Organic Food Is No Better For You Than Food Grown With Pesticides
In the biggest study ever looking at organic foods versus foods grown with pesticides, Stanford University researchers determined that organic food is no safer and no healthier than food grown with pesticides. Well, that is a kick in the balls to everyone who pays double or triple for organic food. This is why I don't eat fruits and vegetables unless they are potatoes used to make french fries or onions on my burger. Apparently organic food does not really guarantee there will be no pesticides on it in the first place, although the level would be lower. However, if you wash the food before eating there was no difference. There were no differences in vitamin content of the food. No difference in any nutritional data between organic and not organic food. Researchers went into the study assuming that organic food would be better for you, but it simply is not.
102 comments:
I'd like to know who funded that study.
Eating organic isn't simply about fewer pesticides on the plants, it's about fewer pesticides seeping into groundwater. I just had to groan when I heard this report this morning.
An article I read a number of months ago, pretty much said the same thing. The article also said there is no governing agency overseeing organic produce (like there is for meat, for example), so the farmers and store owners can say whatever they want, as there's no way to dispute it.
The lack of chemicals may not change the nutritional content, but still - no chemicals is better. I've never thought organic produce has a higher nutritional value.
I don't usually buy organic due to the price, but I get tons of veggies from friends' gardens, and had my own small garden when I owned a home. This year I took a plot in a community pea patch and I grew potatoes, raspberries, strawberries, and tomatoes.
i am kinda surprised myself- how would the use of pesticide alter the nutritional content? i was always under the impression that people used organic methods for other reasons- aside from getting less pesticide in your system. Like discoflux mentioned above, for the good of the earth itself. to stop creating pesticides as well....
"Researchers went into the study assuming that organic food would be better for you, but it simply is not."
Also, who funded the study?
There are a lot of reasons to eat organic. I don't even expect organic foods to be healthier. I would just rather support local small farmers, and I don't like the toxic effects of pesticides on the environment so I would rather buy foods that use no pesticides or fewer pesticides. Also, I choose to buy eggs from free range chickens and meat from animals that were kept in humane conditions because i believe we should respect the animals we use for food. I also prefer grass fed beef because most beef cattle are fed an unnatural diet of corn and OTHER CATTLE (cannibalism). We are also still on the process of learning what effects we are experiencing from eating animals given large amounts of antibiotics (theories range from autism, feminisation of boys and early puberty on girls, and less effectiveness of antibiotics against human diseases, among other things). There are many reasons to eat organic, including refusing to support the destructive commercialism of factory farms and the loss of small family farms.
What time do you want me for dinner?
Organic is also so expensive...
I meant to say: what time do you want me to arrive? I don't want to be the main course!
this is bullshit because it's not just about the nutrients.
I'd like to add that rinsing off certain produce will do nothing since the pesticide has gotten into the fruit or veggie. I will not buy non-organic produce that's on the dirty dozen list, for that I'll pay more.
It's also interesting that many other independent reports do say organic is more nutritious. There's also the matter of taste as anyone who has grown their own - organic is usually much fresher.
@Gladys - you're welcome any time! Sure I can find something else for the main course. ;)
OT- I'm coming out of lurker mode today cause i am freaking out..my mom is in the hospital with appendicitis, which i know is normal and happens to a lot of people but its my mommy and I'm nervous! could you guys send her some good vibes please?!
I find this study to be suspect. And for the reasons stated above, I will continue to seek out and pay more for organic, non-GMO, antibiotic free foods.
Organic food doesn't have less chemicals necessarily. They just use natural pesticides vs. synthetic. Often natural pesticides are less effective, meaning you need to use more to kill the same amount of pests.
Also, unless you're buying food from the farmer's market, you're most likely not supporting local farmers. If you're shopping at the supermarket (yes, even Trader Joe's), you're probably giving your money to Cargill, ConAgra, Kellogg's etc.
Darling Carebear!!! I heard your call yesterday.
I'm on it!!!
Hugs to you and your mom! Can u send me her name or initials?
Still plan to eat organic for all kinds of reasons as listed above--not just pesticides. If anyone wants to eat Monsanto genetically altered food after this study, be my guest.
Oy. And did they look into the long-term health effects of GMOs on the body? No? What exactly was this study studying, prevalence of pesticides? Lovely. Also, for those interested, if the USDA certifies something as organic, that doesn't really mean anything. They have a horrible track record. But there are regulating bodies that do take their roles seriously, such as the CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers). So if you are trying to buy organic, make sure you read the label and try to make sure that someone in addition to the USDA verified that it's organic :)
If this is true, my bank account will be much better off without all the Whole Foods trips..
