Does Organic Food = Better Personal Health?
Apr 15, 2009 in Diet and Nutrition
My organic carrots and apples just didn’t taste as great after I heard about the salmonella outbreak at a plant owned by the Peanut Corporation of America. When I’d buy organic, images of sun-drenched fields, delicately handled produce, and smiling standard-minded workers usually came to mind. But after reading that plant at the center of the salmonella outbreak was organically certified, I had a hard time resurrecting the same happy images when I’d buy organic foods.
As was the case with PCoA’s plant, organic certified companies are required to have yearly inspections. And they have to implement a plan that “enhances the ecological balance of natural systems and integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole” (National Organic Standards Board, 1995). They can pick from a number of public and private organizations who offer inspections (in the US, there are 55 deputized by the FDA). But their incentives are backwards — pulling a customer’s certification means losing a source of income. So, inspectors are often limited to one-day visits, rushed to finish their inquiries into pesticide levels and to verify crop management plans, they hardly step foot into the realm of public health safety.
Image by Med Minded
Well, an organic certification might not mean that produce is bacteria-free, but being pesticide-free justifies paying extra for produce, right? The FDA regularly monitors the levels of pesticides in domestic and imported US produce. Of the 21,341 raw, unwashed samples analyzed by the Pesticide Program Residue Monitoring (04-06), only 54 violated FDA tolerated levels. One can only presume what the numbers would look like if the produce items were washed and peeled — the FDA doesn’t do measurements in those cases.
Comparing the health safety benefits of organic and non-organic produce seems like a wash, and I don’t feel like I’m ruining my health when I buy non-organic anymore. When I want to save a few dollars, I just make sure to rinse off all my non-organic produce.
This article is Part 1 of 3. For the effects of organic foods on global health, read Part 2: Does Organic Food = Better World?, and for answers regarding the sustainability of organic farming, read Part 3: Organic Foods – Can They Feed Everyone Forever? (Happy Earth Day).
May 3rd, 2009 on 9:41 pm
By the end of your article I am left feeling as if you think organic fruits and vegetables are nothing more than expensive versions of their non-organic brethren. (A smart marketing ploy perhaps?) Do you believe this is the case for ALL organic produce or are some products more susceptible to bacteria infestation than others?
For example, you cite the outbreak of salmonella at a peanut processing plant that was organically certified, but is it possible that the conditions of the peanut industry at large (whether certified or not) is more likely to be contaminated? You provide one incident of contamination and then reflect that onto organic produce in general.
What about many non- processed field crops that go straight from the field to the market? Would these be safer options than their non-organic alternatives and thus worthy of paying extra for? In this regard, it seems just as important to know where the products are coming from than whether or not they are organic. (This was the case in the pesticide study, which pointed out that some countries had a larger violation rate than others.)
Overall, the data examining levels of pesticides in non-organic produce exceedingly shows that the chances of dangerous levels are slim. (Especially when taking into account washing and preparation.)
May 3rd, 2009 on 9:41 pm
The sample sizes were too small on a country by country basis to make any statistically significant inferences on a country-by-country basis. However, imported products did have a slightly higher violation rate than their domestically produced counterparts.
As for bacterial contamination, there could be some variance in susceptibility by produce type, but bacterial problems tend to come from secondary contamination (rat and bird feces, for example). I would almost contest that organic foods are more susceptible to bacterial infections, since they can’t use anti-bacterial treatments, but I don’t have any data to back that statement up.
The advantage in organic foods lies in the comfort that consuming pesticide free produce brings to the buyer. Whether or not trace levels of pesticides have long term effects on health remains to be determined, but, if you have the extra money, going organic can’t be worse than staying non-organic (save for salmonella outbreaks).
November 26th, 2010 on 3:14 am
Having just discovered the joys of organic farming in our own garden, I have to say potato soup is our favourite of the month. I found a website dedicated to potato soup recipes, can you believe it?!. There’s a website for anything and everything nowadays it seems!