Organic foods: Nutrition the same, but non-organics have higher pesticide levels

Stanford Scientists Cast Doubt on Advantages of Organic Meat and Produce

By KENNETH CHANG, NYT

Does an organic strawberry contain more vitamin C than a conventional one?

Maybe — or maybe not.

Stanford University scientists have weighed in on the “maybe not” side of the debate after an extensive examination of four decades of research comparing organic and conventional foods.

They concluded that fruits and vegetables labeled organic were, on average, no more nutritious than their conventional counterparts, which tend to be far less expensive. Nor were they any less likely to be contaminated by dangerous bacteria like E. coli.

The researchers also found no obvious health advantages to organic meats.

Conventional fruits and vegetables did have more pesticide residue, but the levels were almost always under the allowed safety limits, the scientists said. The Environmental Protection Agency sets the limits at levels that it says do not harm humans.

(More here. But note that pesticide and herbicide research is still incomplete regarding its long-term effects on humans and other other organisms, and on the general health of biosystems. Excellent resources on this topic include The Cornucopia Institute, the Center for Food Safety, and the Environmental Working Group.)