Organic food is no healthier, study finds

[sactoking]

Link

LONDON (Reuters) ? Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.

A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.

"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors.

"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."

The results of research, which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Sales of organic food have fallen in some markets, including Britain, as recession has led consumers to cut back on purchases.

The Soil Association said in April that growth in sales of organic products in Britain slowed to just 1.7 percent in 2008, well below the average annual growth rate of 26 percent over the last decade, following a plunge in demand at the end of the year.

 

[Crusty]

So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

yup. never had anything to do with nutrition...so what's the point of study?

also, organic means a variety of things. Not simply how the food is produced, but very much how it is transported. what is the actual cost based on distance from farm/fuel used in transport/amount produced/etc to consumer.

"Organic" is a very nebulous description these days.

 

[Juddog]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

^^ This.

 

[lxskllr]

This gets trotted out by conservative leaning people every few weeks. AFAIK, most people don't buy organic for nutritional benefits. They buy them to reduce chemical intake into their bodies, chemical pollution of the environment, and for better taste. In many cases organic produce uses older, uglier, but tastier varieties of fruit/vegetables that bio-engineered food can't compare to.

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

They taste the same and you should always rinse fruit/veggies before eating anyway.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

organic carrot = mass farmed carrot
sans pesticides and/or chemicals, etc...
both carrots have the same amount of nutrients,
I just choose to have my nutrients sans pesticides and/or chemicals if possible.

 

[Phokus]

Confirming what smart people have known for years

Talk about self ownage, OP

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

They taste the same and you should always rinse fruit/veggies before eating anyway.

No, organic varieties taste better (not always, of course), and rinsing doesn't remove all the chemicals.

 

[jlee]

Organic milk tastes way better than regular. FWIW.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

They taste the same and you should always rinse fruit/veggies before eating anyway.

Rinsing has no effect on chemicals absorbed into the fruit/vegetable from the soil and water.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: mb


They taste the same and you should always rinse fruit/veggies before eating anyway.

Rinsing isn't that effective in removing chemicals, and what do you do about the chemicals *inside* the food?

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: JLee
Organic milk tastes way better than regular. FWIW.

Especially right from the tap! /motorboat

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

They taste the same and you should always rinse fruit/veggies before eating anyway.

No, organic varieties taste better (not always, of course), and rinsing doesn't remove all the chemicals.

I sure as hell can't taste the difference. Not worth the 100 to 300% mark up. And I doubt there's enough chemicals to worry about.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

They taste the same and you should always rinse fruit/veggies before eating anyway.

No, organic varieties taste better (not always, of course), and rinsing doesn't remove all the chemicals.

I sure as hell can't taste the difference. Not worth the 100 to 300% mark up. And I doubt there's enough chemicals to worry about.

wat?

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

They taste the same and you should always rinse fruit/veggies before eating anyway.

No, organic varieties taste better (not always, of course), and rinsing doesn't remove all the chemicals.

I sure as hell can't taste the difference. Not worth the 100 to 300% mark up. And I doubt there's enough chemicals to worry about.

This has been disproven time and again. You're shopping at the wrong stores.

And while there may not be enough chemicals in a single serving, add that up over the course of a few years of meals. Yeah - some chemicals you ingest your body accumulates.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: mb

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

They taste the same and you should always rinse fruit/veggies before eating anyway.

I disagree. At least for meats, the chicken that I purchase (organic/free range) are so much more tastier than the safeway variety.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: Juddog

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

^^ This.

I dunno I tried some organic apples at one point and...I wasn't thrilled. The non-organic ones seemed a lot more juicy and tasty to me.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: zoiks

I disagree. At least for meats, the chicken that I purchase (organic/free range) are so much more tastier than the safeway variety.

In the case of meat, the organic animals are usually treated better than they are from corporate farms.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: TehMac


I dunno I tried some organic apples at one point and...I wasn't thrilled. The non-organic ones seemed a lot more juicy and tasty to me.

Red(gold) Delicious apples suck regardless of how they're grown. Get Winesaps, Granny Smith, MacIntosh, or Pink Ladys.

 

[sactoking]

Originally posted by: Crono
That's what I'm wondering. No one I know buys organic food for increased nutritional value, but for better taste and no pesticides.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits

Originally posted by: Phokus
Talk about self ownage, OP

Yes, do let's. Show me where it is.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: Crusty
So they compared it only on nutritional value? What about taste or other chemicals found?

I guess you like the taste of bugs?

 

[joesmoke]

i would expect "foodstuffs" that are "fortified" with various vitamins to compare nutritionally...

 

[Saint Nick]

It isn't that it isn't healthier, its that its produced differently.