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Organic movement
The organic movement broadly refers to the organizations and individuals involved worldwide in the promotion of organic food and other organic products. It started during the first half of the 20th century, when modern large-scale agricultural practices began to appear.
An organic product can broadly be described as not containing toxic chemicals (including synthetic pesticides, arsenic-containing herbicides, fertilization biosolids, chemical food additives, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, and industrial solvents). In addition to the absence of artificial chemicals, "organic" means not genetically engineered, and having not used ionizing irradiation, which can cause free-radicals and the removal of vitamins.[citation needed] For example, USDA organic restricts against such things, including genetic engineering in products or in the products' animal feed, and automatically disallows the use of GMO products as being labelled as Organic and allows the use of "Non-GMO" labelling similar to The Non-GMO Project.
In the United Kingdom, the term used with food is natural food.
The organic movement began in the early 20th century as a response to synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides emerging in industrial agriculture. Early advocates included Albert Howard, Robert McCarrison, Viscount Lymington, Edgar J. Saxon, and Frank Newman Turner, who emphasized soil health and ecological farming. In 1940, Lord Northbourne coined the term organic farming in his book Look to the Land, describing the “farm as organism” concept that contrasted “chemical farming versus organic farming.”
Parallel reform currents developed internationally. Rudolf Steiner’s 1924 lectures at Koberwitz (now Kobierzyce, Poland) gave rise to biodynamic agriculture, which became one of the earliest systematic approaches to organic farming. In Britain, Lady Eve Balfour’s Haughley Experiment (1939) provided the first side-by-side comparison of organic and conventional farming. Her 1943 book The Living Soil helped found the Soil Association (1946). In India, Sir Albert Howard’s An Agricultural Testament (1940) and The Soil and Health (1947) were widely influential, adopting and popularizing the “organic” terminology.
In the United States, J. I. Rodale popularized organic methods from the 1940s through his magazine Organic Farming and Gardening (1942) and publishing house Rodale Press. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) further galvanized public concern about agrichemicals, linking the organic movement to the broader environmental movement.
By the 1940s, “health food” stores had begun to appear in North America, often influenced by vegetarian, naturopathic, and Seventh-day Adventist traditions. Publications such as Organic Farming and Gardening, Natural Food and Farming (1954), and later East West Journal (1971) provided forums for advocacy.
In 1966, Aveline and Michio Kushi founded Erewhon, a Boston macrobiotic store that became the first major U.S. distributor of imported natural and organic foods. It helped introduce products such as brown rice, miso, and sea vegetables to American consumers. Other distributors soon followed, including Eden Foods (Michigan), Janus (Seattle), Westbrae (California), and Lifestream (Vancouver, Canada). These networks supported the expansion of natural foods co-ops and independent retailers during the 1970s.
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Organic movement
The organic movement broadly refers to the organizations and individuals involved worldwide in the promotion of organic food and other organic products. It started during the first half of the 20th century, when modern large-scale agricultural practices began to appear.
An organic product can broadly be described as not containing toxic chemicals (including synthetic pesticides, arsenic-containing herbicides, fertilization biosolids, chemical food additives, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, and industrial solvents). In addition to the absence of artificial chemicals, "organic" means not genetically engineered, and having not used ionizing irradiation, which can cause free-radicals and the removal of vitamins.[citation needed] For example, USDA organic restricts against such things, including genetic engineering in products or in the products' animal feed, and automatically disallows the use of GMO products as being labelled as Organic and allows the use of "Non-GMO" labelling similar to The Non-GMO Project.
In the United Kingdom, the term used with food is natural food.
The organic movement began in the early 20th century as a response to synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides emerging in industrial agriculture. Early advocates included Albert Howard, Robert McCarrison, Viscount Lymington, Edgar J. Saxon, and Frank Newman Turner, who emphasized soil health and ecological farming. In 1940, Lord Northbourne coined the term organic farming in his book Look to the Land, describing the “farm as organism” concept that contrasted “chemical farming versus organic farming.”
Parallel reform currents developed internationally. Rudolf Steiner’s 1924 lectures at Koberwitz (now Kobierzyce, Poland) gave rise to biodynamic agriculture, which became one of the earliest systematic approaches to organic farming. In Britain, Lady Eve Balfour’s Haughley Experiment (1939) provided the first side-by-side comparison of organic and conventional farming. Her 1943 book The Living Soil helped found the Soil Association (1946). In India, Sir Albert Howard’s An Agricultural Testament (1940) and The Soil and Health (1947) were widely influential, adopting and popularizing the “organic” terminology.
In the United States, J. I. Rodale popularized organic methods from the 1940s through his magazine Organic Farming and Gardening (1942) and publishing house Rodale Press. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) further galvanized public concern about agrichemicals, linking the organic movement to the broader environmental movement.
By the 1940s, “health food” stores had begun to appear in North America, often influenced by vegetarian, naturopathic, and Seventh-day Adventist traditions. Publications such as Organic Farming and Gardening, Natural Food and Farming (1954), and later East West Journal (1971) provided forums for advocacy.
In 1966, Aveline and Michio Kushi founded Erewhon, a Boston macrobiotic store that became the first major U.S. distributor of imported natural and organic foods. It helped introduce products such as brown rice, miso, and sea vegetables to American consumers. Other distributors soon followed, including Eden Foods (Michigan), Janus (Seattle), Westbrae (California), and Lifestream (Vancouver, Canada). These networks supported the expansion of natural foods co-ops and independent retailers during the 1970s.