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Why Organic?

Why Organic?. Asher Brewing Company Boulder, Colorado Steve Turner and Chris Asher. Quick History. Why Organic?. Are organic ingredients better for the environment? Are organic ingredients better for the consumer? Are organic ingredients better for the beer?.

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Why Organic?

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  1. Why Organic? Asher Brewing Company Boulder, Colorado Steve Turner and Chris Asher

  2. Quick History

  3. Why Organic? • Are organic ingredients better for the environment? • Are organic ingredients better for the consumer? • Are organic ingredients better for the beer?

  4. What does ‘organic’ mean? • Doesn’t organic mean something that grows from the earth? • Isn’t everything organic? • What’s the difference between natural and organic?

  5. What does organic mean? The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), enacted under Title 21 of the 1990 Farm Bill, served to establish uniform national standards for the production and handling of foods labeled as “organic.” The Act authorized a new USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to set national standards for the production, handling, and processing of organically grown agricultural products. Producers who meet standards set by the NOP may label their products as “USDA Certified Organic.” USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) definition, April 1995.

  6. Quick history of American agriculture

  7. What does organic mean? Organic farming methods: • Don't use synthetic pesticides, herbicides and soil fumigants. • Don't use genetic engineering • Don't use sewage sludge as fertilizer • Do improve the quality and fertility of the soil • Do protect water quality • Do reduce soil erosion • Do rely on natural biological systems for pest and weed control • Do reduce the impact of agriculture on our environment • Do produce high quality, great tasting food

  8. What does organic mean?

  9. “A hundred years ago, beer was organic...everything was organic. And that’s what the whole craft-brewing revolution is about, is getting back to flavor, getting back to diversity. It’s just a return to the way things were traditionally done.” - Abraham Goldman-Armstrong, one of the North American Organic Brewers Festival organizers

  10. What does organic mean? Challenges as a certified organic brewery: • Costly certification/yearly inspection • Higher-priced ingredients • Scrutiny from public • No local suppliers in large quantities • Very few suppliers of organic malt • Very few varieties of organic hops • Difficult to spot buy ingredients

  11. Is organic better for the environment? • According to Cornell entomologist David Pimentel, "It has been estimated that only 0.1% of applied pesticides reach the target pests, leaving the bulk of the pesticides (99.9%) to impact the environment."

  12. The EPA attributes 70% of the pollution in our rivers and streams to conventional farming. U.S. EPA. “Pesticides – The EPA and Food Security” April 2004. http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/securty.htm

  13. Is Organic better for the Environment?Water Contamination from Conventional Agriculture • Beginning in 1995, the Environmental Working Group began testing tap water pesticide and herbicide levels in agricultural areas of the U.S. and discovered widespread contamination by several types of pesticides. The levels were remarkable, exceeding federal lifetime health standards in just a few weeks or months. http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/fullreport

  14. Is Organic better for the Environment?Water Contamination from Conventional Agriculture In a recent WorldWatch report, the “toxic brew” of pesticides, nitrogen-rich fertilizers and industrial chemicals are said to be creating irreversible pollution to our groundwater around the globe. Ironically, the conventional agriculture industry uses approximately 70% of our freshwater to grow its crops, and yet it is responsible for the most contamination to its own essential resource. State of the World 2007: Our Urban Future, Worldwatch Institute

  15. Is Organic Better for the Environment?Other effects from conventional farming: • Dead Zones in Ocean • Resilient Pests • Costly Clean-up • Soil depletion • Erosion • Inefficient Energy Use • Loss of biodiversity • Destruction of habitat • Species deformities Shown is a series of deformed American toads. A study by Penn State researchers, published in the July 9, 2002 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, states deformities in Pennsylvania wood frogs are linked to the combination of their infection by parasites and a weakening of their immune system caused by exposure to pesticides.

  16. Is Organic Better for the Consumer? • A 2004 analysis of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data revealed that 100% of blood and urine tests from subjects they monitored showed pesticide residues. Two insecticides — chlorpyrifos and methyl parathion — were found at levels up to 4.6 times greater than what the US government deems acceptable.

  17. Is Organic Better for the Consumer? In a joint study conducted by scientists from the CDC, the University of Washington and Emory University, researchers found that pesticide levels in test subjects dropped to undetectable levels upon switching to an organic diet. When the subjects switched back to a non-organic diet, pesticide residues almost immediately became detectable. Chensheng, L. et al. "Organic diets significantly lower children's exposure to organophosphorus pesticides." Environmental Health Perspectives, 2006. 114(2): 260-263.

