Organic Foods For A Healthy Life
Organic foods are essential for a healthy life
It is essential to consume organic foods produced in a way that is free from environmental toxins and with a special consciousness, to have a healthy life and to keep many dangerous diseases away from ourselves and our family.
The consciousness of producing organic foods for a healthier life is slowly settling in our country. With the increasing number of consumers of these foods, which are free of environmental toxins, this organic food issue has become even more interesting. The sale of these foods at 2-3 times the price compared to other vegetables and fruits has also led to the emergence of fraud incidents.
We are constantly reading news about organic foods lately. Many people are confused about this.
What exactly does organic food mean?
By organic food, we mean very special vegetables and fruits ... In the cultivation and processing of these products; artificial drugs, hormones, antibiotics, preservatives and coloring agents are not used. No chemicals are used in organic foods, including their packaging.
Organic food production is a very laborious and challenging process.
In order for a world-class farmer to start producing organic food, he must clear his field from pesticides and various chemicals for five years. This rate varies according to the minimum rates determined by the countries. Unfortunately, not every product on the shelves of the supermarkets that says '100 percent organic' is produced under the desired conditions.
For this, when choosing organic products, especially the labels of the packages should be read very well. The company that will produce organic products must contract with one of the control and certification bodies authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The logos of these organizations, their certificate numbers and the phrase 'approved by the Ministry of Agriculture' must be on their labels. The product without a certification number is unfortunately not an organic product. Chemical agents and pesticides frequently used in agricultural applications reduce the reliability of food.
Diseases such as cancer, chronic lung diseases, brain tumors, hyperactivity, autism, and congenital abnormalities, which are quite common health problems in recent years; Undoubtedly, it increases as a result of exposure to environmental toxins. That's why we need to turn to organic foods and direct our children. In order to maintain a healthy life, we need to minimize environmental toxins (pesticide residues from fruits and vegetables, air pollution, water pollution) as much as possible.
Are organic foods more nutritious?
Foods prepared with organic farming techniques are more nutritious than other foods. For example; The level of vitamin C in an orange produced with organic techniques is higher because it does not mix with chemical components. Since organic foods do not have chemicals on them, it is sufficient to wash less than others.
Being able to read the labels on organic products correctly will make your shopping easier:
1- 100 PERCENT ORGANIC
A label that says '100 percent organic' means that the product contains organic ingredients. However, the water and salt added to it are excluded.
2- Organic
The 'Organic' label on the product means the product has 5 percent or less inorganic content. That means at least 95 percent organic content. In addition, it does not contain any preservative sulfite used in foods.
3- Made with organic ingredients
Products bearing this label contain at least 70 percent organic content. It does not contain any sulfide. Products with less than 70 percent organic content can never be classified as organic products, even if the material they contain is declared organic.
ORGANIC FOOD FOR BABIES
Children and even babies who do not eat organic food are in great danger, right?
It is also a fact that these factors that negatively affect human health pass on to the baby with breast milk.
Then we have to go back to the very beginning of the problem and address the pregnancy, the lactation period and the first 3 years of life, when growth is extremely rapid. Thanks to the organic agricultural products we recommend to be consumed during this period, we significantly prevent babies from encountering environmental toxins. After purchasing organic foods, some things should be considered when preserving at home:
They should be kept away from moisture as they are not preservatives and additives.
The products you buy fresh should be stored in a paper bag and in the refrigerator.
Dry ones should also be stored in glass jars, in airtight cool and dim cabinets.
"Organic should be preferred"
Organic foods and normal agricultural products are generally close to each other. Chemical residues and hormones are much less in organic products and in this respect, it differs from normal foods. In the age of development, organic foods should be preferred, and then organic products should be preferred considering accessibility. In order for a product to be ecological, the soil must be left fallow for at least 3 years. Organic is healthier. In the researches, it has been revealed that half of the products in organic products are not organic. If "truth is organic" it is healthy.
Organic foods differ from normal foods in that they only contain less chemicals. But we do not know where and how the products are grown organically. Wrinkled foods are sold in markets under the name of organic food. We do not know whether these products are actually inspected for organic or not.
