For some reason, during the 1960’s and 1970’s the concept of organic food became a separate entity to the ‘normal’ food we were then buying. Consumers had been effectively duped into believing that what they were buying, was food as nature intended, it not appreciating that the chemicals which were added during growth of the ‘normal stuff’ were what actually made the food abnormal in the first place.

Rachel Carson, a prominent writer, biologist and ecologist established public awareness of these issues via ‘Silent Spring’, a book she wrote which basically brought about major controversy on the use of agricultural chemicals and synthetic pesticides in particular. As a direct result of this book, and the growing concern over the use of farm chemicals which consumers were suddenly more aware of, chemical regulation procedures were put into place, and when the demand for organically grown food rose, so did the need for further regulatory procedures to cut down on the ecologically destructive and toxic chemicals.

Today, organic food is finally reaching an all time high of acceptance from consumers, so its demand is increasing – more ‘organically acceptable’ agricultural procedures are gaining momentum, and it seems even though it is more expensive than chemically treated foodstuffs, it is healthier, and it is that health factor which is winning the battle against chemically treated consumables.

A creation of a whole new set of ideas about organic standards which first came into debate in 1990, took over ten years to refine to relative perfection, and they will still evolve as new practices come into force. It is by these standards now that, organic food and other products such as wool in the USA is grown/gathered.

All of this though begs the questions – why can’t farmers just grow food without chemicals at all, why does it need regulation, and why were chemicals introduced into grown food and other consumables in the first place; I think you already know the answer though, and that’s money.

In this modern technological age where farmers are in direct competition between each other to gain the bigger contracts of the supermarkets and other food retailers, they have to be cheap. They simply can’t grow the vegetables (for example) as fast as the grocery store can sell them, so they have to resort to other methods to keep up, or did do at least until the consumers voice began to ring out strong and true.

Organic food is no longer a small niche in the food desires of Americans; it is becoming what everyone wants. Everyone now wants and feels the need to eat in a more healthy fashion with the onset of so many new medical conditions which prove costly as it is; a little more expense to eat something grown without strong use of chemicals (which could ‘theoretically’ make it worse) might mean a saving health-wise instead.

The organic food trend of today is growing ever-stronger, and not just for vegetables even though at one point organic purchases totalled over 40% of all organic buys. Meat and fish which is organically produced is still at the lowest of all food purchases, but is moving up the chain too. Dairy, bread and grain, beverages and snacks are all becoming more and more popular.

Today there are more Organic supermarkets popping up everywhere, sometimes in certain areas more than others – almost as though people in one state are more ‘organic’ than others but on the whole it is more of a blanket change than just a few people trying to eat in a healthier way, the amount of people eating organically is far more substantial than most realize. Suddenly people have more choice, and this is obviously because the demand is there. The world is finally going organic, and with any luck the bigger grocery store chains will have to meet this demand, rather than flood the market with low-cost chemically treated alternatives.

When cultivate organic rice, the organic fertilizer has to be used to provide the needed nutrient for the crop, while field rotation crop and manual management are employed to control grass of the field. Also, tiny-net for incoming water is used in order to avoid grass seeds from coming. For the field pest control, herbal mixture of tea or manpower is used to prevent ampullarium insularum, and bacillus thuringiensis against pest and inset. Since Taiwan is located in sub-tropic area, it is mostly with high temperature and humidity and is quite difficult to control pest. Furthermore, as its land of farming is tiny and small, the size is not up to economic scale for farming; under small and intensive farming, the cultivation of organic rice is, indeed, a tough industry. With the aging of farming population, the industry, which needs massive manpower and time to tend to, is encountered with inevitable difficulty for its a prior cultivation and posthumous implementation. Also, harvest of organic farming would usually reap 60% of regular farming, rendering difficulty to the plantation of organic rice in realistic and economic terms. Not to mention there would be media reports from time to time about organic rice being polluted by neighboring field, or the ambiguous statement of so-called plant nutriment mixed chemical fertilizer. Of the these practical problems, it is difficult for farmer of organic rice to elaborate, and if relevant government authorities would not help to investigate it would only leave the general consumers to linger in loss in the myth of what exactly is organic rice.

