An apple with an organic logo
Organic food may appear to be fresher and of better quality, but does that necessarily mean organic food is healthier for you? It almost seems as if the idea itself is psychosomatic. You just think it’s healthier because it has the term organic attached to it. The way the animals are raised and slaughtered, the fact that the farmer is local, no pesticides are used-These aspects seem to put a more personal touch to it. This may cause us to think that oh wow, I feel so much better and healthier eating an organic tomato vs. a tomato grown with pesticides on it. Although I had mentioned in my first post about organic food supposedly tasting better, there is virtually no evidence that organic food is safer or more nutritious than the other kind (Wente, 2013). Furthermore, the American Cancer Society states that there is no evidence that residues of pesticides and herbicides at low dosages present in foods increase the risk of cancer” (Wente, 2013). Many detailed studies conducted around the globe have come up with the same results: organic food isn’t any healthier than food grown conventionally.
Here are what some researchers and key leaders in the industry had to say in regards to the comparison:
“In our view the current scientific evidence does not show that organic food is any safer or more nutritious that conventionally produced food.”- Sir John Krebs, former head of the U.K.’s Food Standards Agency (Luik, 2003)
“Hundreds or rigorous tests have failed to reveal better-tasting properties or improved nutritional value, but have consistently shown that organic produce has lower nitrate and protein content.” – Anthony Trewavas from the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Edinburgh (Luik, 2003)
Katrin Woese from Germany’s Institute for Health Protection of Consumers examined 150 studies comparing organic and conventional food. No evidence was present to support claims that organic food is “nutritionally superior” because better quality plants are produced through the manure decomposition that is vital to organic farming” (Luik, 2003). With the exception of nitrate and protein content and in regard to all other desirable nutrition values, no major differences were observed between organic and conventional foods or contradictory discoveries did not allow any clear statements (Luik 2003).
As someone having a scientific background, and reading about lack of scientific evidence to the “organic is healthier claim”, it seems as if people who pay for organic food are really only paying for the luxury of the label. The same reason why people buy Lululemon, but with the difference being that their clothing is superior in terms of functionality, breathability and quality. (I can say this because I have worn workout clothing of different brands and go through rigorous workouts. My Lululemon clothes are the only ones that provided the most durability, comfort during movement and performed the best). I have purchased organic bananas and conventionally grown bananas. Needless to say, I didn’t feel any better or worse when I ate the organic bananas. My health hasn’t improved due to eating organic food, but rather exercising intensely and regularly and eating everything in moderation.
When dealing with issues of world hunger and the cost of providing food to the masses, organic food seems only attainable to people living in developed countries or people of an affluent nature who are willing to shell out the extra dollars. The reason why it costs more because the growing process is more labour-intensive. It may be considered better for the environment, but shouldn’t good quality food be available to people from all walks of life, not just those who can afford it? According to a consumer poll, “More than half of Americans think an organic label is just an excuse to charge higher prices even though more people are concerned about the environment.” (Huffington Post, 2013)
The bottom line how I see it: Save yourself and your wallet by skipping the organic food. It just doesn’t seem worth it. I am NOT against organic food, I’m just against the prices they charge and the claims made, but lack of substantial evidence to back up the claim.
Do you consider organic food trendy?
I have never set foot in Whole Foods even though there is one that I could easily bike to from my house.
Sources:
Huffington Post. “Organic Prices: Food Label Just An Excuse to Charge More, Majority of Consumers Say in New Poll.” Accessed: June 7, 2013 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/22/organic-prices-food-label_n_3133043.html/)
Luik, John. “Organic Orthodoxy: The idea that organic food is tastier or healthier is no more than an article of faith.” (Final Edition) Western Standard (1710-1026): 2007. Pg.: 49.
Wente, Margaret. “Organic tastes good, but better for us? No.” The Globe and Mail Accessed June 7, 2013
(http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/organic-tastes-good-but-better-for-us-no/article1344742/)
I eat it because it tastes better. I bought non-organic raspberries and organic, and they just had SO much more flavour.