Chemicals are used less in the cultivation of organic foods. In terms of drug residues, organic foods contain lower amounts of chemicals than traditional foods. It cannot be evaluated that "Organic foods and traditional foods are the same" based on a single study. Studies are carried out all over the world. The conclusion from the joint analysis of all studies may be more accurate.
As a result of a study, it was found that the attitude towards organic foods was quite effective on the purchase intention of organic food. The basis of this effect is the communication of the concepts of green environment, natural life and nutrition, which have become a popular discourse today, in daily life. It may also be brought to the agenda in television programs, newspapers, magazines and other media such as the internet. It is possible to say that giving messages that create a negative attitude towards foods produced by conventional methods in the same channels provides a positive development of attitude towards organic foods.
The results obtained in perception of attitude towards organic foods and food safety perceptions are consistent with the findings in the literature. Conventional food production techniques with the environmental problems brought about by increasing industrialization without sufficient control; In addition, it can be said that the deterioration of natural life as a result of these creates negative effects on food products and increases the safety concerns of consumers.
It has been shown in the literature that consumer health awareness anxiety increases with age and is more pronounced in families with children. In addition, it can be said that organic foods are more expensive than conventional foods, which is an obstacle to the development of health awareness in young and low-income consumers. It can be thought that the fact that the consumers in the young group are a bit more distant from health awareness and prefer the cheap and / or easily accessible food, negatively affects the intention to buy organic food. With the income level, it can be expected that consumers' awareness of health and their view of food safety may improve positively.
İt can be said that the attitude formation towards organic food occurs by following the environmental pathway. Accordingly, by investigating and investigating the consumer; It can be said that instead of forming an attitude by thinking and analyzing, they form an attitude with stimuli from the environment (television, friends, etc.). It can be argued that although consumers have a positive attitude about organic foods, they do not know much about organic foods in scientific terms. The relationship that emerged with regard to demographic variables is seen in the purchasing intention towards organic foods and attitude variables towards organic foods. Accordingly, there is a relationship between gender and the organic food purchase intention variable. Likewise, it was found that there is a relationship between occupation and attitude towards organic foods. On the other hand, the relationship between gender and food safety, health awareness and attitude variables was denied. The relationship between age and food safety, health awareness, attitude and purchase intention variables was rejected. Similarly, it is seen that the relationship between occupation and food safety, health awareness and purchasing intention variables is denied. When evaluated in the context of sampling, it can be said that the result does not differ from the literature, since the existence of close age groups and the relatively young and occupational class of this age group are mostly at the middle or lower income level.
According to the studies in the literature, the intention of purchasing organic food is higher among the high-level income group, middle age and above, married and educated consumers. It is observed that public institutions, especially in the value chain related to food production and consumption, exhibit companies that put non-standard products on the market, which are considered to endanger the health and safety of the consumer, as a result of the inspections they have made on the market shelves in recent years.
Since it is difficult to control seeds, which is the starting point of the chain in agricultural products, and the drugs used afterwards and their quantities, it is very important to train the producers. Although the control of all members of the supply chain is not easy in today's world where the food industry is very developed and complex, the effectiveness of the efforts must continue increasingly. In addition to the increase in inspections, the marketing communication efforts of organic food producers and their emphasis on the fact that their products are healthy and safe foods will enable consumers to make progress on health awareness. In the context of raising healthy generations, awareness studies that emphasize the importance of health awareness and food safety for consumers in the young age group are of great importance.
From the economic aspect of Turkey, with favorable climatic conditions and opportunities in organic food production is relatively unpolluted by majority of agriculture. With this feature, it can be an important center in organic agriculture. It can be said that the importance of healthy nutrition and quality of life is increasing day by day with the increasing elderly population both at home and abroad. It is possible to mention that the demand for organic products will increase with the possible improvement and increase in domestic education and income distribution. It is observed from the studies that the consumers find the prices of organic products very high compared to conventional products. In this context, determining the appropriate price range for organic food products can reinforce the purchase intention. In addition, it is important to ensure easy access of the consumer to the product in the formation of the purchase intention for organic foods. Even if the consumer demands organic products, they can see that there is no product at retail points and they can turn to conventional foods that they can easily reach. In this sense, variables such as price and access that affect the purchase intention can be examined in future studies. In addition, it is possible to investigate the ideal width of organic products at retail points, as well as the subject of organic food for different product groups, different age and income groups.