LONDON (Reuters) - Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.
A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.
"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors.
"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."
Ahaahaa, suckers! Organic food costs 2x as much, or more, with what benefit? It's not any better for you, and so what if they use pesticides or fertalizer? It means healthier, larger fruits and veggies. Often times, the biggest proponents of organic food stuffs, are those also concerned with the environment, and hunger/poverty.
Well, if your food is grown organically, say your corn, that means they are more exposed to pests and disease, and their harvest is smaller, because no fertilizer or growth stimulants were used. This means the farmer needs to plant more, on a larger plot of land, to grow as much food as he could on a smaller plot of land, when using fertilizer and pesticides. This means more water usage, more forest land converted to farm land, more time using gas run farm equipment, etc. So is it really any better for the environment?
As for the starving people of the world, if we are going to have enough food to feed everyone, we should take advantage of every scientific advancement that leads to higher crop yields. Who cares if a growth hormone is used, if it means feeding the masses?
Something to think about, anyway.
1 comments:
Not true. "Organic" farmers are allowed to use pesticides. One of the products that BASF produces is called "Surround WP", which is a pesticide that is qualified to be used. So is diatomaceous earth for instance.
As for fertilizer, there's blood meal, fish meal, manure, compost, etc. All are perfectly legal for organically farming. It costs a lot more because you get a lot more inerts per pound of actual fertilizer, but hey, its "organic".
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