Organic food - Agriculture Essay Example for Free

Organic food Agriculture Essay Ever wondered why organic foods are more expensive? Why organic foods are kept separately from the other food in a grocery store? Why some produce has special labels? The food all looks the same on the outside. An apple marked organic looks the same as any other apple in the produce section of the store. The difference is not the outward appearance but how the apple was grown and processed. The word organic gives the impression that the food will be safer and more nutritious to eat than food without the organic label. Many scientific studies have been done to find if there is a significant difference in safety and nutrition. The studies all conclude the same information. Organically grown foods are not any more nutritious or safer for consumption than conventionally grown, non-organic foods. Many people are not clear regarding how organic and non-organic also known as conventionally grown food is grown in the United States. Organically grown food is grown and processed using no synthetic chemicals, such as fertilizers or pesticides (Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). Pesticides derived from natural sources, such as biological pesticides, can be used in growing and producing organically grown food (Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). Biological pesticides are bacteria or fungi that are applied to the plant to control bugs (Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). If raising livestock, the animals eat organic animal food (American Progress, 2008). Organic farming does not have adverse effects on animals and people. Using biological pesticides and fertilizers does not leave toxins or harmful residues in the environment (American Progress, 2008). These types of pesticides and fertilizers are considered to be environmentally friendly, unlike non-organic farming. Non-organic or conventionally grown food is food grown with chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth. Insecticides are used to reduce pests and disease. Chemical herbicides are applied to soil to prevent and kill weeds. The animals are given antibiotics when sick. Growth hormones and medications are given to livestock to prevent disease and spur growth (Mayo Clinic, 2009). The two methods of farming are very different regarding farming techniques. Farming techniques are the main factor that contributes to a food classification as organic or non-organic. Organic farming techniques are one reason the cost is higher than conventionally grown food. Organic farming uses crop rotation (American Progress, 2008). This is growing one type of food, then harvesting that food and planting a different crop in the same place. Crop rotation helps keep the soil fertile. Organic farmers rely on the spreading of mulch or manure to keep weeds down (Mayo Clinic, 2009). Organic farmers may use methods such a hand weeding as opposed to using herbicides sprayed on the entire crop. Organic farmers may use beneficial insects and birds to keep pests from destroying crops (American Progress, 2008). Organic farming is much like farming before all the technological advancements in farming that is used today in conventional farming. Organic farming is designed to reduce pollution and conserve soil and water (American Progress, 2008). Either way a farmer chooses to grow food, the food still has to pass all standards set up by the United States government. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set standards all food producers must adhere to and pass whether organically or conventionally grown. Food must be safe before it is sold to consumers. The National Organic Program (NOP) develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. The NOP also accredits the certifying agents, both foreign and domestic, who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards (United States Department of Agriculture, 2010). The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) and the NOP assure consumers that the organic agricultural products they purchase are produced, processed, and certified to consistent national organic standards. The labeling requirements of the NOP apply to raw, fresh products and processed products that contain organic agricultural ingredients. Agricultural products that are sold, labeled, or represented as organic must be produced and processed in accordance with the NOP standards (Agriculture Marketing Service, 2010). If the food passes all the criteria, the food can legally carry an organic label. Labels are an important part of correctly marketing organic food. All food has to be classified and labeled before it can be sold for consumption whether organic or non-organic. Before a product can carry the organic label, it must pass all the USDA guidelines. Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients are considered 100% organic. Examples of completely organic products are single-ingredient foods, such as fruits, vegetables, eggs. These type foods are labeled 100% organic. These foods can carry a USDA organic seal (Mayo Clinic, 2009). Food that contains organic ingredients but also have other ingredients that may not be organic are considered 95% organic (Agricultural Marketing Service, 2008). An example of this type of food is cereal. Manufacturers and farmers may use the word organic on the product label if the food contains more than 70% organic ingredients (Agricultural Marketing Service, 2008). The label is not the USDA label but the manufacturer’s label. An example of this type of food is a soup that has a manufacturer label boasting it has organic ingredients. Foods containing less than 70% organic ingredients cannot use the word organic on their product label (Agricultural Marketing Service, 2008). The USDA issues heavy penalties for misrepresenting a product as organic. Natural food is not organic even though the two are usually within the same section in a market. Natural food is a term that may confuse people. Natural food does not have strict labeling standards set up by the USDA. Thus, many products can carry a natural food label. It would be easy to misconstrue natural food as organic. By definition, natural food is food that has undergone no or minimal processing and contains no additives such as preservatives or artificial coloring (Encarta, 2009). Natural food is the way the food is processed after it has been grown. Organic and non-organic food is defined according to how it was grown and then processed. The quality of food is still the issue for natural, organic, and non-organic when deciding what to buy. The quality of the food is one of the main issues between organic and conventionally grown food. The concern about conventionally grown food is if the food contains chemicals or chemical residue. Many studies have been done on organic and conventional food. Conventionally grown food does contain trace amounts of residue from the chemicals used in producing the food. Thoroughly washing produce with water and scrubbing before consuming reduces the residue on the fruit or vegetable (Mayo Clinic, 2009). According to the studies, there is no difference as far as taste. Taste is subjective to the growing conditions, season, and if a food is at its freshest point (Mayo Clinic, 2009). Taste is, of course, a matter of opinion. Something that studies can measure is the nutritional value of food. Many studies have been done comparing the nutritional value of organic and conventionally grown food. The studies have shown that there is no conclusive evidence to prove that organic food is more nutritious than is conventionally grown food (Mayo Clinic, 2009). The USDA, even though it certifies the food, does not claim organic foods are safer or more nutritious than conventional food (Mayo Clinic, 2009). An organic facts site states the following about organic and conventionally grown foods, â€Å"There is no evidence to prove that organic food is healthier than non organic food. People prefer organic food because they feel it is safer than conventional food as chemicals are not used in its production (Organic Facts, 2010). † Study after study does not prove organic food safer or more nutritious than conventionally grown food. Nutrition is not the only issue at hand. The controversy lies in the growing methods between organic and conventional farming. The issue should deal more with depleting the soil of its minerals and the chemicals washing off into the water supplies. The labels are added to organic food so that consumers have a choice. A consumer can easily identify organic products by the labels. When at the supermarket, look over the organic section. Do not worry that one fruit or vegetable tastes better than the other. Do not ask if one is more nutritious than the other. What should be asked, do I want to help conserve the environment? References Agricultural Marketing Service. (2010). Agricultural Marketing Service – National Organic Program. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://www. ams. usda. gov/AMSv1. 0/NOP American Progress. (2008). Organic vs. Conventional Foods-The Gloves Come Off. Retrieved January 13, 2010, from http://www. americanprogress. org/issues/2008/09/organic_green. html Encarta. (2009). natural food definition – Dictionary – MSN Encarta. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://www. encarta. msn. com/dictionary_1861696699/natural_food.html Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Organic Farming/Agriculture/US EPA. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://www. epa. gov/oecaagct/torg. html Mayo Clinic. (2009). Organic Foods: Are they safer? More Nutritious? Retrieved January 13, 2010, from http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/organic-food/NU00255 Organic Facts. (2010). Difference Between Organic and Natural Food | Organic Food Basics | Organic Food. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://www. organicfacts. net/organic-food/organic-food-basics/difference-between-organic-and-natural-food. html.

