Concern over antibiotic drug residues. Organic farming prohibits the use of antibiotics in animal feed. Recent scientific research has confirmed the fact that antibiotics, routinely fed to factory farm animals to make them grow faster, are creating dangerous antibiotic-resistant pathogens which are infecting Americans who eat these animal products. While there are no documented cases of organic meat or poultry setting off food poisoning epidemics, filthy slaughterhouses, contaminated feed, and diseased animals are commonplace in industrial agriculture. Concern over food irradiation, use of toxic sewage sludge spread on farmland, and genetic engineering.
Organic certification prohibits irradiation, sewage sludge, and genetic engineering.
Consumers are especially incensed that industry and the FDA refuse to require labeling of genetically engineered food. Concern over the environment. Studies indicate that the industrialization and globalization of agriculture are a leading contributor to greenhouse gases and climate destabilization. Other research shows an increasing percentage of municipal water supplies are contaminated by pesticide residues, chemical fertilizers, and sewage runoff from factory farms and feedlots. It's no wonder consumers are turning to organic foods while biotechnology and agri-chemical special interests are starting to panic.