Is Organic Food Better for Your Health? New Study Says No

Posted on August 4, 2009 in Consumer Goods, Holistic Remedies

A new study from Britain’s Food Standards Agency reports that organic produce has no nutritional advantage over conventionally grown food. The study has been received with outrage by organic producers and consumers, and some accuse the FSA of sloppy science. But the report raises the question, with organic products on average 60% more expensive, is the organic label just a marketing ploy?

The FSA reviewed 55 existing studies looking at the nutritional value of organic and non-organic vegetables, fruit, meat, and dairy. While some organic products were shown to have higher level of phosphorous and acidity and lower levels of nitrates, author Alan Dangour claims that the differences were statistically insignificant.

Critics say that Dangour downplayed the nutritional differences and excluded recent studies that did find an advantage to eating organic. They also point out that the FSA study did not measure the presence of pesticides and fertilizers, those chemicals banned in organic food that may have a negative health impact on consumers.

Says organic farmer Peter Kindersley, “Everyone I talk to just dismisses the FSA. They’ve taken a very narrow view of the issue — the nutrition debate. There is a much wider issue here — pesticides, the environment and sustainability. If the FSA really wanted to do something about nutrition they’d be shouting loudly that we need to go organic and move away from fertilizers. Studies have shown these chemicals have an effect on people but the truth is we simply don’t know the full long-term impact. Nobody wants to fund research. It’s a deplorable system that the FSA are trying to shore up.”

But Dangour maintains that when consumers lay down extra cash for organic food, they are wasting their money. He says that shoppers should focus on which foods would be most healthy and nutritious, rather than whether or not the food is organic. “I make my choices based on health and I’m a nutritionist. I do all the cooking and all the shopping at home and I choose what’s healthy for me and my family.”

Rather than settle controversies about organic food, the FSA has just sparked more debate, and more studies.