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A group of British researchers concluded that organic foods aren't nutritionally superior to their conventionally produced cousins after reviewing 50 years of published literature on the topic.
However, the review didn't address any contaminants or chemical residue connected with different agricultural production methods. One of the main selling points of organic food is the absence of chemical additives.
'The lack of non-organic chemicals and pesticides on organic foods is what the appeal is,' Brian Todd, president of the Food Institute, an Elmwood Park, N.J.-based trade association, said in response to the study.
The study by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Topical Medicine was published Wednesday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A representative for the London School of Hygiene & Topical Medicine couldn't immediately be reached.
In the study, Alan Dangour of the school's public health intervention research unit and one of the report's authors, said: 'A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance.'
Some consumers are willing to pay more for organic foods based on their perceived health and nutrition benefits and the global organic food market was estimated at 29 billion ($41.1 billion) during 2007, the researchers say. While other studies have also concluded that organic foods aren't better nutritionally, the authors called their effort the first systematic review of published studies on the topic.
In the study, more than 50,000 papers were searched, yielding 162 relevant articles comparing the nutritional content of organically and conventionally produced crops and livestock products. Of those, 55 met standards regarding organic certification and the types of foods produced.
Most of the large traditional packaged food makers sell just a handful of organic products that account for a small percentage of overall sales. Kraft Foods Inc., for instance, offers some organic crackers and prepared dinners under its Back to Nature line. Kraft spokeswoman Lisa Gibbons said she couldn't speculate on the impact of the study, but said Back to Nature isn't one of the company's 'billion dollar brands.' 2009-08-03
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