Organic food and eco-cult

Which foods are both good for you
and the environment

By Dirk Maxeiner & Michael Miersch

Piper Verlag
München 2008
ISBN 978-3-492-05100-2
240 pages,
14 euros

Summary

Since the large food store chains and discount supermarkets jumped the bandwagon, organic products are becoming more and more popular. The “bio”-labels for organic certification stand for certain qualities: such food is deemed noble and pure, healthy and ecologically correct. Nobody is curious about what the actual production methods are like and whether organic products really are good for your health and the environment. Most consumers tend to ignore the fact that there is no scientific evidence that organically grown food is healthier than conventionally grown food. The highest risk one takes while having a meal does not originate from agrochemical residues but from naturally occurring contamination. Bacteria and mold infect and poison thousands of people every year. And for the environment, organic agriculture is not necessarily a preferable alternative, given that organic agriculture requires a much larger acreage than modern agriculture. If all farmers decided to go organic, no natural areas would remain. Organic food and eco-cult assesses organic agriculture, weighing the pros and cons without ideological blinders. Is organic food really healthier? Is organic farming really better for the environment? What should we buy if we would like to eat a healthy diet and act in a socially and ecologically responsible manner? How dangerous is ‘green’ genetic engineering? Where will our food come from in the future?

Reviews

"A highly enlightening book."
Stern

"Something to learn on every page."
Literaturen

"Dirk Maxeiner and Michael Miersch clear up the ‘organic’ myth."
Frankfurter Allgemeiner Zeitung

"Criticism that is easy to digest."
Tagesanzeiger (Switzerland)

"Is organically produced food really healthier for us and the environment? A new book by two noted authors contrasts common dogmas with scientific facts – resulting in quite a few surprises."
Profil (Austria)

"Chemicals yuck, organic yum – the eco-apostates Maxeiner and Miersch try to prove that this simple formula does not add up very often… And even if they have a lot to criticize, Maxeiner and Miersch, who are both rooted in the environmental movement, do find positive aspects in organic farming after all."
Focus