5 Common Questions About Organic Food

There has been much hype about organic food. In 1939, Lord Northbourne coined the term organic farming in his book Look to the Land (1940), out of his conception of “the farm as organism,” to describe a holistic, ecologically-balanced approach to farming—in contrast to what he called chemical farming, which relied on “imported fertility” and “cannot be self-sufficient nor an organic whole.”

IS ORGANIC FOOD WORTH THE EXTRA COST?

The short answer is yes, but it’s complicated. As anyone who’s been to Whole Foods (endearingly nicknamed Whole Paycheck by detractors and fans alike) can tell you, organic products cost more—according to a 2006 study in the Journal of Food Science, an average of to percent to 40 percent more for typical items.

And while a thinner wallet is a small price to pay for protecting yourself from pesticides and fertilizers, some organic food is almost nutritionally identical to its conventional counterpart. Take, for example, onion: according to an extensive analysis by the Environmental Working Group, it’s got the lowest pesticide load of all the 45 fruits and vegetables they tested. Also on the produce honor roll are avocados and asparagus. Check out the Organic Food Chart to see how your favorite fruit fares under the pressures of industrial agriculture,

IS ORGANIC FOOD BETTER FOR ME?

Yes and no. For every study that says organic food has higher concentrations of nutrients, there’s another one that denies it. Researchers at the University of California at Davis found that organic kiwis had substantially more disease-fighting polyphenols than conventionally grown kiwis. Problem is, the same team of researchers found the opposite to be true of organic tomatoes—that organically grown tomatoes may have lower levels of antioxidants.

IS ORGANIC FOOD FARMING BETTER FOR THE EARTH?

In many respects, this may be the biggest reason to go organic. In fact, the certification criteria of the National Organic Standards Board specifically outline that organic food must be grown with methods that promote biodiversity, minimize pollution, and use cultural, biological, and mechanical methods of agriculture in place of synthetic materials.

This goes beyond cutting out pesticides and fertilizers that can be harmful to people and animals; it involves methods that actually improve the soil—for those agrophiles out there, this means using cover crops, manure, and crop rotations to fertilize; grazing animals on mixed forage pastures; using renewable resources; and conserving soil and water.

But there are two sides to that coin of the Organic Food debate. Researchers at the University of Alberta found that the environmental cost of greenhouse gas emitted to transport organically grown produce was comparable to the environmental cost to transport conventional fruit and vegetables. Your best bet: Head to the organic farmers’ market

While smaller farms don’t always have the means to obtain official organic certification, you’ll often find, after chatting with the farmers, that they use sustainable, healthy, environmentally friendly growing and transporting methods that are as good for the planet as they are for your palate.

ARE ORGANIC PACKAGED FOODS HEALTHIER FOR ME?

When it comes to packaged and processed foods, “organic” does not equal “healthy.” As Michael Pollan quips in his “eater’s manifesto,” In Defense of Food, “Organic Oreos are not a health food”—they’re still a heavily processed cookie filled with lat and sugar, and your body metabolizes organic fat and sugar the same way it does conventional. In fact, scene clever companies use organic as a marketing smoke screen, only to load up a cup of yogurt or a box of crackers with unhealthy amounts of organic high-fructose corn syrup (yes, I IFCS made from organic corn fits under the FDA guidelines for organic).

DOES ORGANIC FOOD TASTE BETTER? ‘

This is perhaps the most important question to discerning cooks the country over. Most chefs and organic enthusiasts would undoubtedly say so, but there is little research to back that up thus far. Part of the problem is the vast array in quality within the organic subset; while an heirloom tomato grown 10 miles from your house by a local farmer may be transcendent, an organic Roma tomato shipped in from China could leave a lot to desire. Your best bet is to find a store or a local farmer with reliably delicious organic products and stick to it.