestyle choice.
I eat organic food whenever I can, said Berkay Basagaoglu, freshman biomedical engineering major. Its mostly for psychological benefit. I consider eating organic as a part of an overall healthy lifestyle to put my body in the best shape possible.
Porter said that using organic production techniques does not have the ability to maintain high-yield to feed our population. The benefits of mass-produced food outweigh the risks by far and without them, we would not be able to feed the world.
It isnt cost [efficient] for me, Walling said. Organic foods are usually too expensive to buy on a regular basis, especially since I have no regular source of income as a college student.