What does it mean if organic food is no healthier than regular food?
Organic food is no healthier or more nutritious than regular food. But it is more expensive. That’s according to a study commissioned by the British government and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers looked at 50,000 studies conducted over 50 years — and found no significant differences in the foods. They focused on a wide range of crops and livestock raised and marketed under organic standards. The few differences they found were about the kind of fertilizer used — like nitrogen or phosphorus — and how ripe the crops were when harvested. They say these differences are unlikely to provide any health benefit to consumers. This will probably come as a blow to those who shell out a lot of money to buy the more expensive organic products because they think it’s healthier. Sales of organic foods have skyrocketed in the U.S. in the last 20 years; topping $23 billion last year.
