Push-Pull Factors for Organics

Organic food is the only sustainable solution to feed an ever increasing population. Conventional agricultural practices and non-organic food risk further stress on our environment and our health. Now, government intervention and a knowledgable consumer base is shifting the world away from intensive, conventional farming practices and towards safer methods of cultivation.

Aware of the impact of intensive farming, governments are imposing stricter regulations to protect both the environment and people’s health:

• In December 2016, the FDA, through its Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), mandated that the use of certain drugs in livestock requires veterinary approval
• The FDA now requires more than 100 different scientific studies to approve a new pesticide that will be used on crops

Consumer awareness on the dangers of pesticides and fertilizers and the overuse of antibiotics is forcing companies to make changes:

• McDonalds will cease using chickens reared with dual use antibiotics by 2017
• Costco will eliminate the sale of chicken and meat raised with dual use antibiotics within two years
• Walmart has asked suppliers to publicly disclose their progress in cutting antibiotic use for promoting growth in livestock