Is Buying Organic Worth It?
I receive this question a lot from clients who want to clean their diet up and need direction in terms of what to shop for. To answer the question though, I want to first define what exactly does “organic” mean when you see those labels at your local grocery store.
When it comes to produce and you see the official “USDA Organic” label it means they are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation.
When it comes to organic meat, eggs, and dairy products it typically means the animals are not given antibiotics or growth hormones.
Next I want to answer: “How is this regulated exactly?” A government-approved certifier must inspect the farm and facilities where the food is grown and processed to make sure the farmer is following all necessary rules and guidelines to meet USDA organic standards. The problem, however, is that certified agents are only required to test 5% of the soil and food produced.
Unethical sellers have been known to take advantage of this and sell off cheaper, conventional items at the more expensive organic price and turn a huge profit. The Washington Post did an investigation in 2017 and found a shipment of 36 millions pounds of corn and soybeans coming from Ukraine and Turkey were labeled as “organic” even though they were found to have unauthorized pesticides used on them.
Despite the possibility of purchasing falsely labeled organic foods, is real organic food that much healthier for you? In terms of nutritional value, the Environmental Health Review concluded there was no significant difference between organic and conventional crops. Organic oranges, for example, were found to have 105 mg of Vitamin C whereas conventional had 95 mg. According to the USDA, your body only needs 35 mg/day so the extra 10 mg doesn’t provide any added benefits in this case.
But what about the pesticides? Having less pesticides on your food has to be better for you long term, doesn’t it? An observational study done in 2018 published in JAMA Internal Medicine followed nearly 70,000 French adults and found the individuals with the highest consumption of organic foods had a 25% reduced risk of cancer over the seven years of the study. However, since it was only an “observational” study, it cannot prove cause and effect so more research is needed before drawing any sort of conclusion whether or not pesticides cause cancer.
Conclusion time… Do I think buying organic is worth it? I have to give the full disclosure that I am NOT a licensed professional meaning I am NOT a doctor and I am NOT a registered dietician… I’m only giving my opinion on what I recommend.
With no conclusive evidence to suggest organic food is far healthier for you and that it helps prevent diseases later down the road. I recommend buying food, especially your produce locally and whatever is in season as that will be the freshest and most affordable option available to you. If you are extremely health-conscious and are worried about any sort of possible adverse effects due to pesticides, I would purchase organic items based off the “Dirty Dozen” which is a list of fruits and vegetables that have been tested to have the highest amount of pesticide residue.
