The Chicago Tribune’s “Health Club” writer writes about the issue of healthiness relating to organic food. It seems like articles like this are in the news more often than people realize. So why are so many pro-organic advocates that I know – I was just talking to a few friends here about it – so surprised that there is even the possibility that organic foods aren’t healthier than non-organic food? Do they just ignore the articles with headlines that disagree with them?
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March 25, 2010 at 3:36 am
I’ll never forget the guy I used to work with who worked for years on an organic farm, which was owned by a group of people who also owned a non-organic farm next door. He said they would line up the apples, and put an organic sticker on the ugly ones.
That was in the 70s, but I still wonder to what extent it’s true.
I think ultimately you can’t rely on a label like “organic” to know if it’s better or worse. I think generally speaking, organic products are better for something (nearly every “bottom line” she mentions concludes that organic is better for either some group of people, the environment, or both), but I don’t think the only reason to buy organic is for health.
The other problem with this debate is that it’s impossible to disregard other factors. Her comment regarding cotton and its effect — “It’s estimated that as much as 65 percent of cotton production ends up in our food chain, whether directly through food or indirectly through the milk or meat of animals” — was particularly interesting and worth noting, because it reminds us that the benefits of organic cotton, for her example, can not just be examined by looking at the health of your skin.
I’m still not convinced one way or the other, but it seems fair to say that organic farms are more aware of how their process will affect the environment, and for that I’ll support them.
(I wrote a whole long response to this before I realized that I read your comments wrong…)
(Also… I’d recommend reading about fish farms. It’s incredible to see how much a difference there is between high grade farms and low. Specifically, check out How I Fell in Love with a Fish”, a TED talk by Dan Barber about fish farms)