Should you buy organic food?

Organic food is often touted as the best food there is. People think it’s healthier, safer, and better for you. Companies use it as a selling point to promote their product as superior to others. 

But what does the organic label actually mean? And is it really better for you?

What does organic mean?

Organic farming means no artificial pesticides or fertilisers are used and that the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are avoided. It usually also means that other farming techniques are used to maintain the soil quality and control pests. 

A product can be labelled as organic if at least 95% of the ingredients are from organic agricultural practices. This title is protected by and it is illegal to label something as organic when it’s not. 

Bear in mind that organic doesn’t mean the food is pesticide or fertiliser free. It means that only certain chemicals can be used. (You can scroll to the links at the bottom to see the approved pesticide and fertiliser lists).

Is organic food more nutritious?

Some people’s reasoning for buying organic food is that they believe it contains more nutrients and is therefore healthier. 

It is hard to find a perfect research study that will consider all the factors that go into organic farming and food production, so you may have seen conflicting results out there.

For example, a research paper found that there is no significant difference between the nutrients in organic vs non-organic produce. While another paper found that organic produce has 5% more mineral content than normal methods. Minerals are things like magnesium and calcium, and we need them in small amounts to keep our bodies functioning. 

Even if some organic fruits and vegetables have a slightly higher nutritional content, this doesn’t automatically translate to any extra health benefits.

Organic milk and chicken have been found to have more omega 3 fatty acids. Fatty acids are great for your heart and brain health. But this increase in fatty acids in organic animal products isn’t enough to have an effect on human health. 

So, buying organic meat and dairy products isn’t more nutritious.

To summarise, there is no meaningful nutritional difference between organic and non-organic foods. Buying organic foods doesn’t mean you’ll be healthier.

Are organic foods lower in pesticides?

You may have heard of the ‘dirty dozen’ or the ‘clean fifteen’ which are annual releases that have a list of fruit and vegetables. The idea is that the ‘dirty dozen’ is produce that you should buy organic and the ‘clean fifteen’ are ones that can be bought non-organic. This is due to the pesticide residue left on them and the fear that it is harmful. 

Don’t even get me started on the use of the word ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’ to describe foods. 

Organic produce has been found to have 30% less pesticide residue than conventional products. But how much pesticide residue is there on foods anyway, and does it cause harm?

With something like this, it’s important to remember that the dose makes the poison. 

An average adult woman could eat 850 apples in one day and there would be no harmful effects from the pesticide residue. An average adult man could eat 635 serving of strawberries in a day and there would be no effect on his health, even if the strawberries had the highest level of pesticide residue ever recorded. 

As you can see, you could eat colossal amounts of fruit and veg on the ‘dirty dozen’ list and there would be no harmful effect on your health. Simply having pesticide residue on your produce doesn’t mean it will have a negative effect on your health. 

There is a lot of fearmongering out there. For more reliable information about pesticides you should check out @foodsciencebabe on Instagram who is a food scientist. 

Why does organic food cost more?

It’s no secret that organic food is more expensive than conventionally grown foods. This is because the farming process is more labour intensive and there is less product grown in each harvest. To cover the costs of this, the price is often double its non-organic counterpart. 

If you're able to afford organic food, then by all means buy it. But if not then I think you should prioritise a healthy balanced diet instead. Getting a variety of fruit and veg, wholegrain carbohydrate sources and lean protein options into your diet will be of a greater benefit than buying organic when you can't afford to.

 

If you enjoy eating organic food and it’s accessible for you, then by all means continue eating it! 

This blog post isn’t meant to put you off or stop you buying what you want. It is just to inform you that organic food might not be as healthy as you thought it was, and that there is no pressure to spend more money on organic foods because you think it’s better. 

It’s more important to have a balanced healthy diet and if buying non-organic means that that is more achievable for you then continue doing it!

I've got a post about misleading food marketing and how we might need to look a bit closer to the labelling to make sure we’re getting what we think. While the organic label has legal requirements in order for it to be used, other marketing terms don’t, and it can be tricky to navigate them. You can read that blog post here.

Key points:

• Organic means no artificial pesticides or fertilisers were used in the production of the food. It doesn't mean the food is pesticide free.
• There's no significant difference in the nutrition of organic food and non-organic food.
• Organic food does have lower pesticide residue than non-organic food. But the amount of pesticide in non-organic food isn't a high enough level for concern.
• Organic food costs more because it's a less efficient way to grow food, so more labour is needed.
• If money is tight. it's more important to focus on a healthy balanced diet instead of buying organic foods. 

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Bye for now! 👋

References:

Organic definition https://www.gov.uk/guidance/organic-food-labelling-rules and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/organic-farming-how-to-get-certification-and-apply-for-funding and https://www.soilassociation.org/farmers-growers/technicalinformation/approved-inputs-for-organic-farms/

Organic approved fertilisers and pesticides: https://www.soilassociation.org/farmers-growers/technicalinformation/approved-inputs-for-organic-farms/

Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives? A Systematic Review (2012) by Smith-Spangler et al https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/full/10.7326/0003-4819-157-5-201209040-00007#t1-7

Evaluation of the Micronutrient Composition of Plant Foods Produced by Organic and Conventional Agricultural Methods (2011) by Hunter et al https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408391003721701?needAccess=true

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2017.1394815?needAccess=true

Pesticide residue on produce: https://www.safefruitsandveggies.com/calculate/#