Grapes of Wrath :: essays papers

Grapes of Wrath In John Steinbeck’s epic, The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is the example of the working class family during the 1930s. The novel depicts the Joad family as they are struggling to move from an infertile farm in Oklahoma to the gold coast of California. They are driven off of their farm by not only the â€Å"dust-bowl†, but because they can’t pay the mortgage to the banks, despite their hard work. Work is a very important theme in the book. Steinbeck is describing a family whose livelihood comes from working on the land. This has two meanings. The first describes their jobs as farmers who are literally working on the land to make it produce crops. The second meaning however is much deeper; it describes the actual process that farmers such as the Joads go through on the farm. They â€Å"work† the land by cultivating it and treating the soil the right way. They put their own blood, sweat, and tears into the land. In return the land sprouts crops, which they would then sell for money. The land however is destroyed by the dust bowl and the Joads have no place to work. They are skilled only for the farm. This is the first idea that Steinbeck gives about work. He shows a family with a skill, but in a place where the skill had no worth. Al seems to be knowledgeable about fixing cars, but for the most part, the only way that the Joads have, or can survive is as farmers. This is a direct statement on what the Industrial revolution was doing to America in the time period. The jobs on the farm that were done by hand were becoming machine tasks. Steinbeck makes a very blatant statement against the machines that came about and blamed them for much of what happens to the Joads that force them to leave the land. Steinbeck doesn’t only use the machines as the machine that literally forces the Joads off of their farms, but also incorporates the ideas that the big businesses are using the machine to do the jobs of the actual farm families. Work is what the driver of the tractor had to do when he comes to remove the Joads from the land in Chapter Five.

