Facts About Organic Foods

The nutritional value and environmental impact organic food has on the planet has been the center of much debate that has escalated in recent years with the introduction of genetically modified crops into the food supply. Since World War II the use of pesticides has escalated from minimal crops being produced with chemical substances to our current day statistic which is more than 95% of the crops being produced with synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In this time the average calcium content of fruits and vegetables has decreased by approximately 29%. A recent nation-wide survey has found that 60% of children in the United States do not receive the recommended daily allowance of calcium through diet. Although the causes for the shift to the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are multi-factorial, this is in part due to farming practices that have evolved with conventional farming.

The underlying philosophy of farming practices provides insight into the differences between organic and conventional farming. In stark contrast to conventional farmers, organic farmers utilize natural methods and human labor to prevent the overgrowth of weeds, pests, and diseases that could harm their crop. This is a labor-intensive process that is responsible for the sometimes extreme differences in consumer costs between organic and conventional produce. The fundamental philosophy of the organic farmer is to nourish the land, soil, and plant so as to provide them with the tools it needs to fight off unwanted weeds and pests. In humans, this is akin to eating a healthy and balanced diet to support the myriad of mechanisms the human body performs to prevent disease. To succeed at their philosophy, the organic farmer must employ special irrigation methods, breed beneficial insects whose larvae feed off the eggs of pests, and build ?trap crops? to prevent pests from spreading or infiltrating their crop. Trap crops perform a similar function as a fence for a yard. These crops are built around the land and help prevent the infiltration of pests into their crop. Common trap crops are alfalfa, coriander, dill, carrot, and radish. As a final prevention tactic, the organic farmer implements crop rotation to prevent plant-specific insects and pests from breeding and mutating into resistant pests that require potent and large quantities of pesticides to kill them. Just as human bugs responsible for the flu develop defense systems that protect them against antibiotics; harmful pests that plague crops have the same capabilities. This results in more and more potent pesticides being applied to crops resulting in elevated levels of residual pesticides on crops and excess pollution to the environment. This has been underscored as a growing problem, particularly for children.

Recent analysis of residual pesticide levels of consumer produce found many crops contained levels, which exceeded the upper tolerable levels set forth by the environmental protection agency (EPA). Many of these pesticides are known cancer-causing substances in animals at high doses. Adults and children are capable of safely being exposed to some level of pesticides. The estimated safe dose is referred to as the chronic reference dose. This dose is generated by exposing laboratory animals to the pesticide of interest and determining the level at which the pesticide can be ingested without any adverse side effects. Although extensive efforts have been implemented to set the chronic reference dose, the interaction of pesticides amongst one another and the safe cumulative risk from all pesticides has yet to be determined. The EPA is currently addressing this issue.

The scientific evidence correlating pesticide residues with cancer have been estimated to contribute to a limited number of cancers in adults. Estimates have been as low as 1% to a high of 10%. The risk of childhood cancer from pesticide is not conclusive. Various studies have found wide differences in estimated risk and most of the studies have associated risk with household use of pesticides rather than those from food sources.

The physiological benefit of eating organic compared to conventional produce has not been well-studied in humans. Studies in animals suggest that organic foods may support better growth, stronger immunity, and better fertility compared to animals fed conventional produce. A small study in humans from Germany has suggested that soils nourished in an organic way resulted in infants with a higher daily growth rate, serum beta-carotene, serum iron, and hematocrit levels. Additional studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.

Irrespective of the potential adverse effects of non-organic produce, organic food has been widely touted as being higher in vitamins and minerals compared to conventional produce. Scientific reviews have compared the nutritional value between the two products and although organic produce does not consistently have higher levels of all vitamin and minerals, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, phosphorous and possibly calcium have been found to be higher in organic produce. Therefore eating organic produce can help children achieve the recommended values of certain vitamin and minerals The majority of children and adolescents do not meet the daily recommended levels of vitamins and minerals through their diet. Of particular interest in the oncology field are the consistently lower levels of nitrates found in organic produce when compared to conventional produce. This has been one of the most salient differences when these two groups are compared. Nitrates are known cancer-producing substances found in food products. They are prevalent in foods such as sausages, cured meats, and pickled products. Some studies have correlated a higher intake of nitrate-containing foods with higher cancer incidence.

If possible, we recommended that organic produce contribute to the majority of your produce. Aside from the health benefits of organic produce, the environmental rewards are innumerable. For those having difficulty finding or purchasing organic produce there are specific foods that have been found to far exceed the safe levels set forth by the EPA, particularly for children. Those foods are winter squash, green beans, pears, grapes, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, celery, apples, peaches, spinach, strawberries, and raspberries. When buying organic produce, be sure that the food products are labeled certified organic. Certified organic ensures that the product has been grown and harvested according to standard organic regulations and the farmer has been audited by an outside agency. Recently, the USDA has issued a mandate that all foods labeled organic cannot include those grown with bioengineered ingredients, irradiated (to kill bacteria or lengthen shelf life), or administered antibiotics. There will be three different levels of organic foods found in grocery shelves. Foods will be labeled 100% Organic; Organic which includes those products with at least 95% of the ingredients made with organic ingredients, or Made with Organic Ingredients (those foods with at least 70% of their ingredients made with organic foods). It is expected that this mandate will be fully implemented by August 2002.

For more information on organic foods we encourage you to visit:

www.epa.gov
www.fda.gov

Last updated: October 13, 2009