Organic food: Worth the money or a big fat con?
Organic food has become increasingly popular and increasingly widespread in recent years, with middle-class shoppers in particular driving demand for what they perceive to be a better product. But are the benefits of organic food overstated or misunderstood?
Which? Gardening magazine has thrown its hat into the ring, publishing the findings of a two-year trial in its March 2011 edition. Put simply, their research indicates that organic food is not more nutritious than conventionally-farmed alternatives, and that it doesn’t taste any better.
This research supports the conclusions of a comprehensive report produced by the Food Standards Agency in 2009, according to the Crop Protection Association. Somewhat controversially, the FSA report found that organic food offered no significant health benefits. Which? Gardening magazine compared organically and non-organically grown plots of potatoes, Calabrese broccoli and tomatoes in its own trial. In most cases, conventionally grown crops were found to be tastier and more nutritious than the same items grown organically.
The non-organic Calabrese broccoli was found to have considerably higher levels of antioxidants than the organically-grown equivalents. Likewise, the non-organic potatoes were found to contain higher levels of vitamin C than those that were grown organically. In order to evaluate how the foods compared in terms of taste, a team of expert tasters was brought in. The non-organically grown tomatoes had a stronger tomato flavour and were also sweeter than the organic samples, according to the expert tasters. There was a blind taste test on members of the public at the Totally Tomato Show at West Dean Gardens, designed to give more weight to the conclusions of the lab tasting team. In the blind tests, 69% of participants gave the same feedback as the expert panel.
Consumers can’t make informed choices about the food they eat unless independent research like this gets support, according Dominic Dyer, Chief Executive at the Crop Protection Association. He objected to the fact that shoppers are paying premiums for organic food in the middle of a recession and at a time when food prices are at record levels, given that the reasons people choose organic don’t hold water. It is worth noting, however, that organically-grown food is still better for the planet than conventionally-farmed alternatives. This is something that environmental campaigners are keen to emphasise.
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