@dia- her initials are KP (same as mine, actually i was named after her) thank you greatly..i'm on my way to see her now. She rarely gets sick and shes a very stubborn Irish broad so it took all my strength to get her to go to the emergency room this morning.
The article was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. I think it was a meta analysis of recent research meaning not a new study. Dr Dena Bravata was the lead research and is also an internist.
I haven't read the actual article but the review from Huff Post says there is a clear connection btw non-organic meat and antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. Read the article and not Enty's analysis. He's a lawyer blogger not a scientist.
Still love you though Entwood.
You guys are putting words into the study that aren't there. They simply looked at nutritional value. So for all the people who can't afford organic, they should eat their vegetables anyway.
Aww! rej - big huggles to your mom! She'll be fine :) I have a good appendicitis story for you guys...
When I was 23, I had gotten all waxed/groomed for a wedding weekend. The day after the wedding, I ended up going into the ER with appendicitis. Long story short, my anaesthesiologist was HOTTT. When I woke up after surgery to him and my mom standing over me, the first thing out of my mouth was, "Well, at least SOMEBODY got to see my wax job!"
My mother was beyond mortified. I didn't know it was possible for a person to turn such a deep shade of red.
Organic may be more expensive, but I think of it as an investment on my health. I won't eat GMO and prefer to keep junk like pesticides out of my body.
Meeting time for me :)
oh amber..that really cheered me up!!
I will send your Mom good vibes first thing!
@rejectedcarebear Sending my best vibes out :)
@rejectedcarebear - don't worry, your mother will be fine.
Enty, please provide a link to the source of your post. Furthermore, we all know that any study is void if the funding comes from a partisan group. And I smell a big, fat rat here.
Carebear - was thinking about you all day yesterday.
Sending the good vibes your way!!!
@dia, interesting info,
@ tara17 and @.Robert - ditto on questioning the funding.
I buy locally produced veggies and fruits.
First, this is a study of studies already conducted; not a legitimate peer-reviewed study. Second, this looks at the nutritional content of the foods, not their toxicity. The goal achieved by eating organic foods is reducing the amount of chemicals in your body and environment. I will happily tell you that organic foods taste MUCH better than conventionally grown foods and they are worth every penny to me. Thank you to all the organic farmers that work hard to provide us clean food while our government subsidizes those that pour chemicals onto conventionally grown crops and into our environment.
Thanks guys..you are all making me feel less stressed out!
Dia- really? Good things I hope!
I'll be thinking good thoughts for your mom, carebear--been there, done that. I had an emergency appendectomy 4 years ago, but everything turned out fine--they were able to do it laparascopically, so the healing time and pain level was considerably less than it could have been, and although I did need a couple of weeks of resting up to feel better, all in all it turned out pretty well. Here's hoping that your mom's surgery goes likewise!
(May I ask how old your mom is? I was 47 when I had mine; they told me at the hospital that usually appendicitis is a young peson's problem, and that it's not generally seen in people over 40, but then again, I never was normal, was I?
Isn't this old news?
Toxicity is a different matter all together.
One thing that I don't think anyone has noted is that organic farming is actually very hard on the soil. That's one of the reasons it is most expensive. In theory, it should be sustainable on its own, but it tends not to be. It will be interesting if they can find a way to overcome that.
Best wishes to rejectedcarebear's mom.
Yeah, everything Kathleen said :)
@carebear, positive vibes comin' you & your mom's way!
CB: Lets just say I felt the bat signal yesterday. Knew something was up, but not what.
Sending lots of healing to you and your mom. Remember to breathe! Glad you made her go! I hate stubborn relatives!!!! BTW - Now you get to be around nurses again...
Here's the link:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/09/04/160395259/why-organic-food-may-not-be-healthier-for-you?ft=1&f=1002&sc=igg2
And - as some folks have already pointed out - "organic" labeling has nothing to do with supporting local farms (which may or may not be using certain pesticides) or GMO.
Toxicity is addressed (and found to be the same if you wash produce) - the toxicity of food, not the groundwater that is.
Robin- my mom is 59 so that's probably why I'm freaking out a bit cause everyone I know has been younger than that. Thank you all again, so much! I really appreciate the well wishes!
Enty, after you tweeted about this, did you get followed by an organic food store in Arizona?
