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Organic Food Value Debate

  
Written by Jeff Behar, MS, MBA    
 
More and more people are reaching to organic food believing that by eating organic food that they are doing their bodies good. But is eating organic really improving your health? 
According to information from a new stud conducted in Toronto and appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there is no data supporting the notion that organic foods are any healthier or more beneficial than regular, non organic conventional foods.


About Organic Foods
 
Organic food refers to food items that are produced, manufactured and handled using organic means defined by certifying bodies such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under its Organic Food Products Act. As of April 2008, organic food accounts for 1-2% of food sales worldwide.


Organic Food Regulations
 
Organic food production is a heavily regulated industry. Currently, the United States, Canada, Japan, the European U nion (EU) and many other countries require organic producers to obtain special certification in order to market food as “organic”. While the use of conventional non-organic pesticides, insecticides and herbicides is greatly restricted and only used as a last resort. However, what many people do NOT realize is certain non-organic fertilizers are still used. Most certifications also allow some chemical pesticides to also be used when producing organic foods. This means that there can still be several sources of chemicals used in the growing and management of “organic” food from production to market. In the growing and management of “organic” food from production to market.


Is Organic Worth the Money?
 
Constant debates occur over whether it is beneficial in any way to buy some produce organically.There are several studies that suggest buying organic is NOT worth the money.
 
According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health, the following twelve foods have the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume and buying organic here may not provide any real value for your money:
 
-Asparagus
-Avocados
-Bananas
-Broccoli
-Cabbage
-Eggplant
-Kiwi
-Mangos
-Onions
-Pineapples
-Sweet corn (frozen)
-Sweet peas (frozen)
 
The following are some of the “dirtier” foods, when it comes to chemical contamination from fertilizes  and pesticides use. There are many countries that are known for heavy chemical use during food production. Many of the following foods, when tested come up high in chemical contamination, both surface and within the food itself from these farming techniques, therefore paying a little extra money for buying organic may in fact be worth the money:
 
-Apples
-Bell Peppers
-Celery
-Cherries
-Imported Grapes (especially from Chile)
-Nectarines
-Peaches
-Pears
-Potatoes
-Red Raspberries
-Spinach
-Strawberries



As a minimum, consider especially avoiding tomatoes, strawberries, and spinach (from Mexico), peaches, pears, and grapes from Chile, fruits and vegetables especially apples from New Zealand.
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Nuwanee: There has been a bunch of research, especially out of England. There was a study published out of Newcastle University that showed that organic foods contained more vitamins and higher levels of anti-oxidants.

It’s tough to know what is due diligence reporting, and what is just spin from the media. It would make sense that organically grown foods are better for you, but there hasn’t been anything definitive and research studies can be manipulated so well to support anything you want.

All things being equal, I would go with the organic produce with the thinking that it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if you can spare the extra money to be able to afford it.
  • 06/20/2010
 
PeteBauman: first off, the labeling with organic is tricky. a food that is labeled “certified organic” has passed the rigorous guidelines for achieving certification over at least a 3 year period. however if a food is labeled “organically grown”, that food could still be contaminated with chemicals since they haven’t followed the guidelines for more than 3 years and residues might still exist in the soil and water. this is where the notion of organic foods still having chemicals comes from. the three year time period is believed to allow microorganisms time to break down chemical residues and eliminate them from contaminating.

it is also a misnomer that there haven’t been studies showing that organic foods are healthier. 1000s of studies have been performed comparing organically grown produce to conventionially farmed and over 50% report higher nutrient levels in the organic produce. Paul Chek demonstrates that the British Soil Association analyzed 109 different studies and found that the 27 studies that were valid all showed that organic produce had more nutritional value.

on top of all of that research, when you consider the state of health of the world given the current use of chemicals in farming and additives in our food, you have to wonder if the media and scientific community are being honest or even accurate in saying that these chemicals are safe to consume. we might not have found a direct link as of yet, but given the trends for both variables - the rise in chemicals and the rise in obesity and degenerative disease - you have to at least wonder…
  • 06/20/2010
 
 
 
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