Organic vs. Conventional in the News

[mum2sarah]

Anyone see this article? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8174482.stm
I really think this study seems to too quickly jump to the conclusion that organic holds no health benefits. I distinctly remember a study showing that children who ate organic produce had a higher IQ than those who ate conventional produce. Does anyone remember that? It seems to me this latest study does not make any distinction between adults and children, who may be more susceptible to the negative impacts of pesticide content in foods. Also, does it not effect our health in the long run if we pollute our soil and grow our food unsustainably?

[jeminijad]

Organic does not equal sustainable. It just equals following a list of USDA requirements to get the stamp (DEFRA in the UK I suppose.)

Do I think it is better than conventional? Sure I do. I also think that we are missing the point as we line up, wallets in hand, for organics that have been shipped all over the country or the world and have, in the end, only done our bodies a little good and the planet even less.

I'll take local, farmer to customer produce over organic-as-sideline of giant conventional farming comglomerate any day.

Soooo... I am not thrilled with the article either, but for different reasons.

[Elecampane]

Originally Posted by jeminijad

Organic does not equal sustainable. It just equals following a list of USDA requirements to get the stamp (DEFRA in the UK I suppose.)

Do I think it is better than conventional? Sure I do. I also think that we are missing the point as we line up, wallets in hand, for organics that have been shipped all over the country or the world and have, in the end, only done our bodies a little good and the planet even less.

I'll take local, farmer to customer produce over organic-as-sideline of giant conventional farming comglomerate any day.

Soooo... I am not thrilled with the article either, but for different reasons.

Ditto. If I have to buy produce at the grocery store--and I do my best to avoid that whenever possible and shop farmers' markets--I will buy organic things from the ewg's dirty dozen list, but otherwise I stick with local stuff.

And honestly I'm sure that a local, non-organic vegetable or fruit that hasn't spent who-knows-how-long in transit has more of its nutrients preserved than an organic fruit or vegetable shipped from South America...and so would be "healthier" for you according to the measure used by this study/article.

[NYCVeg]

I may have misread the article, but my impression was that they were only measuring nutrient levels. I think it sounds plausible to me that organic (especially "big organic") produce might not be more nutrient-dense than conventionally-grown produce...but what about the levels of pesticides, PARTICULARLY in non-organic meats and dairy products (which have around 10x the pesticide concentration of produce and can't be washed and which contain antibiotics as well). Did the study track health OUTCOMES in people, or simply, well, compare apples to apples?

This article doesn't convince me that avoiding the hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides in conventionally-raised animal products isn't a darn good thing.