Healthy farms, healthy foods.
Locally produced organic foods offer numerous benefits for your health and for the health of the animals, the soil, and the planet. The way we see it, these aspects of health are truly interdependent and cannot be separated. At Organic Valley, we pride ourselves in producing organic foods that satisfy the primary health concerns of consumers: good nutrition and protection from exposure to toxins and diseases. Our organically farmed foods are particularly well-suited to the unique nutritional needs and sensitivities of infants, children, and pregnant women. Beyond the direct impact of consuming organic food, many organic consumers also understand the healthy and educational values of celebrating food and helping their children to develop food awareness and healthy eating habits.
Better taste and higher nutritional value
Ever tasted a real tree-ripened peach, or a garden-fresh ripe red tomato? If so you'll appreciate that food tastes better when it's grown in its own time. Organically raised animals grow at their own natural pace, without artificial growth hormones. This means less animal stress and better tasting food! Clean water, quality feed, fresh air, healthy pastures, and nutrient-rich soil all contribute to the superior taste of organically grown food.
The connection between flavor and nutrition is clear to us, since a number of organically produced foods have also been shown to have superior nutritional value. Milk from pasture-raised organic cows, for example, has recently been shown to have significantly higher levels of vitamin E, Omega 3 essential fatty acids, beta carotene and other antioxidants [1] than milk from conventional cows raised in confinement. Locally produced foods also tend to be fresher, and are therefore more likely to contain more living nutrients. That's why we produce and ship organic milk from our regional farms across the country to the closest regional markets.
The safest choice
Food safety has been a growing concern of consumers since the late 1940's, when the use of synthetic chemicals in agricultural production was promoted to farmers as a way of enhancing productivity and increasing yield from every acre. Today, conventional agriculture includes an arsenal of more than 600 pesticides. 940 million pounds of chemical pesticides were used in 2000—more than three pounds for every person in the United States.
Much uncertainty remains regarding the safety of currently used pesticides. Studies have implicated many of these substances in numerous serious health disorders, ranging from premature births to behavioral disorders to cancers. As organic farmers we believe that the strongest plants and animals thrive when these chemicals are avoided—and we have the high crop yields and low vet bills to prove it!
The use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, and genetically modified organisms to intensify production in today’s conventional agriculture practices also gives rise to serious health questions. The common factory-farm practice of feeding of rendered animal byproducts and non-organic substances raises concerns, for animal and human health alike. Not only do these practices pose questions about humane animal treatment, they have also been proven or suspected to play a role in numerous human health concerns including early puberty, allergies, and BSE (Mad Cow Disease). At Organic Valley, we find that our animals are more hardy and disease resistant, often living considerably longer lives, without the use of antibiotics and other industrialized farming practices.
Healthy lifestyle
If healthy living depends on knowing your body, then knowing what you eat and where it comes from is of equal importance. For several decades, industrialized production and mass marketing of foods have made it increasingly difficult for consumers to maintain or understand their connection with the source of their foods. At the same time, the eating habits associated with convenience foods have had a negative impact on our physical and social well-being.
The family farmers and employees of Organic Valley encourage you to seek out your local food sources and support their healthy production practices at your local farmers market and at the supermarket. With our regional strategy of food production and distribution, we offer you the opportunity to buy products from the Organic Valley farms nearest to you. We offer you product information, recipes, news, and community with regular updates on this web site.
Knowing what we know about the benefits of organic production, we believe the act of selecting and preparing foods from local and organic farmers is an act of love, a celebration of life, and a positive step toward the bright future we envision for your family and for ours.
1Drinking organic milk has more health benefits than drinking non-organic, a study has suggested. The research was presented to the Soil Association's annual conference in Newcastle. It showed organic milk has higher levels of vitamin E, omega 3 essential fatty acids and antioxidants, which help beat infections. (return to article)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4153951.stm
