A WORD ON ORGANIC and MEAT WARS

A WORD ON ORGANIC

‘Organic’ is a recent buzzword in South Africa, with retailers like
Woolworths climbing onboard as the demand for transparent food practices
becomes more prevalent. A number of local organic shops and restaurants
have also popped up, offering consumers access to organic foods. But what
does ‘organic’ really mean and is it really beneficial, especially when it comes
to meat?

Organic, according to Wolhuter, refers to the way farmers grow and
process agricultural products such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products
and meat. ‘Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and
water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers who grow organic produce
and meat don’t use conventional methods to fertilise, control weeds or
prevent livestock disease. For example, rather than using weed killers, organic
farmers conduct sophisticated crop rotations and spread mulch or manure to
keep weeds at bay.’

In terms of meat, conventional farmers give animals antibiotics, growth
hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth. Organic
farmers, on the other hand, give animals organic feed and allow them to
access the outdoors. They also use preventative measures such as rational
grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing to help minimise disease.

For Wolhuter, not enough research has been done yet on the effects of
hormones, steroids and antibiotics and the role they play in the South African
meat industry to fairly judge the benefits of organic over conventional
produce. However, she says, ‘the question everyone wants to know is if
organic is safer or better for you than conventional foods. Organic may have
higher nutritional value than conventional foods, according to some research.

For conventional foods, the amount of pesticides acquired has raised
concerns, but many experts maintain that the levels of pesticides in
conventional foods are safe for most healthy adults.’

But health factors are not the only ones to consider; there are the
emotional and ethical ones too. This is where organisations like Compassion
in World Farming come in. South African representative Louise van der
Merwe says, ‘Compassion in World Farming is an international NGO that
lobbies for an end to factory farming of animals … We believe that treating
farmed animals as units of production and with a callous disregard for their
sentience and their suffering, demeans us as humans.’

According to Compassion in World Farming South Africa, twenty-sixmillion
laying hens are trapped in cages that give them a space allowance each
of 75 per cent of an A4 sheet of paper. ‘They are unable to exercise even one of
their natural behaviours. Breeding pigs live their lives in metal “straightjackets”
unable to move backwards, forwards or sideways. Boy calves born
into the dairy industry are “surplus” because they will never produce milk.

They land up at auctions with their umbilical cords still dripping wet and
their legs still wobbly. Broiler chickens spend the last third of their short lives
in chronic pain because, through selective breeding, their bodies are too heavy
for their legs. And we are talking huge numbers here. The scale of suffering is
beyond our comprehension,’ Van der Merwe says.

In 1968, broilers (chickens bred and raised for meat production) were
slaughtered at sixty-two days weighing 1.2 kilograms. Today they are
slaughtered at forty-two days and weigh 1.9 kilograms. According to a
Health24 article written by Birgit Ottermann in March 2011, ‘The birds grow
so rapidly that their hearts and lungs are not developed well enough to
support the remainder of the body, resulting in heart failure and tremendous
death losses. The chickens also become crippled because their legs can’t
support the weight of their bodies. About one-third of them suffer agonising
ammonia burns on their feet as a result of spending their short six-week lives
on faeces-saturated litter.’60

These are all examples of factory farming, where, according to
Compassion in World Farming, only about 3 per cent of laying hens in South
Africa are free-range, around eighteen-million birds are slaughtered for their
meat each week and two-million broilers are slaughtered daily.61
‘Our vision is for farmed animals to be given lives worth living, like the
ability to range freely, to exercise most of their natural behaviours, to be free
of mutilations like de-beaking and tail-docking and castration for pigs, and to
be assured of a humane death,’ explains Van der Merwe.

A point she raises is that organic applies almost exclusively to the fact that
the food fed to the animals is free of pesticide residue and has been grown
without artificial fertilisers and other chemicals, and not to whether the
animal is free-range or factory-farmed. In the same token, a free-range animal
may not necessarily be organic as the food it eats may include artificial
additives.

In terms of South African legislation, Van der Merwe says that the Animal
Protection Act of 1962 is meant to protect all animals against acts of cruelty.

However, in reality, farmed animals are not covered and are subject to gross
brutality and suffering. ‘We need a nation of informed, educated consumers
who know enough to be able to make informed choices.’

What is more is that local legislation, or the lack thereof, makes it difficult
for consumers to identify what is free-range and organic because there are no
real laws covering these issues. According to Health24, at the moment there
are only drafted laws when it comes to governing organic farming and, while
there are local certifying bodies, their regulations are largely based on
European Union requirements.

If you are concerned about the type of meat you are eating, it is important
to first check the practices of the outlets where you buy your meat. The
Supreme Poultry frozen chicken scandal in December 2010, when Rapport
broke the story that employees were repacking old chicken to be sold to
consumers, is a perfect reason to do so. The old chicken had reportedly been
injected with brine and sold with a new expiry date. Check where your meat
comes from and whether your preferred outlets have regulations in place or
sell meat that is organic, free of antibiotics and hormones, free-range and
grass-fed rather than grain-fed. Van der Merwe also suggests trying to source
meat directly from a local farmer who you know treats his or her animals
well.

In terms of nutrition and health, Wolhuter warns that ‘even if food is
certified organic, it doesn’t claim that these products are safer or more
nutritious’. She does, however, cite a 2006 study published in the Journal of
Dairy Science comparing organic and conventional dairy farms. The results
‘showed that milk from organic farms had higher levels of polyunsaturated
fatty acids [the ‘good’ fats] than conventionally produced milk. Other studies
suggest that this may be because organic cows eat more fresh grass and
clover.’

Another point she makes is that organic foods meet the same quality and
safety standards as conventional foods, but the difference lies in how the food
is produced, processed and handled. You may sometimes find that organic
foods look less than perfect compared to conventional foods, but, in most
cases, they look very similar. If you do want to limit your exposure to
pesticides, buying organic can be an option.

A noteworthy problem with organic foods is that they usually cost much
more than conventional food products. Wolhuter explains: ‘Higher prices are
due to more expensive farming practices, tighter government regulations and
lower crop yields. Because organic farmers don’t use herbicides or pesticides,
many management tools that control weeds and pests are labour intensive and
you may end up paying more for these vegetables.’

She recommends buying fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season, to
read food labels carefully and to wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly. In
terms of meat, she advises buying ‘smaller pieces of organic meats and round
out meals with vegetables and whole grains’.

MEAT WARS

Whether you eat only organic, are a vegan or have never considered such
meaty issues before, it is important to draw your own conclusions and decide
what works for you. There are many local resources, books and dietitians
available to help you figure it out. At the end of the day, you need to structure
your own beliefs and diet in a way that promotes optimal health and that
keeps you fighting fit for either the prevention or treatment of cancer, as well
as a life rich in quality.