At the supermarket, there are usually two sections in the produce aisle. In one, all the fruits and vegetables, from apples to zucchini, are labeled “organic.” Often these products cost more than ones that look the same but don’t have the organic label. The big price tag can lead people to assume organic food is better than conventionally grown food. But, in the United States, the label simply means that the food has met guidelines set out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For instance, organic fruits, vegetables and other crops must not have been treated with synthetic fertilizers, certain pesticides or sewage sludge. Meat, eggs and milk must come from animals that have been raised according to specific health and welfare standards. Also, farmers may not treat these animals with antibiotics or growth hormones and must raise them on organic feed. Products with multiple ingredients must contain 95 percent or more organic content. What benefits the organic label might signify, though, has not always been clear. For years, scientists have been trying to tease out whether organic foods are themselves different than those grown conventionally. Research is beginning to show organic foods can be better — and not only for the people who eat it. Growing foods organically also can help the environment, new data show. Many people buy organic food because they think it’s healthier. But whether it is remains an open question — even after years of research and debate. A 2012 study found no real difference between organic and conventional food in terms of nutrition. Its findings appeared in the Annals of Internal Medicine. More recently, a team of experts in England and elsewhere came to the opposite conclusion. They reviewed all of the research they could find on this question. The team chose 343 studies for its members to analyze. They published their results in the July 2014 British Journal of Nutrition . Organic crops contain, on average, 17 percent more antioxidants than crops grown conventionally, they found. Antioxidants are compounds in many fruits and vegetables. They are not listed on a product’s Nutrition Facts label. But there is evidence that people who consume foods rich in antioxidants have a lower risk of diseases such as stroke and cancer. Charles Benbrook is an agricultural economist at Washington State University in Pullman. He also was an author of the British Journal of Nutrition study. And he is quick to point out that his team’s analysis does not mean all organic foods are more nutritious. “Every study reports dozens of results involving different nutrients. For some nutrients, organic might be higher. For other nutrients, conventional might be higher. And for a lot, there are no [real] differences,” Benbrook says. The study did not identify specific fruits or vegetables where the organic or the conventional variety was more nutritious. However, farming practices can have the biggest impact on nutritionally dense foods, Benbrook notes. “There are only modest differences in the nutrient profile of organic versus conventional cucumbers or lettuce,” he says. But, “there are big differences between conventional and organic berries, apples, tomatoes and other nutrient-dense produce.” His group’s study also found that conventionally grown farm crops are four times more likely than organic crops to contain pesticide residues. For many people, that’s enough reason to buy organic.
