Bette

One thing I have to object to is your characterization of organic chemistry. Broadly speaking it is chemistry involving carbon-based materials. This terminology pre-dated the idea of organic food, which ironically can be farmed with inorganic poisons like copper sulfate. Hydrocarbon processing (oil refining) is in the scientific sense organic. The stuff comes from decaying living things and is carbon based. Assuming the compound derived are pure, it doesn’t matter whether your C’s and H’s and N’s came from oil or your backyard. An atom of C is an atom of C regardless of where it has been.

I do think we need a very healthy skepticism of where these ingredients come from. Creating fear by association is not the way to go, though. Crops can be fertilized naturally with cow poop, and if I use your logic, then these crops are tainted by cow poop. There are steps in the process between the raw material and the food item. If given the choice I will take real blueberry over fake blueberry every time, but I honestly don’t know what’s in artificial blueberry. We as consumers need to push for disclosure and take responsibility to understand what we put in our bodies. It is safest just to eat natural, absolutely, but we can’t be lazy and fall back on a crutch, either.