To eat or not to eat

Organic food may be no healthier than conventionally produced food, a UK study suggests.

The United Kingdom, the world’s biggest market for organically grown produce, is stunned at a report funded by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) which claims that organic food is no healthier than normally grown food. The report states: “There are no important differences in the nutrition content, or any additional health benefits, of organic food when compared with conventionally produced food.” It must be noted that there are many organic producers from India who export to the UK.

The study was done by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) by means of a “systematic review of literature”. A team of about 50 researchers reviewed all papers published over the past 50 years that related to the nutrient content and health differences between organic and conventional food. The team, led by Dr Alan Dangour, says it is the most comprehensive study in the area to date.

“A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced crops and livestock, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance,” said Dr Dangour.

The researchers say they found no difference in the level of most nutrients, including vitamin C, calcium and iron in crops. The same result held for meat, dairy and eggs. Differences detected in levels of nitrogen and phosphorus were dismissed as most likely to be due to differences in fertiliser use and ripeness at harvest. These findings are significant because organic food is more expensive than conventionally grown food, and organic food sales have plummeted in the economic downturn as consumers have become price-conscious.

The FSA, which expected the storm of criticism from organic food advocates, says the report was funded so that consumers could make informed choices about food.

Criticism, though, has been flying thick and fast. Media commentators who have been among the prominent advocates of organic food have been quick to dismiss the report with headlines such as: “A cancerous conspiracy to poison your faith in organic food” and “Argument is about capitalism, not food”. Prominent organic lobbies such as the Soil Association have faulted the report for overlooking factors such as the impact of industrial farming on the environment and the harm caused due to pesticide residue in food. They say the study can’t be considered comprehensive because it doesn’t consider factors such as that organic food creates farm labour.