As a matter of fact, organic rice does have its selling proposition, however, the significance of which to the entire natural environment and consumers seem to have lose it focus. For the field management of existing agricultural system, correct code employment of agricultural chemical, incoming agricultural chemical of raw material product as well as examination and control of heavy metal, and clean processing technology, it is absolutely possible that one can have processed rice today with agricultural chemical than regulated by government laws or standards or free from agricultural chemical. Besides, it seems to be more feasible and practical technologically than so-call organic cultivation, while consumers do not have to pay than times of price than regular rice merely for organic on the package. Nonetheless, no one can really guarantee you the so-call organic product you consume is truly as it is.

Using 21st century novel and green manufacturing technology, Yi Mei produces good rice as it uses supercritical critical fluid of pollution-free technology to conduct the processing procedure of rice cleaning under the pressure of supercritical condition over three hundred atmosphere in order to effectively cleanse off possible residual agricultural chemical and heavy metal, eliminate micro-bacteria, and insect eggs. Furthermore, it can efficiently wash off the residual crop oil on rice surface, rendering it to be wash-free rice. Using such high-tech rice cleansing skill from semi-conductor industry, it not helps to conduct new interpretation to rice safety and hygiene today, but also builds up with scientific foundation for processing procedures and product guarantee. From the raw materials to finished product, it is the certified business awarded with ISO 9001 quality management certification system among rice product industry of the country. Besides, under the supervision and control of analysis experiment laboratory of ISO 17025 (TAF) of national-level laboratory every lot of rice is found in 4.5 tons as a unit with repeated analysis done with raw material, manufacturing process, and product. And more than 92 kinds of tests of residual agricultural chemicals including organic potassium, organic chlorine amino formic acid salt are conducted as well as analysis control of heavy metal pollutions higher than legally regulated, such as silver, lead, cadmium, and arsenic are done. The raw material of legally cleared rice would then pass through supercritical critical fluid to further clear off possible residual agricultural chemical in the rice. As for heavy metal, it is further regulated to test of arsenic heavy metal likely from underground water, which is not stipulated for organic rice. Since the frequency of examination for product is given with greater supervision, and therefore, it provides with substantial significance than that of the certification of organic rice awarded by the government. As a result, what Yi Mei produces good rice offers consumers is truly better rice with thorough guarantee.

The introduction of organic rice into the concept of production traceability is a wonderful idea as it could help every lot of rice from the field to the dinner table with traceable record. Only that the government still has to work with its regulations and legal provisions for improvement; otherwise, thing like unqualified rice being taken off from the business shelves months by rice suppliers as a gesture months after government notice and gazettes would continue to stage. Surely, what happens subsequently does not seem to concern anyone, but then such rice is already consumed. Therefore, if production traceability is merely conducted based on the consciousness of rice farmer while the government does not conduct strictly the inspection and supervisal under its system of quality and food safety management system, incident as organic rice should continue to occur.

The incident of organic rice left with residual agricultural chemical only signifies that even with certification label it does not indicate it is free from residual agricultural chemical. As for residual extent of agricultural chemical not to the extent for alert, it wont not necessarily indicate that consumer can partake it with assurance. And it is not fair for consumer merely resorting to symbolic penalty against business suppliers who utilizes inconsistency to label, while the authorities in-charge-of that ignore existing problem are really overlooking the welfare of the general public. Yi Mei produces good rice exploits supercritical critical fluid technology to clean rice to ensure that rice is guaranteed with quality supervision, and the rice product manufactured under food safety management system would be of such Good Taiwanese Rice even better than organic rice. To some extent, it is definitely more meaningful than merely being taken in with organic as packaged on the bag, and consumers do not have to spend times of money than that of regular rice to buy such steep organic rice.