Organic products not healthier than others

NEW YORK - Reuters

The study reveals that the organic food does not contain more vitamin than others.

Organic produce and meat typically isn’t any better for you than conventional food when it comes to vitamin and nutrient content, although it does generally reduce exposure to pesticides and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a U.S. study.

“People choose to buy organic foods for different reasons. One of them is perceived health benefits,” said Crystal Smith-Spangler, who led a team of researchers from Stanford University. She reviewed more than 200 studies that compared either the health of people who ate organic or conventional foods or, more commonly, nutrient and contaminant levels in the foods themselves. The foods included organic and non-organic fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, poultry eggs and milk.

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, organic farms have to avoid the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, hormones and antibiotics. Many of the studies used, though, didn’t specify their standards for what constituted “organic” food, which can cost as much as twice what conventional food costs, the researchers said.

No difference

The new study found that there was no difference in the amount of vitamins in plant or animal products produced organically and conventionally and the only nutrient difference was slightly more phosphorous in the organic products.

More than one third of conventional produce had detectable pesticide residues, compared with seven percent of organic produce samples. Organic pork and chicken were 33 percent less likely to carry bacteria resistant to three or more antibiotics than conventionally produced meat.