DEL.ICIO.USFIT TO EAT
Are benefits of organic food worth the cost?
Answers to questions about the nutrition and health value of organic food
For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Food costs are rising, and consumers are starting to question if paying 40 percent to 150 percent more for organic food is worth it. There is a widespread belief that organic foods are more healthful than conventionally grown foods with more nutrients and lower risk of food-borne illnesses, and that they may provide protection from or even cure cancer.
• USDA Organic Food Program
• Nutrition links from American Cancer Society
• Environmental Working Group offers information about pesticides in produce
• Atlanta Farmers Market Guide
 Have a question of general interest? E-mail Chris Rosenbloom Fit to Eat columns
• Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., is a member of the nutrition faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University
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What does organic mean?
Organic farming excludes the use of chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and growth hormones in animal feed. While certifications vary from country to country, in the United States, foods that earn the U.S. Department of Agriculture organic seal must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Only those foods made entirely of organically produced ingredients can claim a 100 percent organic label. A food label that says “made with organic ingredients” contains at least 70 percent organic ingredients.
Do they have more nutrients?
A recent report from America’s Organic Trade Association claimed that organic fruits and vegetables contain 25 percent more nutrients than conventionally grown produce. This finding was refuted by a Rutgers University professor who claimed the trade association was selective in its data analysis and that there was very little difference in nutritional quality between organic and traditional foods. The truth is that we really don’t know if organic foods pack a more nutritional punch, but most scientists think that any difference would not be enough to affect your overall health.
Are they safer?
Proponents of organic foods were surprised when several brands of organic bagged spinach were found to be contaminated with E. coli and were included in a nationwide recall in 2006. While it is likely that organically grown foods contain fewer pesticides, drugs or other chemical residues, the environmental hazards, including risk of E. coli contamination, are found in organic and conventional produce.
A cancer cure?
Some people swear that switching to an organic diet cured them of cancer, but there is no scientific evidence that eating organic foods will prevent or cure cancer. The American Cancer Association recommends eating a variety of fruits and vegetables as part of cancer prevention and says on its Web site that “at this time, no research exists to demonstrate whether such foods are more effective in reducing cancer risk than are similar foods produced by other farming methods.” (www.cancer.org)
What should you buy?
The Environmental Working Group rates fruits and veggies based on pesticide residues, so you might consider buying organic when purchasing produce that it labels as the “dirty dozen” (see list). For other foods, buy in season for the most nutritional value, wash all produce under running water and scrub the outside with a vegetable brush. Remove the outer layers of leafy greens, and eat a variety of foods to maximize nutrients and minimize risk. For packaged foods, remember that organic might not mean healthier — organic potato chips are still high in fat and salt.
Environmental Working Group’s ‘dirty dozen’
The Environmental Working Group rates fruits and veggies based on pesticide residues, so you might consider buying organic when purchasing produce that it labels as the “dirty dozen.”
Peaches
Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Imported grapes
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes
—Based on pesticide residues. Source: For more information, www.foodnews.org.
Your turn: What organic products do you buy and why? Do you have a favorite place to buy them?
Comments
By Dave
Sep 9, 2008 3:26 PM | Link to this
As someone who works in the produce industry, I laugh about the whole organics "craze".
If people really fully understood organics, there would be a lot less purchasers.
I am not saying that it is bad, in fact I technically grow my own organic produce in my garden, and I love it. I'm not saying that organic production is bad, I grow my own vegetables in my garden, and they are organic, but just that it not viable. For those of you you like your apples, peaches, strawberries, tomatos, etc. Will you continue to buy them at $9.99/lb? Keep in mind that with organics, you can not produce as much per square foot, thereby making less production (economics 101 - Supply and Demand).
Also, Pesticide Free and Organic are two completely different things. I can't say that I in any way like reading about the amount of pesticide, and I am pleased that many farmers are using predatory pests instead of pesticides.
Do the research, and find out what it really is, and it might just change your thoughts as far too much of the Organics market is "hype".
