In developed civilized countries, goods offered by modern grocery stores are usually classified not only by their energy value, price and manufacturer, but also by how they were obtained. Unlike European countries, where the buyer is provided with clear information of this kind, in Russia it is rather difficult to determine the ecological purity of products.
Vegetables and fruits found on the shelves of shops in many European countries are classified into genetically engineered products, grown using fertilizers or produced with chemical ingredients, as well as organic products. Getting quality products from the latter group is a more complicated process due to the poor ecology of the environment.
The cultivation and production of environmentally friendly products is strictly controlled by special services, and they are recognized as such on the basis of an agreement that was signed in 1991 in Europe. This document describes the standards for the cultivation of organic agricultural products.
Organic food products are considered as such only if they are grown using appropriate fertilizers that do not contain harmful chemicals. In addition, such products have safe packaging, and in their manufacture technologies are used that do not violate the environmental qualities of the final product.
To determine the environmental friendliness of products, just look at their packaging. Products placed in plastic containers and plastic bags are immediately excluded from this list. "Clean" products are most often sold in glass or metal containers.
However, there are frequent cases when unscrupulous manufacturers issue genetically modified or nitrate-containing products under the guise of environmentally friendly. They are more expensive, as well as products that do not contain fertilizers and are natural in origin. As a result, the buyer purchases them with absolute confidence that nothing threatens his health.
Unfortunately, no devices for personal use have yet been created for the detection of GMO products. But you can protect yourself from buying vegetables and fruits that contain high amounts of nitrates. For these purposes, you can purchase a special electronic device - a nitrate meter. It is small, fits easily into your pocket and can be taken with you to the market or to the store. The device measures the dose of nitrates and compares the data obtained with the norms of their maximum permissible concentration (MPC). If the readings of the device go beyond the MPC, it is better to refuse to buy such products.
When buying vegetables and fruits, you should not chase fruits with a perfect shape and the absence of traces of garden pests on them. On the contrary, it is not the most ideal presentation that suggests that the fruits, most likely, are not genetically modified, when they were grown, a minimum amount of chemical was used. fertilizers. The presence of wormholes also testifies to the environmental friendliness of the products offered.
Do not try to buy early vegetables, berries and fruits, as large doses of various chemicals are often used to ripen them quickly. This is especially true for early watermelons - as a rule, they contain an increased amount of nitrates, often causing food poisoning.
Unfortunately, modern realities are such that it is very difficult to buy only one environmentally friendly and safe products. The thing is that their assortment is not so large as to fully provide the human diet, besides, their production volumes are also limited. The widespread belief that products from the market are better and safer than products from supermarkets has long been out of date. Most of the agricultural products sold on the markets are supplied by the same producers as those sold in large retail chains, while prices for it can be noticeably higher. In this case, it would be more correct to choose several manufacturers whose products you are sure of, and try to buy exactly their products. Many companies detail the manufacturing process on their websites to help make informed choices.