(I ask because, about a year ago, I tweeted a joke -- "I only eat organic food because inorganic food hurts my teeth" -- and was being followed by this organic food store within the hour. Obviously a bot that follows anyone on Twitter who uses the phrase "organic food.")
Damn you, enty! Now i want some french fries.
Pesticide companies? This is bullshit.
Enty is leaving quite a bit out...*L* I've read a few other articles about the study now, and I will continue to buy organic when I can. There are many reasons to do so :)
Whoever said upthread that USDA labelling of organic doesn't mean anything: ITA.
If Pepsi, McDonald's, etc., could find a way to declare their products organic (and you all know they would if they could), the USDA will stamp them as such.
There are already large companies (Kellogg's comes to mind) that already offer "organic" products. I throw a Michael K side-eye to those products.
It sure tastes better, though.
Carebear - please keep us updated. Just bc your mom is older doesn't mean it can't happen or that her prognosis is worse. I know of two people in their 40s and one in her 50s that had emergency appendectomies. It happens!!!
She'll be ok. So glad you can be with her today :)
Good luck to your mom, carebear.
I think the big thing to take from this article is that one can buy veggies within their budget and be confident that they are eating healthy, organic or not.
Personally, I'm more concerned about many urban areas not having good access to ANY produce.
@rejected... thinking of you and your mom. Everything will be okay.
@margaret - thank you for the link, I'm going to read that this morning.
Not you too, Enty?
No one eats organic because they think it's healtier. It's to reduce the amount of pesticides. It's poison that stores up in our fatty tissue (of which you and I have a lot of), causing god-only-knows what kind of damage long term.
And washing does NOT remove all the pesticides. That stuff gets into the the friut and veg while growing and can't just be washed off. Not to mention what it's doing to the environment.
I too would like to know if Dow or Monsanto is behind this study.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD HAS PESTICIDES SPLICED IN THE DNA OF THE FOOD. It doesn't matter if it is sprayed on the crops, IT IS ALREADY IN THE DNA OF THE FOOD.
AND OPIATES WERE SPLICED INTO WHEAT DNA IN THE 60s and 70s. HAVE A LITTLE COCAINE WITH THE SLICE OF WHEAT BREAD-Check out CBSNews.com.
The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) latest Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides lists the fol-lowing “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables as the most highly contaminated according to recent testing:
Peach
Cherries
Apple
Kale
Bell Pepper
Lettuce
Celery
Grapes (imported)
Nectarine
Carrot
Strawberries
Pear
Agent: the only thing I learned in statistics class was that you can prove anything with statistics!
I f'ng hated statistics!!!
Bullsheet!
I'm sure arsenic-laced veggies have the same nutritional value as non-arsenic-laced veggies...
Yeah, I don't think anyone thought it would change the nutritional content. Come on, people.
Sorry I just have to speak up since we own an organic farm and a conventional farm.
@surfer there is an agency for certifying things as organic. I can remember the name off the top of my head buti know there is a Q in it or starts with it.
Also I must say that they are allowed to use certain pesticides/chemicals on organic food.
It is good to wash your produce even if it organic because most of what is put on all produce is nothing more thank horse or chicken shit! Also if organic produce is on a truck next to non organic produce the pesticides can rub off and give false positives (we had this happen a few times, HUGE headache)
When you do buy from those large companies such as Cargil, Walmart and publix you ARE supporting local farmers. We have contracts with Publix and Wal-mart for certain products. I know we sell to Cargil, but they use it to make sauces. We have had contracts with Whole Foods in the past (they don't pay very well). If we did not have these contracts with these companies we would not be able to grow, farming is EXPENSIVE!!!!
Sorry, just had to fill people in on this, we have over 3000 acres so I do know a little about the industry.
This is a bullshit article. Of course eating produce that's never been coated with poison is better. Duh.
now this is f*cking disappointing!!!! What do we do now?????
southern,whole foods dont pay very well??????? they charge #0 bucks for one apple!!!!! bastards!!!! gtk!
meant 30 bucks
From someone IN THE BUSINESS:
Organic produce is still sprayed with chemicals. Bet on it.
Conventional produce does NOT equal GMO produce.
A good amount of "organic" produce is not grown organically - it is merely run through a certified organic farm.
The big stores that promote organic and healthy eating do so on the backs of the farmers, often paying them pennies on the dollar for their goods.
Don't be so self-righteous. Unless you are buying directly from the farmer you have NO idea what you are really getting.
@ rejectedcarebear: good vibes to you and your mom.
My boyfriend works in agriculture (on the business side) and echoed this same sentiment weeks ago.
