No evidence organic food has more nutritional content

but organic is better for the environment :)

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There are issues with organic root vegetables.  Parasites have evolved with the use of chemicals in such a way they pose health problems if the vegetables are not cooked.  Even non-organic carrots should be peeled if eaten raw or juiced.  It is too late to correct.  

I do not believe organic has ever really been much about the nutritional content, it is more about the pesticides which leach into the edible portions of the plants with standard farming practices.

I don't buy organic produce necessarily for the nutritional content; I just don't like the idea of consuming harmful chemicals. I don't feel very confident that all the pesticides are removed when fruit is washed.

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these are apples from a local tree, dont worry about pesticides on these babies.

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I buy organic foods on a regular basis because they haven't been subjected to harsh chemicals. It's not because I think they have a higher nutritional content. If I'm in the mood for non-organic food, if it's the only thing on the menu, or available at the time, then I'll eat it.

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I agree - while nutritionally, organic and non-organic break down the same, the difference to the environment make all the difference. My photos are of the carrots -- I grew those without pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, etc. In that sense, organic foods are 'better.' It's not always about nutrion. It's about doing what feels right and good.

We bought a quarter-share in an organic CSA last year; it seemed expensive at the time but now seems a bargain.  I don't know about nutrients, but this local, unpackaged, organically grown produce (delivered right to a church in our neighborhood we can walk to) seems far more flavorful than the produce--organically grown or not--from the supermarket.  Even our seven-year-old agrees; he's developing a taste for salads now.  Support a local farmer, buy seasonal and organic; consider investing in your local CSA if there is one nearby.

I agree that the enviroment and the consumption of chemicals is the main reason for going organic. Also, they taste a ton better.

This article is really silly. More can be said about this than I can type in this text box so go read Omnivore's Dilemma or Real Food or many of the dozens of others that talk about the benefits of organic food. Sure many people are using the label organic to make money but the benefits are huge. The argument that it costs more is also a bit subjective. We spend less on food now than we ever did. Look at food costs from 20 years ago. Also, look at the quality and taste. Eat from my organic garden and compare. You will never go back to mass produced chemical hybrids that are simply designed to not rot...

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I grow all our garden organically  more so I know what is on my food. I believe that the nutritional value of it is better due to the freshness of our food . If something travels 1500 miles,,,which I believe is the average something travels to end up at your table. It is not as fresh as if you buy something from your local farmers market or grew it yourself. It has to loose some of it nutritional value along the way...

I also buy organic when possible for two other reasons, one is the lack of chemicals, I just don't want all that poison on my food. The other reason is my experience has been that the organic produce taste better. Much of the conventionally grown food , that are grown on huge corporate farms are tastless. It may look like a tomato, but does it taste like one?

Grow your own food , and buy locally...support your LOCAL farmers!!!

This image is from the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market in Westerville, OH, one of 4400 Farmers' Markets in America.

This wonderful community gathering nourishes the day and features 20 local growers (organic, chemical-free, and conventional) and food artisans featuring baked goods, breads, chutneys, cheeses, infused honey, mustard, maple syrup, and non-homogenzied milk from pasture fed cows.

Home-made. Home-grown. Organic. Conventional. All Ohio.

Sponsored by the Westerville Uptown Merchants Association, the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market takes place each Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. from May 7th through October 29th at the corner of N. State and E. Home in the Church of the Messiah parking lot.

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So....a small scale test has "proved" that organic food is much better for the environment and no worse for the people eating it.  Sounds good to me :)

Oh and I didn't pay 1/3 more for those potatoes.  I grew them.  No pesticides, great taste and no food miles.  Unless you count 400 yards by wheelbarrow.

This article is completely useless. Of course organically grown produce doesn't contain more nutrients. Locally grown produce does. The sooner produce is eaten after it's picked, the more nutritional value. Not all organic produce is local and not all local produce is organic. All in all, local is really the best way to go. Usually, local farmers use less chemicals, or none at all. If you go to the farmer's market or have a share in a CSA, then you can actually talk to your farmer and learn more about your food than you ever could from the organic lettuce growers all the way from Cali. Besides, the carbon output from shipping organic produce all the way across the country kind of outweighs the environmental benefits of organic.

In theory nutrients of a crop depend upon what is available in the soil to be taken up by the plant. Thus large corporate farms putting down massive amounts of fertalize "could" in theory produce more nutrients than organic. The downside being all that lovely chemical you get as well.

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Photo taken in 2007 at Borough Market in London.

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good stuff!

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There are more benefits to eating organic than just nutritional content of food. For instance, children who eat organic fruits and vegetables have lower blood levels of pesticides than those who eat conventionally grown foods. Also, organic farming has la ess negative impact on the environment. But, yes, it is much more expensive. A great book: "The Omnivore's Dilemma", by Michael Pollan

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This beautiful fresh food is a fall share from my organic CSA farmer, no convincing me mass produced toxic laced foods are as tasty and healthy!

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In our home we choose to eat organic, locally grown produce for a number of reasons, none of which are because we thought they had a higher nutritional count. The national organic standards are applied to foods that are grown (1) without toxic chemicals, (2) are not genetically modified, (3) are not grown with sewage sludge and (in the case of organic meat and dairy) (4) are not raised in an inhumane manner. By choosing organic I choose to not serve my family food with these properties or conditions.

While this study might not have found that organic produce has more nutrients than its counterparts, what it also does not have are the higher concentrations of toxic residues found in chemically treated crops. Better to spend a third more on organic produce than on medical bills from pesticide caused cancers, etc.

Thank you for posting the outcome of this study.

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Why I buy/grow organic.

I'm sure as far as nutritional content goes, non-organic and organic produce and milk are just about the same. However, my choice to go organic as much as possible is a result of two things:
1. pesticides - I do not think that applying pesticides to fruits and vegetables is good for the people who will consume them. A good deal of fruits and vegetables come from outside the US, from countries who do not have the regulations that we have. They may say that they aren't using harmful chemicals but do we really know? DDT is still legal for use on human food products in some countries. Also, pesticides are not specific to one type of insect. We need bees to pollinate our fruit trees and other plants. Colony collapse disorder may be related to pesticide use. Without bees to pollinate organic versus non-organic would not be an issue because there would be no food, period.
2. Very often organic suppliers are also humane suppliers. I buy free range, cage free chicken and eggs when I can't get it direct from a farm. I drink milk that doesn't use growth hormones and whose cows are not kept in tiny stalls. These suppliers also happen to make organic milk. Plus, I think it tastes better!

Is it more expensive? Yes, of course. I simply cut out things that I don't really need like cola, candy, chips, cookies (unless I make them), frozen meals, etc. These prepackaged foods add up to much more than the extra $1 -$2 that I spend on pesticide and hormone free foods.

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I understand the point of the article. Food prices are high and it is frackin annoying to have yet another choice which is supposed to be "better" shoved in our faces at a slightly higher price. We can't help but feel jealous, angery, guily? And then this article tries to knock down the term organic on basis of equality in neutrition. That's fine and good but misses the point of what organic ideals started as. I think we need a more complex understanding of what we mean when we say organic. For one example of what I'm getting at: I'm more or equally concerned about the oil that is used to get food to me as I am with how organic it is. The point is consuming responsably and I believe in a responsability to the totality as well as my self.

I buy organic to stay away from pesticides not for a supposed higher nutritional content.

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