Are organic vegetables and pesticide-free vegetables the same thing?
Vegetables refer to a category of plants or fungi that can be cooked and prepared into food. Many pesticide-free, pollution-free vegetables on the market are also called “organic vegetables”. So are organic vegetables pesticide-free vegetables? Are they the same as pesticide-free vegetables? It is understood that organic vegetables refer to vegetable products that, during the vegetable production process, strictly follow organic production procedures, prohibit the use of any chemically synthesized pesticides, chemical fertilizers, growth regulators and other chemical substances, as well as genetically engineered organisms and their products, and instead follow natural laws and ecological principles, adopt a series of sustainable agricultural techniques, coordinate planting balance, maintain the sustained stability of the agricultural ecosystem, and have been identified and certified by an organic food certification body and issued an organic food certificate.
Everyone knows that as modern people's living standards have improved, they have begun to pay attention to health preservation. From the past, when just having enough to eat was fine, to now, when one must eat well. Moreover, against the background of the people becoming more and more concerned about food safety, organic vegetables are selling well in the market. Looking at those vegetables with the “organic” label, yet advertised externally as pesticide-free and pollution-free…… one cannot help but wonder: are pesticide-free vegetables organic vegetables? Must one choose “organic” when buying vegetables?
Many people think that pesticide-free vegetables are organic vegetables, but in fact this is not the case. The famous food safety and environmental protection expert Dong Jinshi mentioned in his new book How to Choose and How to Eat Non-Toxic Foods: Dong Jinshi's Illustrated Guide that pesticide-free crops in the general understanding do not mean that chemical fertilizers or pesticides were not used during cultivation, only that the content requirements are relatively low, so pesticide-free vegetables are not equal to organic vegetables. In the cultivation process of organic vegetables, from soil and water sources to fertilizers, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, feed additives and other substances are completely not used. Non-chemically synthesized pesticides are used in order to avoid pesticide residues remaining in the environment. Ecological principles are used to restore the agricultural ecosystem so as to reduce excessive dependence on non-natural substances. The entire process is zero pollution.
In China, the fertilizer for organic vegetables is usually organic matter fertilizer with a relatively high cost used to replace chemically synthesized inorganic fertilizer. The cultivation process requires that the properties of farmland soil must be completely pollution-free, and cultivated land must not contain heavy metals harmful to human health. Irrigation water sources must be proven by testing to be qualified water quality. Deep trenches are dug around farmland to prevent water quality from being polluted. These are the basic cultivation conditions.
In the United States, there are also relevant regulations for the certification of organic products. For example, from production, harvest to processing and manufacturing, “prohibited substances” must not be applied, or the production site environment sampling and on-site operation procedures must be subject to regular spot checks by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). As long as the established standards can be met, it can be named “organic.”
China's new Measures for the Administration of Organic Product Certification was deliberated and adopted at the executive meeting of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on April 23, 2013, and came into effect on April 1, 2014. It requires that, in accordance with the provisions of the organic product certification implementation rules, the production, processing, labeling and sales of organic products be reviewed and managed. Therefore, to truly become organic vegetables, they must undergo strict inspection layer by layer, rather than simply being easily labeled and sold just because no pesticides are sprayed. Therefore, when consumers purchase organic vegetables, in addition to referring to various promotional advertisements, they should also clearly recognize the organic product certification mark, and truly safeguard the health of themselves and their families.
Then everyone will ask, must one choose organic vegetables? Like other consumer fields, food consumption is also diversified. Because organic vegetables have high production standards, their prices are also higher than ordinary pesticide-free, pollution-free vegetables, so consumers can choose according to their own circumstances. “At the present stage, organic food is still a niche consumer product. Organic food should have its original appearance, market position and consumer group.
Appendix: Purchasing and identification methods
1. Look at certification. When purchasing organic vegetables, pay attention to the certification mark on the packaging. One of the most authoritative organic food certification bodies in China is the Organic Food Development Center of the State Environmental Protection Administration (OFDC). In China, green organic vegetables and organic food combine on-site inspection certification and product sampling testing in certification methods. The focus of organic food certification is the authentic records of farming operations and records of the purchase and application of production materials. Since July 1, 2012, series of packaged organic foods produced have traceability codes.
2. Recognize the store. To purchase organic vegetables, choose a legitimate store. Consumers can buy at organic food stores or legitimate supermarkets. Because the sources of vegetables from market vendors often change, they are not stable. If you do not know much about organic vegetables, it is recommended that you buy from a reputable organic food store. Supermarkets are also a good choice. Sometimes, because of bulk purchasing, supermarkets have lower prices than organic food stores.
3. Look at the packaging. When purchasing organic vegetables, pay attention to whether the packaging bag clearly indicates relevant information about the producer and verification unit (name, address, telephone), etc. Based on this information, you can inquire on relevant websites or with relevant departments.
4. Taste the texture. Organic vegetables taste crisp and give you a feeling of freshness. Even after cooking, there will still be a different feeling. This kind of texture cannot be produced just by processing vegetables.