Thanks for the info @southernbelle.
@Amber - I LOVED that story! Thanks for sharing. It's that everyone's fear that they'll be wearing the granny undies before the surgery.
Enty - I sense another Your Turn...
Like tara17, I too wonder who funded this study.
Food being certified organic is governed state to state, not by the federal government. California has the strictest laws governing being able to lable food, including produce, organic. Organic produce is grown in soil with little to no pesticides and the "chemicals" used for pesticides are all natural. When you eat organic produce the body has an easier time processing and breaking it down because it's so "clean". Eat regular produce and the body can have adverse reactions that mimic allergies. Otherwise, yup, totally the same.
@farmgirl totally agree about the organic being un through farms. One very large company has tried to do that to us. I dunno what materialized.
Also Whole Foods has a very strict process for accepting product, thus making them more expensive to grow for.
Also a TON of produce is washed in bleach water before being shipped.
Farmers markets don't always buy local. I was trying to sell to one in our town and they said no because they get all of their produce from a very large city (Tampa) which is nothing but a warehouse so they have no idea where the produce really originated. I know we have some customers who make us package our product in their packaging so people think it was grown there. Also all this supposed US grown produce, a lot is grown overseas. You are allowed to import a percentage of what you grow on US soil and claim it as US grown even if you ought it from a farm in Columbia.
@southernbelle - that's interesting. We have one really big farmer's market here, and for the most part they're all local farmers. We have a large Hmong population, so there are a whole bunch of Hmong stands and they just load up their vans & trucks and drive their goods over. Then we have a bunch of neighborhood markets that are definitely locally grown. However, I live in Minneapolis and MN is a pretty big agricultural state. :)
RCB- sending good vibes.
I was going to say...say what you will about Whole Foods but they are very picky and stringent about who they buy from and (at least used to) inspects all of their food sources. They are expensive but they do a lot of the footwork.
And Beth, organic isn't harder on the soil except that it leaches nutrients that are put back in with conventional farming. Organic farmers have to leave fields fallow and rotate crops in order to keep the soil fertile...one of the reasons it is more expensive.
I knew this. Besides, what does "organic" really mean? The whole "organic" label has no governing oversight.
Per Stanford University: The authors received no external funding for this study.
Source: http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/september/organic.html
^Lol!
Thank you to southernbelle and farmgirl for your insider insights.
I often give a side eye to "organic" labeling on produce. I think it's just a hot word right now in selling food much like whole-grain, no-carb, low-fat. But I'm just a consumer and it's just my opinion. Love getting inside scoop!
The primary value of organic food is to allow the purchaser to feel special.
That fact is quite clearly on display in these comments.
Yes, I agree with FarmGirl. I buy organic produce from only a couple of small stores in Toronto because I trust them with regard to their sources.
I'm amazed when I go into some major grocery store chains and their organic produce looks exactly like regular produce. Big tip off that something's wrong...
Organic produce doesn't look as good. Period.
With the smaller farmers, you alsoget a better selection of types of produce. You can get varieties of tomatoes that aren't grown by the commercial farming companies because these types are too delicate to travel long distances etc.
Did you know there is 60 varieties of wheat? The most we ever see is two or three kinds with Durham being the main one. Smaller farmers provide variety, and a lot of them to with without dangerous pesticides.
In the Niagara farming area, fruit farmers have a much higher rate of cancer than the general population.
Anyway, I don't think enough is known about the long term effects of many of pesticides what we use on food. Most produce, and all dairy, that I purchase is organic.
Susan - some is legit organic. It just isn't what the public perceives as organic but it meets the guidelines. Honestly I can't tell the difference between a conventional bell pepper and an organic one. Tastes the same too :)
Also with all crops you ave to rotate the fields due to the crop stripping the nutrients. I know during the summer we grow some grass thing that puts nutrients back in the soil when we till it up.
Unknown I never knew there were like 6 different types of ggplant until I married my husband. Crazy how much of a variety there is!
We barter with other local farmers who grow different items so we know where most of our produce comes from. I just can't wait for season to start up and I can get my fresh herbs again :). Makes cooking so much yummier.
Soil has much to do with nutritional value, ph needs to be done, crop rotation must be done or soil becomes useless. Remember the dust bowl? Organic does matter for use of less damaging pesticides. I have a 1500 sq ft garden, I never used a chemical. Companion gardening and hand killing of bugs is truly the only way to be organic. Permaculture should be the way of the future.
