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Is paying extra money for organic food really worth it?
Some argue that the label "organic" confers real value -- marking healthier food produced without the use of synthetic pesticides and antibiotics. But others claim it's just marketing hype -- that organic food hasn't been proven healthier and that it comes with its own environmental trade-offs, like requiring more land.
A group of experts recently went head-to-head on the topic in an Oxford-style debate, the latest in the Intelligence Squared U.S. series. Three argued in favor of the motion "Organic Food Is Marketing Hype" and three argued against.
Is Organic Food Stuffed Full Of Marketing Hype?
Seeded on Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:31 PM EDT
Article Source: NPR- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (7)
Before the debate, the audience at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts voted 21 percent in favor of the motion and 45 percent against, with 34 percent undecided. After the debate, the percentage who agreed "Organic Food Is Marketing Hype" remained the same, while 69 percent of the audience opposed it. Ten percent remained undecided.
The video is quite entertaining.
- 3 votes
#1 - Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:35 PM EDTIt was interesting. It seemed the pro side was ignoring the motion for the most part, using the debate as an opportunity to to promote the benefits of the conventional food machine and pushing against the organic movement. Why so threatened?
- 3 votes
#2 - Sun Apr 25, 2010 11:43 PM EDTYep, it didn't appear any of the pro forces had ever taken a high school debate course.
They're threatened because they know they're in deep doo-doo if the public ever discovers how bad conventional processed food is for us.
- 4 votes
The farmer guy got pretty ticked at one point when the crowd was laughing at the notion of Monsanto testing their products before releasing them to the public. Apparently the crowd was more informed than the anti-organic side was prepared for. I got a chuckle.
Another part I found interesting was when the moderator questioned the hostility from both sides toward each other. There really does seem to be the feeling from both camps that the other side is doing more harm than good.
- 4 votes
It is unfortunate that so much of the 'debate' over Organics has become so religious in it's fervor. They spent so much of the debate talking past each other with talking points.
- 5 votes
I would have loved to have been a debater there.
If x parts per billion of chemicals or non-plant genes are okay in food I would have offered to fill their water goblets with bottled water that I had added x parts per billion of round-up.
There should have been no problem with them drinking it right?
- 4 votes
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