The Organic food industry's 'Emperor has no clothes moment'

The Western Australian 16th April 2007 carries

Organic myths pose real risks to health
by Bettina Arndt

It was a natural food shop filled with displays of fruit and vegetables, baskets of wheat germ and other items pulsing with natural goodness. They sold only one brand of bubbly water, proudly labelled "organic mineral water".

Organic water? What on earth does that mean?

Mineral water contains minerals which are inorganic compounds, not the compounds of carbon required for an "organic" product.

Water can't be organic.

It's a nonsense designed to seduce consumers into believing they are buying something special. And the suckers line up for more.

The organic food industry is booming with ever more people deluded into thinking that paying two or three times more for organic food products will provide them with healthier, safer food.

Given the nonsensical claims being made about these food products, what is surprising is how few Australian scientists, nutritional experts, or simply people with common sense speak out about this subject in Australia....

Full text of the same article in the Brisbane Courier-Mail

The Pundits reaction:

At last an Australian journalist who's rational, and seems to have read and understand Dick Taverne's masterful The March of Unreason. What's more, it seems as if she reads CS Prakash and Agbioview as well.

Well I guess you could argue "organic water" is organic because its in a plastic bottle, but that would only highly the total inconsistency of the whole charade wouldn't it?



Postscript:
Bettina not the only one calling the Emperor naked. Nature Biotechnology titles a review of a book saying the same things, and even more as

• Toppling the organic house of cards.