Organic food not healthier, says British
study
LONDON (AFP) - - Organic food supporters defended the
benefits of naturally-grown produce on Friday, after a report
suggested there are no significant health advantages from it.
In a study published in a US journal this week, researchers at
the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) found
there were no major differences between organic and
conventionally-produced food.
"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to
exist between organically and conventionally-produced crops and
livestock, said Dr. Alan Dangour, principal author of the
study.
"But these are unlikely to be of any public health
relevance."
And he added: "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."
Organic food, devoid of additives and produced without chemicals
such as fertilisers and pesticides, has become an increasingly
popular choice on supermarket shelves in recent years.
But it is typically more expensive than regular foodstuffs, and
as such has already been hit by the global recession, making
shoppers think twice about paying more for organically-grown
vegetables and such like.
The study, commissioned by Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA)
and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
threatens to deal a new blow to the organic food lobby.
But its supporters underlined other benefits of organic produce,
notably for the environment.
"Organic farming is a holistic, integrated approach which
conserves soils, encourages biodiversity, eliminates greenhouse
gas-intensive nitrogen inputs, conserves genetic diversity, and
brings more income to the grower," said Andrew Lee of the
Sustainable Development Commission.
"And is very probably healthier to boot," he wrote in a letter
to the Guardian newspaper.
Molly Connisbee of the Soil Association said that organic farms
have on average 30 percent more species and 50 percent more
wildlife like birds, butterflies and bees.
"Other environmental benefits are self-evident -- there's less
dangerous waste on organic farms and almost no pesticide use.
Artificial nitrogen fertiliser is banned in organic farming, so
there's less runoff of nutrients that cause algae blooms in coastal
waters," she said.
The British study was based on a review of all studies published
over the last 50 years relating to nutritional content and health
differences between the two kinds of produce.
