Organic Food--Where Did it Come From? Where is it Now? Where is it Going?

The Past, Present, and Future of Organic Food

 

 

The Past

 

Not so long ago in human history, all food was natural, all food was organic.  No one questioned.  No one even applied "natural" or "organic" to food.  Whatever is self-evident, no one questions.

 

What got us questioning?  The modern era of science and technology brought big and little changes, some slowly, some fast.  Two great changes brought us to where we are now:

 

• The mechanization of agriculture

and

• The chemical industry 

 

The mechanization of agriculture, came slowly, but its gift, for better or worse, is our 21st century's factory farming.

 

The chemical industry began slowly, then suddenly permeated soils worldwide with its chemical fertilizers. 

 

 Today

 

Along the way, the notion of organic got lost--what with countless food additives and the devilish GMOs.  Now, most people find difficulty distinguishing between "organic" and "natural."  Is there any difference?

 

Of course, I'm simplifying several centuries of human history, including our own times. 

 

But, where are we, really?  True organic food, if the world understood it, would be priced out of the reach of most people, because it truly is precious.  Of course we pay a bit more than for its poor cousin "natural," but that's only because so few in our society realize its true worth.   If the multitudes recognized its value for every one's health--because of the rarity of organic food, prices would reach the heavens!

 

The Future

 

When the world gains, or regains, what it knew intuitively for ages--the concept of organic--we'll all have new health.  We'll have new appreciation for organic farming.  We'll have new appreciation for the countless middlemen who work to bring organic food products to local shopkeepers.  We'll have new appreciation for cooks at home, who feed organic meals to our families.  We'll also praise those who prepare organic meals for when we are away from home, needing to eat in restaurants, cafeterias in schools, companies, hospitals, or retirement homes.

 

 

We'll have a brave, new world, a healthy one!

 

 

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