Organic V. Non-Organic Food

[Khandro]

Which is the healthier?

[dannyk13]

Non-organic:-

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/11/organic-food-more-antioxidants-study

[Khandro]

danny, That's what I'm beginning to think too, there are reports that organic foods are 4 to 8 times more likely to be recalled for bacterial contamination than the non-organic types.

[dannyk13]

Oops sorry it's organic that is healthier.

[bobbinwales]

It says organic dos'nt it danny?

//Organic food has more of the antioxidant compounds linked to better health than regular food, and lower levels of toxic metals and pesticides, according to the most comprehensive scientific analysis to date.//

//The international team behind the work suggests that switching to organic fruit and vegetables could give the same benefits as adding one or two portions of the recommended "five a day".//

[dannyk13]

Bob ^09.52^

[ToraToraTora]

all food is organic.

[bobbinwales]

^yes see mine 9:52^ too, it happens. I clearly started typing mine first!

[barry1010]

Very often frozen veg is healthier because it is frozen very quickly after harvesting so retains more vitamins - whether it is organic or not makes no difference.
So if you are choosing for health benefits, pick frozen - and don't overcook.

[ToraToraTora]

"organic" is misleading term, all food is organic, I think the questioner means food produced with/without chemical assistance or with/without GM.

[barry1010]

TTT, that is the usual understanding of 'organic food'.

[naomi24]

I tend to think that anything grown naturally and without the dubious benefits of chemicals is healthier.

[Sqad]

To me all studies , most studies show that the nutrient component is the same......no difference..although at worst equivocal.
The cancer component of the argument stands exactly the same.....unproven.

So take your pick.

[Khandro]

Scientific evidence (I'm told) indicates that the safety risks of eating organic food are significantly greater that eating non-organic food.

This is because organic foods rely on animal faeces as a fertilizer an obvious vector for lethal pathogens such as E.coli.

Also organic crops can be prone to harmful mycotoxins through inadequate control of pests & diseases.

[barry1010]

Khandro, animal faeces are used in non-organic farms, too. Human faeces, too https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/02/sewage-sludge-containing-human-waste-uk

[bednobs]

it's probably because organic farming doesnt use the same amount of antibiotics as non-organic

[Khandro]

barry; that link doesn't say which kind of farming it will be used for, it sounds to me it will be for 'organic': non-organic farms wouldn't need (or want) Dutch faeces to spread on its land because it will use other fertilizers, which sound to me a much healthier alternative.

[barry1010]

Trust me, Khandro, non-organic farms use manure. It is proven to work and cheap.

[pastafreak]

From a wiki article on manure...

//...by Soil Association Standard 4.7.38, most organic arable farmers either have their own supply of manure (which would, therefore, not normally contain drug residues) or else rely on green manure crops for the extra fertility (if any nonorganic manure is used by organic farmers, then it usually has to be rotted or composted to degrade any residues of drugs and eliminate any pathogenic bacteria—Standard 4.7.38, Soil Association organic farming standards). //

[chelle7272]

Very little proven difference;
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880

[Khandro]

' In 2011, a major a major food poisoning outbreak in Europe which affected nearly 4,000 people, killing 53, was ultimately traced to organically grown bean sprouts from a farm in Germany that had been contaminated by a virulent E.coli strain, O104:H4.'