  18. Is Organic Better for the Consumer? In 1995, and again in 2002, the USDA found that of the 12 most commonly eaten produce items and wheat samples, 73%-90% were contaminated by pesticides, even after washing and peeling. Over one billion tons of pesticides are used per year and over 20,000 are registered with the EPA. The EPA and the US Dept of Health and Human Services have determined that of the 25 most commonly used agricultural pesticides: • 5 are toxic to the nervous system • 18 are harmful to the skin, eyes, and lungs • About half are comprised of cancer-causing chemicals • 17 cause genetic damage • 10 are harmful to reproductive organs • 6 disrupt normal functions of hormones

  19. Is Organic Better for the Consumer? In other scientific journals and publications, pesticides have been linked with an astounding number of cases of cancer, birth defects, allergies, and other disorders of the nervous, neurological, behavioral, hormone, reproductive, endocrine, and immune systems. Carlitos, child of farmworkers, born with birth defects attributable to pesticides (PBP). Source: Sarasota/Manatee Farmworker Supporters Environmental Contaminants in Our Drinking Water, Breast Milk and Our Babies. How Worried Should We Be? Winchester et al, 2009

  20. Is Organic Better for the Consumer? • The Agricultural Health Study, a joint venture of several public-health agencies (EPA, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) has revealed direct links between chemical-intensive farming and both prostate cancer and retinal degeneration. • Children with higher urinary dialkyl phosphate concentrations,especially dimethyl alkylphosphate (DMAP) concentrations, weremore likely to be diagnosed as having ADHD. (Journal of Pediatrics May, 2010)

  21. Is Organic Better for the Consumer? A study in the Journal of Epidemiology suggests that exposure to some pesticides, especially organophosphate pesticides may increase the risk of developing Parkinson's Disease. Kamel, T. et al. "Pesticide exposure and self-reported Parkinson's disease in the agricultural health study." American Journal of Epidemiology, 2007. 165(4): 364-374.

  22. Is Organic Better for the Consumer? • A 2002 report published by the British Beer and Pubs Association and Brewing Research International, showed 23 organoflourine pesticides approved for use on malting barley in the UK. One of these is the fungicide quinoxyfen, which, when tested in the 1990s in varied dosages on dogs, mice, rabbits, and rats produced, among other side effects, increased cholesterol, kidney, and liver weights, loss of appetite and anemia. British Beer and Pubs Association and Brewing Research International, April 2002 • The Pesticides Safety Directorate’s 2004 report into pesticide residues in beer found traces of 30 different pesticides across 45 samples. Pesticide Residues Committee Reports, 2004

  23. Is Organic Better for the Beer? Simon Navarro, et al. (2011) "Effect of sterol biosynthesis-inhibiting (SBI) fungicides on the fermentation rate and quality of young ale beer." Food Chemistry. 126, 623-629. • A noticeable influence of the fungicide residues on the fermentation rate was observed in all cases • From day three onwards the fermentation rate was low (sluggish) in all residue samples • At the end of fermentation (eight days) statistically significant differences were found for the extract and attenuation values which were higher for all the samples treated with fungicides. • Color intensity and tint values were statistically different in the samples treated with fungicides compared to the (control). • At the end of fermentation, all fungicides had relatively high residue recoveries, ranging from 53% to 83%.

  24. Is Organic Better for the Beer? Robert T. Foster, II Ph. D. "Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Practical Applications in Brewing, Beer flavor Stability and Hop Antioxidants." MBAA-RMD presentation 11/08/2007 • Hop polyphenols and acids tend to be proxidative when chelated to transition metals; whereas "free" unbound hop polyphenolics tend to be good antioxidants and retardants • Pesticides cling to hop antioxidants (polyphenols), negatively affecting beer shelf life • Transition metals in pesticides and fungicides (many contain them) such as manganese (increases oxidation) and iron affect yeast performance and beer flavor.

  25. Asher Brewing Company believes organic is better for the environment, better for the consumer, and better for the beer. What do you think? “Solving the world’s problems, one beer at a time.”

  26. Resources Organic Brewing New Zealand Hops Limited: www.nzhops.co.nz/ Seven Bridges Cooperative: www.breworganic.com/certifiedorganichops.aspx Breiss Malt and Ingredients: http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Organics.htm Organic Agriculture Colorado Organic Producers Association: http://www.organiccolorado.org/ Organic Breweries The Big “O” – Defining Organic Beer by Brittany Dern http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/stories/craft-beer-muses/show?title=the-big-omdash-defining-organic-beer

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