Police Misconduct Response Essay

I would define police brutality as something that occurs when a police officer acts with excessive force by using the amount of force with regards to a subject that is more than necessary. By excessive force, I mean that the officer use more than the amount of force to get the subject under control. I feel that police brutality happens when an officer has the subject under control and then might hit the subject with a black stick, or use the taser gun on the subject. When trying to get a suspect to comply with orders given by an officer, the amount of force should be used in only the minimum amount needed to gain control of a situation. Police brutality is a direct violation of the laws within the police force. This is a form of police misconduct. The relationship between police brutality, police corruption, and other police misconduct falls all together. By this, I mean that they are all in direct violation of the laws. The relationship between the three is that they are abuses of police authority. Police corruption is the abuse of police authority for personal gain. Corruption might involve any type of material benefit gained illegally by an officer because of his authority. Forms of corruption could include anything form bribery, extortion, selling drugs and many other things. This is also considered a form of misconduct. I would recommend that the police officers who are found guilty or involved in any of these type of actions be handled with the highest actions necessary to assure that it does not continue to happen. By this I mean, strengthening police leadership, develop clear written debt policies and procedures so that it is known by all officers that this type of behavior are not acceptable.

Why Is It Important for External Auditors to Be...

Why is it important for external auditors to be independent? Relate your answer to the primary role of external auditors? By Zachariah Godfrey-Plews This essay has asked me to look at the importance of external auditors and why it is vital for them to remain independent. I will try and look at the many ways of the advantages of independent auditing from different perspectives for example the company itself, the general public and the state. I think it is important to first define what an audit and an external auditor to be able to answer this question effectively. Firstly an audit is (1)â€Å"an accounting procedure under which the financial records of a company or individual are closely inspected to make sure that they are accurate.† An†¦show more content†¦A independent review from an auditor of the companies accounts will have many benefits to the owner for example for example he/she will be satisfied of the workings of that particular department. This will mean that the owner will have confidence of where they should place their funds or research and development if they know for sure that there department†™s financial record are in order. This will then allow for the best method to allocate resources allowing for greater efficiency and overall the company to be profitable in the future. Also allowing for the report to be independent the report of the auditor will be true and fair in all respects. An independent auditor will also help keep staff of that company in check because of the fear that in the near future the accounts are to be examined and action would be taken against them if any irregular actions have been caused to happen. Thus the independent audit prevents this from starting in the first place and helps keep the staff in a moral check. A report by an independent auditor can also help in the process of borrowing money. As the report will have been done by an independent auditor it then becomes very easy for example a bank to trust this and therefore becomes very easy for them to issue a loan without time or delay. Also it may enable the firm to achieve a better rate than otherwise expected because they may be seen as a less risky investment. This can obviouslyShow MoreRelatedWhy is it important for the external auditor to be independent?1495 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Why is it important for external auditor to be independent? Throughout the years, banks, shareholders, possible investors and creditors always relied on the financial statements produced by a company. Since the management of a company is producing these documents it has been assumed that the managers may act dishonestly so that their performance looks better. To monitor the company’s performance better the directors along with the shareholders employ external auditors to check all these financialRead MoreWhy Is It Important for External Auditors to Be Independent? Relate Your Answer to the Primary Role of External Auditors. Give Examples of Specific Ways the Lack of Auditor Independence May Impact Adversely on an Audit.1648 Words   |  7 Pagesand Finance Lent Term: Individual Coursework Essay Topic: Why is it important for external auditors to be independent? Relate your answer to the primary role of external auditors. Give examples of specific ways the lack of auditor independence may impact adversely on an audit. In 2001, there was an event that had shaken the whole business world. The crash of Enron in US, followed by worldwide collapse of its auditor, Arthur Andersen. It was a greatest corporate failure uncoveredRead MoreWhy Is It Important for External Auditors to Be Independent? Relate Your Answer to the Primary Role of External Auditors. Give Examples of Specific Ways the Lack of Auditor Independence May Impact Adversely on an Audit.1638 Words   |  7 PagesTerm: Individual Coursework Essay Topic: Why is it important for external auditors to be independent? Relate your answer to the primary role of external auditors. Give examples of specific ways the lack of auditor independence may impact adversely on an audit. In 2001, there was an event that had shaken the whole business world. The crash of Enron in US, followed by worldwide collapse of its auditor, Arthur Andersen. It was a greatest corporate failureRead MoreThe Importance Of Auditor Independence On An Audit1473 Words   |  6 Pages Why is it important for external auditors to be independent? Relate your answer to the primary role of external auditors. Give examples of specific ways the lack of auditor independence may impact adversely on an audit. 