Organically grown wheat and bread made from it are becoming more common on the market.
After approximately fifty years of utilizing chemicals in conventional agriculture, their health hazards are beginning to be recognized. Health risks to farmers and consumers from pesticides are the major concerns. Chronic exposure may cause neurotoxicity, infertility, dermatologic legions, immune system incompetence, and a number of pesticides are probably carcinogenic. The U.S. Council on Scientific Affairs estimated, in 1988, that approximately 110000 cases of poisoning and 200 deaths per year are due to pesticides. To demonstrate the seriousness of the effect on the environment, well water in 34 States was found contaminated with 73 pesticides. Nitrates due to fertilizer nitrogen also contaminated water.
Organic farming techniques are not harmful to the environment since herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, which may cause permanent damage to the earth, are not used. Diatomaceous earth is used as a non-toxic alternative to pesticides and fumigants. It is made up of crushed geological deposits from fossils and tests of siliceous marine and fresh water organisms, especially diatoms (grass of oceans and lakes) and other algae. Its small sharp edges damage insects on grain. Several tests conducted between 1963 and 1970 by the US Department of Agriculture concluded that DE gave even better protection to grains & flours than toxic chemicals like Malathion.
Spelt is a preferred grain for organic farming since, although it requires a balanced nitrogen content in the soil, it grows well without excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers.
Many feeding experiments have been done to try to prove the nutritional superiority of organically grown food.