Frequently Asked Questions

Do you ever wonder what “organic” actually means? Certified Organic food is grown without most synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, sewage sludge, and GMOs or ionizing radiation often used in conventional farming. Organic farmers also implement other practices that promote soil health, biodiversity, water conservation, and a self-sustaining cycle of resources on the farm to achieve ecological harmony. Organic foods are also processed without artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors.

Choosing to eat organic benefits your body and the planet in a big way! At Tractor, we create Certified Organic, Non-GMO beverages that are free of synthetic pesticides, so they can be extra delicious.

Source: Tasiopoulou, Stavroula. “Results of the monitoring program of pesticide residues in organic food of plant origin in Lombardy (Italy).” U.S. National Library of Medicine, September 2007. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17763041.

5 practices banned when farming organically include:

1. Most synthetic fertilizers
2. Sewage sludge as fertilizer
3. Ionizing radiation to get rid of pests and disease in food, and prolong shelf life
4. Genetic engineering of crops (GMOs)
5. Most synthetic pesticides

Source: “About the Organic Standards.” U.S. Department of Agriculture. February 2023. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/organic-standards#Crop.

You may skip over the organic produce section when you’re grocery shopping, but what if we told you some studies show that organic produce has higher nutritional content and is richer in polyphenols with antioxidant activity than their conventional counterparts? These compounds from fresh fruits and vegetables are important in preventing cell death within the body that can lead to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other illnesses.

Source: Mayo Clinic Staff. “Organic Foods: Are They Safer? More Nutritious?” Mayo Clinic, April, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880.

Pesticides used in conventional farming, like glyphosate (found in Roundup), Atrazine, and 2,4-D have been linked to diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, ADHD, hormone and endocrine disorders, and Autism. Residues of these chemicals are commonly found in non-organic foods and groundwater. Buying organic food doesn’t guarantee that there will never be any chemical residues in it. Some studies indicate that when chemical residues are present, there are dramatically lower levels in organic food compared to non-organic food. While government regulatory agencies set tolerances for agrochemicals in food, there is still much to learn about the long-term effects on our bodies from eating low levels over long periods of time.

With an increasing body of data linking illness to pesticides, it just makes sense to choose organic when shopping for yourself and the people you love to avoid these pollutants for the environment and your body.

Sources: Tasiopoulou, Stavroula. “Results of the monitoring program of pesticide residues in organic food of plant origin in Lombardy (Italy).” U.S. National Library of Medicine, September 2007. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17763041/. Nicolopoulou-Stamati, Polyxeni. “Chemical Pesticides and Human Health: The Urgent Need for a New Concept in Agriculture.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4947579/.

Did you know that conventional farming allows sewage sludge to be used to grow the food you might eat every single day? Sewage sludge is derived from the processing of human and industrial waste that enters sewer systems—basically anything that is washed down the drain, flushed down the toilet, or drained from the washing machine in both homes and businesses. While sewage sludge contains treated human waste which can serve as a fertilizer for crops, it may also contain heavy metals, pesticides, toxic solvents, and other contaminants that pollute the environment and end up in the food supply.

Source: Water Science School. “What is wastewater, and why treat it?” U.S. Geological Survey, June 2018. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/wastewater-treatment-water-use.

Research shows that some artificial sweeteners like saccharin, sucralose, and stevia can change the composition of your gut microbiome and even induce glucose intolerance. If artificial sweeteners hamper the growth of good bacteria, you may wind up with an imbalanced gut, which can lead to symptoms like cramping, gas and bloating as well as a weakened immune system.

Sources: Javier Ruiz-Ojeda, Francisco. “Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, February 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363527/. Suez, Jotham. “Artificial Sweeteners Induce Glucose Intolerance by Altering the Gut Microbiota.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, October 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25231862/.