Organic food has become more and more popular in recent years, a natural extension of a more general push for people to live more sustainably. Proponents claim that organic food is healthier, tastier and better for the environment. Now science has been testing whether that’s really true.
Every country has its own standards when it comes to the “organic” label, but it generally means products grown as naturally as possible. That means crops grown without pesticides and animals farmed without hormones and antibiotics. It’s not just food; you can wear clothes made of organic cotton.
In 2017, the European Parliament put together a report about organic food and whether it benefited human health (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/health-benefits-organic-food-farming-report/). They looked at lots of evidence from several different countries and made some interesting conclusions.
The most notable difference between organic and non-organic food is in the presence of pesticides. There’s some evidence that even trace amounts of pesticides in what we eat can affect brain development in children. This means trying to avoid pesticides can be particularly important to pregnant women, who may take reassurance from their absence in organic food.
Restrictions in antibiotic use in organic farming can also have wide-ranging health benefits for both animals and people. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can spread from animal to human populations and are very difficult to treat or manage when they start causing illness.
There are also differences in nutrient levels between organic and non-organic food, though in some cases these variations are small. Some organic products have more of certain good compounds while having less cadmium. This metal is closely related to zinc, but unlike zinc, it doesn’t have any biological purpose in the human body and is considered toxic, causing damage to the lungs, bones and kidneys.
Health isn’t the only reason people seek out organic food, but it is certainly a factor. It’s good to know that there is scientific evidence that it can have health benefits, even if the extent of those benefits isn’t clear. If you are concerned about the long-term impacts of pesticide or antibiotic use, organic may be the way to go.
Choosing organic may also have an impact on the long-term wellbeing of the planet as a whole. Not only does it improve the life of farm animals, but it can also have a much wider impact on things like soil health, water quality and biodiversity while reducing the impact of farming on climate change. Organic farming generally claims to think more about long-term sustainability than it does immediate results, in sharp contrast to many modern industrial practices.
Scientific research into the impact of organic farming and food may still be limited, but there are promising signs. As organic continues to grow in popularity, it’s likely that even more studies into its effects, especially in the long term, will be carried out, and we will be able to make more definite conclusions about its benefits or disadvantages.
