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APR. MAY 2018
XVI
AT PAGE 60
WELL-BEING AT THE TABLE
Organic. Knowing
what you eat
The health of our customers is
important: we prefer organic
products where possible, as
antioxidants are valuable allies for
the well-being of the body
By Barbara Panterna*
Many say that organic farming does
not exist. Others don’t know its true
meaning. I will try to clarify the
definition a little further below.
“Organic” refers to agricultural or
farming techniques that exclude
or restrict the use of chemicals in
fertilisers and animal feed. In reality,
agricultural activity in general (both
organic and conventional) always
involves an organic process because
it is implemented by a plant, animal
or microbial organism. But the
substantial difference between the
two is precisely the level of chemical
synthesis products introduced into
the agroecosystem: in conventional
agriculture a considerable amount
of fertilizers and plant protection
products are used, these are produced
in the laboratory, then obtained from
industrial processes, as opposed to
organic farming, which is based on
respect for the agroecosystem and the
environment with the help of plant
protection products that do NOT
contain synthetic substances but are
organic and natural. However, it is
contested that “natural” substances
always have a truly minor impact
on the environment. Copper, for
example, allowed in the organic
production of grapes, has long
been considered a pollutant, so that
its use is increasingly restricted
by the European Community.
The philosophy behind organic
farming refers to techniques and
principles prior to the introduction
of pesticides in agriculture in the
‘70s and aims, therefore, to reduce
the environmental impact on water,
soil and air (introducing for example
“natural” fertilizers and pesticides
and practicing crop rotation) in order
to produce food of high nutritional
quality without residues of pesticides
or chemical fertilizer synthesis.
It is obvious that this admirable
project, which seems utopian in some
ways, has benefits but also higher
costs than conventional farming,
so the criticism, the disagreement
and the adversity that generates the
“Bio” topic are linked to its poor
sustainability on a large scale.
However, it is a fact that many
studies have found that the quantity
of pesticides (pesticides, fungicides,
herbicides, repellents, etc. of chemical
synthesis) is 30% higher in conventional
agricultural products (despite the
fact that this percentage does not
negatively affect human health) and
that organic fruit and vegetables, for
example, contain a higher number of
antioxidants, between 20-40% more
than those cultivated
As a nutritionist, it is obvious that
this information is relevant to me,
so much so that I prefer organic
products where possible, as the
antioxidant substances are invaluable
allies for the well-being of our body,
increasingly prompted by stress of
various kinds, because now we eat
food prepared / packed saturated
with additives (colourants, thickeners,
preservatives, etc..), at least let’s
choose those containing less artificial
fertilizers! Organic farming in recent
years, while remaining a niche
market due largely to higher prices
than the corresponding conventional
products, is taking a large share
of the market. In Italy, one of the
leading countries in European organic
production, it covers about 6.9% of
the agricultural land. But in addition
to environmental considerations,
other reasons for adopting this type
of farming practice in general have
been entrepreneurial (consumers
are willing to pay more for organic
products) or linked to the availability
of EU funding for the adoption of
environmentally-friendly farming
practices. In the restaurant sector,
too, the share of organic products is
increasing but, how can we be sure
that it is really organic?
There are inspection bodies
authorised by the Ministry of
Agriculture, which is assigned the
task of verifying compliance with
the implementation of regulations
by organic farms and grants its own
label to be affixed to the labels of
products sold by the associated
company (see photo below).
These bodies must respect the
principle of “third party”, not having
other commercial or advisory
relations with certified companies;
the Regions and Provinces with
special status are responsible for the
control of this aspect. The inspection
bodies shall carry out inspections of
the associated holdings at least once
a year and, where necessary, in the
event of suspected infringements,
take samples for analysis.
______________________________
* Dr. Barbara Panterna is a medical
surgeon with Post-graduate
specialisation in human nutrition
obtained at the State University of
Milan. She is active in food education
and geriatrics and a teacher/trainer
for the Lombardy region in first aid
and microbiology courses. She is the
author of several articles of medical/
scientific character and novels
available on Amazon books.
She recently published though
Passi Editore: Stories of Ordinary
Gynaecology, distributed in Italy by
Bayer Pharmaceutical. She carries
out her medical activity in Milan as a
private practice.
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MAGAZINE