OT update!! My mom is out of surgery and everything went very well! I had to go home and deal with our animals but my dad is staying the night with her. Thankk you all for the well wishes! Even tho I'm 25, I'm a total mommas girl and she's my best friend. I'd be lost without her. Thank you all again, I'd be lost without my CDaN family!!
It's Monsanto and the genetically modified animals and produce that are the true monsters. It's too scary for me to even think about it.
RCB, I'm so glad your mom is okay!
Here's one way to decipher what you're buying: According to an infographic from wearpact.com based on info they compiled from plucodes.com that i saw and saved on my phone recently, a 4 digit code starting with a 3 or 4 is conventionally grown, a 5 digit code starting with a 9 is organic, and a 5 digit code starting with an 8 is genetically modified.
@rejectedcarebear *hug* :)
Good to hear, RCB. I'll keep upthe good thoughts.
Our farmers market has a bidding process every year. They give preference to organic, local, small family farms (which end up taking something like 75% of permits) then small, local, family (non-organic) then organic, large, local...and so on. There is a bigger one not too far from here that is likely large processors since it is a first come, first serve permit process.
Hugs to you Carebear!
Well wishes going to you and your Mom RCB. Not a fan of Whole Foods or as a friend calls it Whole Paycheck.
If you grow food in nutritionally depleted soil (through use of pesticides) then the food is going to be nutritionally inadequate. Monsanto has a lot to answer for. Crop seeds are now made "Roundup Ready" and have pesticides spliced into their DNA. Farmers are also policed so they can't save their seeds so they are reliant on Monsanto. I would rather eat vegies I've grown in my garden than the crap from the stupidmarket. All of our food is tainted in some way these days. We aren't eating food anymore, we're being sold food-like products. Give me homegrown or certified organic anyday(I realise Australia's organic standards are probably very different from the US)
Glad to hear your mom's ok, rejectedcarebear!
I listened to reports on this yesterday on CNN & NPR and I had the same reaction a lot of you had, which was "that's not why I eat it!" One other thing they mentioned was that non-organic eaters typically had higher pesticide levels than organic eaters, which is again what the point of me buying organic in the first place. And I can't always do it because as everyone else has mentioned, it's quite expensive.
I would totally buy that SOME organic farmers are being dishonest with their claims. One of our local supermarkets headquartered here has an "organic" division and other area peeps have questioned them about the location, etc. of their farms.
I just really wish we could actually rely on the government to manage this more effectively. I think I'm going to suck it up and buy from a CSA next year. I applaud all you guys that have your own gardens! I wish I had a green thumb! :(
there are two notorious differences: price and FLAVOUR!
To the farmers that commented, thank you.Enjoyed the insight .
Did they find that the effects on the environment (that we live in and where our air and water are) were the same too?
That is a bunch of BS. It's just the government trying to, once again, undermine the healthfood industry, so people will buy their crap products. I only buy organic foods. They taste better and do not have all the toxic pestisides that cause cancer in them. They, unfortunately, don't last as long as chemically touched foods...but who cares. I'd rather that than eat all those chemicals.
Rejected- glad to hear your mom did great in surgery!
My whole foods is not terrible expensive. Shopping for 2 people and 2 dogs, they each get either chicken or ground beef with dinner, For 3 days is about $270. That includes breakfast, lunch meat and some veggies or fruit, and some serious gourmet dinners (some of you may know I was once a chef). If I shopped at our local Safeway or QFC and tried to buy equally healthy and organic food it costs me around $350. Organic bell peppers at qfc or safeway are sometime 2$ a piece!!! Bell peppers at whole foods right now are $.99 a pound, usually 2 small peppers or one large or 1 medium and a small.
If I go to Safeway or qfc, or any other big box market, I would walk out with chocolate, candy, ice cream, chips. Because that is what I see and my brain wants. When I got to a local store like PCC, metropolitan market or whole foods I walk out with a cart full of FRESH meat (no way in hell is the ground beef the same at one of the big box stores), veggies from the local skagit county and lots of other healthy delicious food that I can eat and eat without getting overweight. As soon as I start shopping at the big store I notice I eat worse, gain weight, get acne.
There is not a study in the world that could convience me otherwise. I make the choice to spend more and get food I think looks better. But it isn't spending more if you buy in season and don't over splurge (that ice cream that is 3.50 for a pint, side eye to Ben and Jerry). I love food.
I only buy organic. Maybe those researchers should go back and test for pesticides and contaminants instead, and see what the difference is. I don't like eating Miracle Grow.
Post a Comment