By kathleen
Sep 7, 2008 3:52 PM | Link to this
All of my food purchased for home is organic, and unless you buy a bunch of processed foods, the cost is not that different for most things. At the same time as I shifted to organic, I shifted away from processed foods, so the price differences pretty much canceled out.
I originally went organic after seeing photos of farmworkers deluged by pesticides and other chemicals, and reading about their health issues: I did not want to be complicit in poisoning those people! Then, I realized that a lot of the organics taste better (especially tomatoes, strawberries, milk, OJ, ice cream), and when I read that wildlife does better in organically farmed areas, that settled it for me. I keep prices down by buying things only when they're in season, and avoiding the processed stuff (cookies, frozen prepared foods, canned soups, etc), instead making my own on weekends and freezing it.
Sure, it's a little more expensive, but relatively it's a small splurge to eat well, and how should I expect to be healthy if I'm not willing to invest in healthy inputs? I'd sure rather spend the funds on good food than on designer clothing or pricey cosmetics or casino visits, etc.
By Andy
Sep 4, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this
Check out www.localharvest.org.
It's a great site to perform a search on anythign organic. It will link oyu up with local farmers and retailers around your area!
By Andy
Sep 4, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this
When it comes down to it, think of all the chemicals you are ingesting when consuming conventionally grown produce. The chemicals have to seep into the flesh of the fruit or veggie and on top of that it contaminates the ground.
When it comes to meat, I would buy the grass-fed/free-range meat products. I buy free-range eggs, and I tell you they make the best sunny-side eggs ever!!! You won't be able to find a yolk that is as rich and creamy and tasty as free-range.
Check out www.localharvest.org. It's a great site! which allows you to perform a search on anything organic! Check it out!
By Skreet
Sep 4, 2008 8:16 AM | Link to this
Don't buy into the hype of industrial organic. I would read "The Omnivores Dilemma"
By Gigi
Sep 3, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this
We buy only antiobiotic-free, hormone-free meats and poultry. We noticed that oncologists tell cancer patients to stop eating beef, or to only eat meat that was caught in the wild and which contains no hormones.
By Steve
Sep 3, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this
I buy organic milk because it's ultra pasteurized and lasts a long time - tastes great, and makes superb homemade yogurt! You don't have to heat the milk up to near boiling and cool it again before adding the yogurt cultures. You just heat it to 110F, add the cultures, let it sit all day, et voila, perfect yogurt!
By fred
Sep 2, 2008 5:34 PM | Link to this
kam,
I raised chickens, the free range kind, and they DID NOT eats grass. They ate bugs, worms, seeds, and whatever cracked food we gave them, including egg shells. So, grass fed poultry is just cruel, if it even exists. The chickens would die long before they were marketable. Ungulants (cows) can live on grass only because they have a separate stomach just for bacteria to help them break down the grass. Think a whisley still or beer vat. Chicken gizzards are for seed breaking, not grass fermentation.
"Vegetarian" chicken is highly processed soy type food that makes the chicken something it is not (plus a waste of time). A vegetarian. Chickens are omnivourous, like us.
By kim
Sep 2, 2008 4:57 PM | Link to this
You wouldn't spray chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and growth hormones onto your family's salad, so why should you give them produce grown with those toxins? The standard american diet, also known as SAD, is unhealthy enough. On the rare occasion that something is natural, unprocessed and fresh, it is a shame for it to contain something unfit for human consumption. Let's not forget the toil these toxins take on the soil, depleting it of nutrients that would go into your food in future years to come. Let's not even get started on the fact that these toxins are leaking into every available source of water. The pharmaceutical companies, and the secret giants behind them do not want you to know that you can improve your health the natural way. They want your money. You know what the giants that run our lives want you to know. Sure, it's ok to eat pesticides.. it's cheaper and easier to grow and easier to profit off of the failing health regimen of trusting people- cha ching. www.shazzie.com
By Critic
Sep 2, 2008 4:27 PM | Link to this
In contrast to what kam says above, the Greenwise tenderloin at Publix has a distinct difference in flavor and texture from their regular Certified meat.
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