Advantages and Disadvantages of Organic Food ……

黄羽宁

Organic food usually refers to the natural and pollution-free food， now the national special institutions for organic food certification only conform to the state certification or processing of agricultural and sideline products that can be called organic. Usually includes： grain， oil， vegetables， fruits， dairy products， etc.

As people increase awareness of eating healthy food， organic food is becoming more and more popular. It gets much favor of people， and price of organic food have been relatively high. So exactly what are the advantages and disadvantages of organic food？

Through access to information and access to the internet， I learned that organic food has the following advantages：

1. Organic food is healthier. Security is the greatest characteristic of organic food. Organic food in the seed selection to the cultivation of each link is strictly controlled. Organic food and the process of seed selection cant choose the seeds of genetically modified， and in the process of plant growth cannot use chemical fertilizers （肥料）.

2. Organic food helps prevent certain diseases such as cancer， stroke （中風） and other heart diseases. Research has shown that organic fruits and vegetables contain about 40% more antioxidants （抗氧化剂） than non-organic fruits and vegetables which reduces the risk of cancer， stroke and heart diseases.

3. Organic food protects the environment from pollution since chemicals which cause environmental pollution are not used in cultivating organic crops. For example certain chemicals when used in crop production will kill the micro organisms or even pollute nearby water bodies. Organic soils contain more micro organisms than conventional soils. These micro organisms store carbon in the soil which helps to maintain the global climate. Organic farming helps to conserve the soil and water.

4. Organic food has good taste and increased nutritious values. Organic food has natural flavor since they do not contain additives （添加剂） which gives non-organic food a different taste. They contain more vitamins A， B， C and E， as well as zinc， calcium and other essential minerals. For example， organic fruits taste sweeter and delicious than typical fruits that arent produced naturally， and they contain more vitamins.

5. Organic food helps you to control or even lose unnecessary weight. Chemical additives and pesticide residues （农药残留） will lead to decreased digestion which will cause a vicious cycle of eating and drinking， and continue to build more toxins in the body. Eating organic fruits and vegetables can accelerate the elimination of toxins in the body， so you can lose weight and keep healthy.

Everything has two sides， organic food also has disadvantages：

1. Organic food is relatively easy to decay， because organic food does not add any preservatives.

2. Organic food is more expensive than non-organic food. This is because the farmer commits his time and energy to cultivate organic products. But most food producers want to maximize profit， by using chemicals to increase the size and quantity of their produce. The cost of production of non-organic foods is less than organic foods which results in a lower price for non-organic foods than the price of organic foods.

3. They are not easy to be purchased. Since the products from organic farming requires time to harvest. You cannot find them everywhere or anytime. You have to do your research to look for store that is selling organic food products. This can surely waste your time and effort. Organic food has advantages and disadvantages， there are a lot of farmers in China， the development of Chinese organic agriculture has many advantages. Perhaps as living standards improve， the organic food will be more and more， then eating more organic food may make us healthier.

【Writing Task】

1. 近年來，“有机食品”变得越来越流行;

2. 分析这种现象产生的原因;

3. 谈谈你对该现象的看法。