Organic Food Statement by Dr Mark Wahlqvist
From ‘Food and Nutrition 2nd Edition’ 2002, page 130.
Mark Wahlqvist: Professor of Medicine, Professor of Human Nutrition, President of
the International Union of Nutrition Sciences, with both food and nutrition
responsibilities in the World Health Association and the Food and Agriculture
Association.
Despite the popular usage, the term ’organic’ can be misleading when referring to
foods. All foods are organic since they are comprised of organic matter (molecules
containing carbon). When applied to foods, however, this term commonly denotes
methods of food production which have not employed synthetic chemicals such as
pesticides and fertilizers.
Organic farming relies on techniques of sustainable agriculture to achieve adequate
nourishment of plants and biological pest control methods to control weeds, insects
and other pests.
While consumers may wish to choose foods which have used different farming
techniques in their production, so-called ‘organic foods’ are not nutritionally superior
to the regular counterpart farmed by conventional agricultural methods. A study
comparing the nutritional value of potato, broccoli, cauliflower and tomato grown by
conventional or organic farming methods showed that for nutrients analysed, the
organically grown vegetables were not superior to the conventionally grown produce.
Similarly, the Institute of Food Technologists (US) concluded that there is no
evidence of a nutritional or otherwise health benefit of organic foods over those that
are farmed conventionally.
Statement from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
of the United Nations and the World Health Organisation (WHO)
Are organic foods more nutritious compared to conventional foods?
To-date, research has not shown that organic foods are consistently more (or less)
nutritious than conventional foods. A report from the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) indicated that in several studies, even when some nutritional
differences were found between organic and conventional foods, they were of minor
importance to overall health. Further work in this area is required for a definitive
answer to the question of whether organic foods are indeed nutritionally superior or
equivalent to their conventional counterparts.
Is organic agriculture better for the environment?
The main objective of organic agriculture is to achieve an ecological balance
between the soil and its natural inhabitants, food crops and animal life. For example,
the use of physical weed control (instead of pesticide and herbicide use) and animal
and green manure (crops grown off-season and ploughed into the soil prior to
planting), helps to maintain biodiversity and natural soil fertility.
Organic Food Statement by Dr Rosemary Stanton
From the ‘Complete Book of Food and Nutrition’
Organically Grown Foods. Foods grown without fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.
Natural manure and compost may be used.
Organic growing makes good sense in conserving resources, re-using materials and
avoiding pesticides. In practice, many large farms could not operate without modern
methods of soil enrichment and pest control.
Nutritionally, foods grown organically have very little advantage over conventionally
grown produce. Plants grow essentially for their own sake and absorb the necessary
nutrients to do so. If those nutrients are missing, the plant does not grow properly.
Tests on the nutritional value of organically grown produce show virtually no
difference in nutritional value. In some countries where high levels of pesticides are
used, organically grown foods would have lower levels of residues. In places such
as Australia, where only relatively low levels of pesticides are used, the residues in
ordinary or organic produce show no differences.
Organically grown produce makes good sense for the home gardeners. This group
tends to abuse pesticides and fertilizers, mainly because they are not experts in this
field and want to ensure their produce survives. A compost heap and a vigilant eye
for pests can be put into practice at home, whereas it may be impractical in some
large-scale farming.