Is organic food actually any healthier?
Long before anyone made claims about the climate-friendliness of organic food, its principal merit was that it was supposed to be better for our health – nutritionally superior and without all that nasty pesticide residue. In reality, there is no consistent evidence that organic food is more nutritious than conventional foods. If you want to eat healthily, say critics, you’re better off eating those fruit and vegetables proven to be richer in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals than narrowing your choice to organic options. The benefit of organic food over non-organic food is negligible compared to the overall health benefits of simply eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, according to research published in the journal Crop Protection, 2004. Likewise, the consensus is that there are no measurable health risks from the small amounts of pesticides and veterinary drugs found in conventional foods. The government’s Pesticide Residues Committee found in 2005 that over 40% of all non-organ