Bananas and avocados, no big difference. Meat when I ate it, yes, a tiny bit of a difference. Milk yes but not a huge one… It depends on what you eat I suppose.
Although I don’t eat as much meat as I used to cut costs, I’m not sure I would ever pay the price for organic meat. I find meat already expensive enough as it is.
Regarding fruits and veggies, I probably should buy more organic to see for myself if there is a taste difference in certain produce. However, frugal me takes one look at the price of the organic and automatically goes to the conventionally grown product. lol.
Thank you for writing this. Organic has become more of a marketing term that is reaping large profits. There are so many places that have found no real difference, except for price. I have tried organic versus not, and some things have a taste difference, but not enough to justify the cost.
Thank you for appreciating the content in the article. I completely agree with you on the cost of organic food not being justified. I wonder if it will ever get to a point that there will be a high demand for organic food. Would it make organic growers think twice about the cost they provide to the consumer?
I don’t care about organic as much as I care about locally grown and sourced foods. I know a lot of businesses that do grow organic food, but the cost of being able to label them organic is so cost prohibitive (fees, tests, gov’t regs) that they can’t and/or don’t want to-because of the cost increase it will pass to consumers. I’d rather by from a local farmer who’s been growing food “organic” for long before “organic” existed.
I don’t know that organic food is thought to have a higher nutritional value. I think it’s just the pesticides on the outside of the fruit or veg – it’s hard to get off and most people don’t get it off completely, so they are eating chemicals. In reality, you are supposed to wash your produce as thoroughly as you do your hands to remove the chemical – regardless, I don’t buy organic. I buy from farmers markets etc.
I’ll be honest. I, myself and I’m sure a lot of people don’t wash their produce that thoroughly. It’ll just be a quick rinse, rather than a scrub.
Do these same research findings apply to meat?
They never mentioned anything about meat, only produce. I never thought about going into more details about meat, even though there is such thing as organic meat. There’s even organic beer. Great question. 🙂
I eat organic because there is a huge taste difference. I try to go to farmer’s markets in the spring-fall to pick up fruits and veggies and I don’t find the cost to be a problem. I also plan my meals, don’t eat out that often and I don’t eat fast food so I don’t find the cost to be a problem. At the end of the day I want to have some level of confidence in the food that i’m eating. I’m not obsessive with it, but it is a concern. Look at how everyone is looking. We are not healthy in the U.S. what we eat is a huge part of what’s going on. I enjoyed this post as it made me think. Thanks!
I really do not make eating organic a requirement in my life but I have one exception. I grew up in a farm and we ate a lot of organic foods but in addition, we milked our three cows. So that said I only drink organic milk because it is the only one that tastes like the milk I used to drink while growing up. Real milk.
I eat organic food for the environmental benefits and to have a reduced number of pesticides coming into contact with me. (Also, I hope the Wente you’re quoting up there isn’t of the Margaret variety. Her research has left me pretty concerned in the past after reading the source material.)
Organic farming retains biodiversity, soil health, reduces runoff that hurts lakes, avoids nitrogen depletion and usually has better animal welfare standards.
You definitely have to be careful with the organic hype – it’s an easy way to completely bust your grocery budget if you’re convinced you can’t buy any conventionally-grown foods. To me, local food is much more important than organic (and this is the benefit of Whole Foods to me.. it’s an easy way to find local products when I can’t make it to a farmer’s market). KK already said it, but I’ll second it! I’d rather support local farmers instead of big agribusinesses any day. Just because a local grower can’t claim organic doesn’t mean their produce is inferior; the government (in the US, at least) has made it quite difficult for small operations to meet the USDA standards to get that little organic label.
That being said, I do think there are a few exceptions to skipping organic. Some produce is pretty “dirty” in terms of being covered in pesticides and chemicals used in conventional agriculture, like zucchini and summer squash. I’ve found I can strike a balance – between getting some organic produce and keeping my wallet happy – by using the Environmental Working Group’s lists of “clean” and “dirty” produce. I try to buy organic versions of most of the foods listed on their Dirty Dozen list, but for everything else I stick with conventional.