FAQ: Is Organic Food Better For Us? The Debate Is On But Is It Really Inconclusive?

Is organic food better for us? – Probably but not 100% certain, so - maybe! Organic foods may well be safer for us as they contain less harmful, “artificial” chemicals, but there is some controversy on whether they really are healthier in all cases.

What is organic food?

Organic produce defines any produce that meets federal guidelines for organic labeling. In other words, this produce has been farmed in an eco-friendly manner and has had absolutely no man-made chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers applied to it. In addition, most organic foods are harvested at a riper stage than conventionally-grown food. For animal products such as milk, eggs and meat, organic means that the animals were raised on organic feed and not given any antibiotics, steroids, or other such chemicals.

The Organic Food Controversy

As with many other things, there are both pros and cons to organic food, leaving it up to the consumer to weigh the differences between organic and conventional foods. On the one hand, organic food has significantly less chemical residue such as pesticides; there is often still some residue that can blow over from other crops or even get on the produce during transport, but the amounts are negligible compared to those that had the chemicals applied. On the other hand, plants that do not have man-made chemicals keeping bugs and weeds at bay are likely to produce their own natural chemicals to protect themselves. The question here is, are you as a consumer more worried about natural chemicals, or synthetic ones?

The second major controversy is whether organic foods, grown in manure, are more likely to have harmful bacteria in them. Though no substantial evidence has been presented either way, the belief is that using manure as a fertilizer could increase the risk of exposure to bacteria such as E. coli. However, experts state that this is probably not a big concern as long as consumers properly wash all their produce before consumption as most bacteria will be on the skin.

So is organic food really safer?

As of yet there is no conclusive evidence to say that organics are, indeed, safer than conventional food. The primary attraction in organics is that it is a precautionary measure, we do not know what kind of effects pesticides have as they build up in the body over many years. Furthermore, organically-grown produce is better on the environment because of the necessary crop rotations and farming methods that promote healthy soil and water conservation. There are indications that organics may be healthier, but until the results are seen over time there is no way to state a definite answer.