Big Organic

Claim: The basic claim Pollan makes in chapter nine is that the word organic has become meaningless.  ”The organic label may conjure an image of a simpler agriculture, but its very existence is an industrial artifact” (137).  Though the word “organic” may carry with it a certain connotation, in all actuality organic farming is now an extremely industrialized process.  Qualifier: He does seem to limit the scope of his argument a little later in the chapter.  ”So is an industrial organic food chain finally a contradiction in terms?  It’s hard to escape the conclusion that it is.  Of course it is possible to live with contradictions, at least for a time, and sometimes it is necessary or worthwhile.” (183).  Thus, his claim does not entail everything within the organic industry, as it does exist with some contradictions, but as he stated earlier, organic food is probably healthier and generally tastes better.Grounds: “The inspiration for organic was to find a way to feed ourselves more in keeping with the logic of nature, to build a food system that looked more like an ecosystem that would draw its fertility and energy from the sun [...] As in so many other realms, nature’s logic has proven no match for the logic of capitalism” (183-184).  Our society has failed to uphold the basic meaning of organic, and therefore the word is meaningless. Warrants: “Compared to conventional chickens, I was told, these organic birds have it pretty good” (172).  Through this specific, sarcastic statement, Pollan makes the more general warrant that organic farming should be operated differently than conventional, but unfortunately is not.Backing: “Seldom if ever stepped upon, the chicken-house lawn is scrupulously maintained nevertheless, to honor an ideal nobody wants to admit has now become something of a joke, an empty pastoral conceit” (173).  This backs the idea that the chickens are not treated specially, and thus some of the differences between conventional and organic farming are subtle to say the least.Evidence: “They get a few more square inches of living space per bird (though it was hard to see how they could be packed together much more tightly), and because there are no hormones or anti-biotics in their feed to accelerate growth, they get to live a few days longer” (172).  As he traveled to Petluma Poultry as well as conventional farms himself, this statement provides evidence that the treatment of the chickens hardly varied at all.  In many ways the organic label is entirely meaningless, but this sort of “special” treatment allows them to say otherwise.Rebuttal: “Better for what?  If the answer is ‘for my health’ the answer, again, is probably–but not automatically” (177).  Pollan goes on to say that it would be very difficult to scientifically prove organic food was healthier than that conventionally produced.  Though there have been some studies done praising the health benefits of eating organic food, one cannot assume healthiness based on a label.  Many foods certified as “organic” have still been heavily processed or have traveled long distances, losing much of their nutritional value.