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If the independence of the external auditors is impaired, the public will doubt the qualityRead MoreIndependence of External Auditor1203 Words   |  5 PagesIndependence of external auditor By:- shubham kanchhal Auditor independence  refers to the independence  of the auditor  from parties that may have a financial interest in business being audited. Independence requires integrity  and an objective approach  for the audit process. This concept requires the auditor  to carry his work freely and in an objective manner. The purpose of an audit to enhance the credibilityRead MoreThe Impact Of External Auditors On The Financial Position Of The Company1422 Words   |  6 Pages INTRODUCTION External auditors are accountants who work independently of a particular company employed by a firm to inspect their financial statements by analysing the performance of the company and presenting an audit’s report. 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What steps has the external auditing profession taken to minimize potential bias toward important users and thereby encourage auditor independence? ---The external auditing profession as a whole has becameRead MoreEthics And The International Professional Practices Framework1501 Words   |  7 Pagesrole of an auditor and their importance in the work force and what attracts me to the job and why I am interested in PwC and what I hope to gain from the scheme. What is Audit/Auditor? The Business Dictionary defines audit as â€Å"A systematic examination and verification of a firm’s books of account, transaction records, other relevant documents, and physical inspection of inventory by qualified accountants†. Auditors can be split into two different divisions, internal auditors and external auditorsRead MoreEssay about External Auditors Must be Independent1154 Words   |  5 Pagescrash of Enron in US, followed by the worldwide collapse of its auditor, Arthur Andersen became one the most popular accounting scandal where it is still being talked about even after a decade has passed. Following this scandal, other massive organizations like WorldCom (2002), AIG (2004), and Satyam Computer Services (2009) shared the same fate. Since then, there have been questions being asked on the issue of the independence of auditors being one of the major contributors to these accounting scandals Why Is It Important for External Auditors to Be... Name: Nguyen Thi Hong My Library card number: 33237972 Word count: 1304 words AcF 100 Introduction to Accounting and Finance Lent Term: Individual Coursework Essay Topic: Why is it important for external auditors to be independent? Relate your answer to the primary role of external auditors. Give examples of specific ways the lack of auditor independence may impact adversely on an audit. In 2001, there was an event that had shaken the whole business world. The crash of Enron in US, followed by worldwide collapse of its auditor, Arthur Andersen. It was a greatest corporate failure uncovered in business history. Follow the Enron-Andersen scandal, massive organizations like WorldCom,†¦show more content†¦Improvements in reliability of corporate revelation minimize the threat that an investor or a creditor will make poor decision if the information which is provided to them is inaccurate. The threat that is mentioned above is the information risk, that is present everytime creditors or investors use information to assess economic risk of any potential investments. The better the quality of the information, the better chances these users making the right decisions. It means the information risk is lower (Elliott and Jacobson, 1998). Moreover, when investors and creditors make preferable decisions on capital allocation for their self-interest, capital flows more freely to the most fruitful business entities, increasing economic growth, jobs and standard of living. Those are considered as social benefits from effective capital markets and, hence, social benefits of auditings contribution to effective capital markets (Elliott and Jacobson, 1998). In spite of this, the costs of audit independence incurred by the company directly (for example, monitoring adherence to independence policies and the cost of review of independence quality control during peer review). Some are incurred by regulators and profession as a whole (for instance, the cost of developing SEC or ISB independence requirements, and others by the clients (such as forgone the scale and scope ofShow MoreRelatedWhy Is It Important for External Auditors to Be Independent? 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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise – without prior permission in writing from Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India. Fo ISBN 81-7881-995-3 Ref. No. PMCS/A 01 2K6 31 For any clarification regarding this book, the students may please write to ICFAI giving the above reference number, and pageRead MoreEssay on Apollo Shoes Case33718 Words   |  135 Pages[pic]APOLLO SHOES, INC. An Audit Case to Accompany AUDITING AND ASSURANCE SERVICES SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS Prepared by Professor Cal Christian East Carolina University Professor Tim Louwers James Madison University Introduction We designed the Apollo Shoes audit case to introduce students to the entire audit process, from planning the engagement to drafting the final report. Students are asked to assume the role of a veteran of two-to-three â€Å"busy† seasons, â€Å"in-charging†Read MoreAccounting Systems, Internal Controls, and Ethics28179 Words   |  113 PagesOutcomes 4 1.1 Introduction 5 1.2 Accounting System Design 6 System Objectives and Design Factors 6 Designing the System 8 1.3 Internal Control Systems 17 Objectives of Internal Control Systems 17 Structure of Internal Control Systems 18 Why You Should Consider the Components? 21 Internal Control Principles and Limitations 25 1.4 Control over Revenue and Receipts 31 Internal Control Objectives and Strategies 32 Combined Document Flows and Related Activities 35 1.5 Control over PurchasesRead MoreFinancial Reporting Council: the Use of a Sector Neutral Framework for the Making of Australian Accounting Standards49538 Words   |  199 Pagesdevelopment of a single set of accounting standards for world-wide use. 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