Is organic food really any better than conventional?
SallyinIL
Posts: 85 Member
I go through a debate when I shop: Do I want to spend extra money of food labeled organic or just buy regular? Is organic just a marketing term or is there real evidence that the food quality is better?
I don't want to be a sucker for advertising, yet if it will benefit my health I might want to buy organics.
I just really don't know. The folks who buy organic will insist that it's SO much better for you. But I imagine they would have to say this to legitimize their choice to pay the extra.
I don't want to be a sucker for advertising, yet if it will benefit my health I might want to buy organics.
I just really don't know. The folks who buy organic will insist that it's SO much better for you. But I imagine they would have to say this to legitimize their choice to pay the extra.
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Yes, when you get listeria and E. coli from organic, you'll lose a lot of weight.0
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Depends how you define better. For me, it does taste better, I now won't buy meat unless it's from a known supply chain, preferably organic. What drew it out was after having eaten locally source organic beef and then buying a good cut from the supermarket. It was very disappointing, and frankly no more expensive than buying from the farm shop.
The other aspect for me is about sustainability in farming, so again as much as possible from places that I know and understand. Animal welfare is important to me, as is impact of the farm on the environment. Organic farms have their own impact, but it's more acceptable to me than the large monocultures.
You can find surveys that support both the better and no difference camps, so that's a bit moot.
Note that for me organic would mean soil association accredited.0 -
Good point. By "better" I'm meaning better for my health.MeanderingMammal wrote: »Depends how you define better.
No doubt the organic tomato my husband grows in the back yard tastes worlds better than the conventional one I buy in the store.
Interesting thoughts. Thank you.
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Good point. By "better" I'm meaning better for my health.MeanderingMammal wrote: »Depends how you define better.
No doubt the organic tomato my husband grows in the back yard tastes worlds better than the conventional one I buy in the store.
Interesting thoughts. Thank you.
why would the tomato from the garden be better from the one in the store??? Please explain the difference...0 -
The problem is is that the regulations for organic can vary widely. Overall, there are the 'dirty dozen' (check EWG's website for a list) of produce which are better to buy organic because there are (theoretically) less pesticides used on them as opposed to regular farming methods.I go through a debate when I shop: Do I want to spend extra money of food labeled organic or just buy regular? Is organic just a marketing term or is there real evidence that the food quality is better?
I don't want to be a sucker for advertising, yet if it will benefit my health I might want to buy organics.
I just really don't know. The folks who buy organic will insist that it's SO much better for you. But I imagine they would have to say this to legitimize their choice to pay the extra.
I do buy some things organic, most of my produce I don't simply because of cost.0 -
The whole organic food thing is just a ploy to get you to spend more money. There was a article on this somewhere even though they say that organic fruits and vegetables are not treated with pesticide, they in fact are, but they are treated with DDT or something like that. So all you are doing is swapping one form of pesticide for another.
And what is the difference between a boneless NY Strip from publix, and a boneless NY Strip from say a grass fed cow???
I would worry more about hitting your macro/micro/calorie goals....0 -
Nutritionally, no. Taste, maybe. Supporting your local farming community, definitely.
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Good point. By "better" I'm meaning better for my health.MeanderingMammal wrote: »Depends how you define better.
No doubt the organic tomato my husband grows in the back yard tastes worlds better than the conventional one I buy in the store.
Interesting thoughts. Thank you.
why would the tomato from the garden be better from the one in the store??? Please explain the difference...
In general, from my experience, the smaller the produce is, the more flavourful it is.
However, food from the garden would taste better because it ripened on the plant instead of in a box. This alone makes it taste infinitely better.
As for organic vs. non-organic. It's mostly marketing hype. There is no nutritional difference between the two.
The only difference is there is no synthetic pesticides, fertilizer, or anything of the like used in organic food.
However, pesticides are still used. They're just natural pesticides. They are less effective as synthetic and your food is more likely to be contaminated by some sort of bug.
Also remember: Arsenic is naturally occurring. It's organic!0 -
chivalryder wrote: »
Good point. By "better" I'm meaning better for my health.MeanderingMammal wrote: »Depends how you define better.
No doubt the organic tomato my husband grows in the back yard tastes worlds better than the conventional one I buy in the store.
Interesting thoughts. Thank you.
why would the tomato from the garden be better from the one in the store??? Please explain the difference...
In general, from my experience, the smaller the produce is, the more flavourful it is.
However, food from the garden would taste better because it ripened on the plant instead of in a box. This alone makes it taste infinitely better.
As for organic vs. non-organic. It's mostly marketing hype. There is no nutritional difference between the two.
The only difference is there is no synthetic pesticides, fertilizer, or anything of the like used in organic food.
However, pesticides are still used. They're just natural pesticides. They are less effective as synthetic and your food is more likely to be contaminated by some sort of bug.
Also remember: Arsenic is naturally occurring. It's organic!
I agree from a taste stand point ....
I guess I should of clarified that I was asking that from a health standpoint...0 -
Good point. By "better" I'm meaning better for my health.MeanderingMammal wrote: »Depends how you define better.
No doubt the organic tomato my husband grows in the back yard tastes worlds better than the conventional one I buy in the store.
Interesting thoughts. Thank you.
The difference in the tomato you're tasting might not be the "organic" but the locally-grown, ripe from the source difference of your tomato compared to one flown in from abroad, picked when it's not quite ripe, sitting in the supermarket for however many days.
Health-wise? It's sort of TBD.
For example, you will likely get fewer pesticide residues on organic produce but just because something is organic does not mean that it is pesticide-free. The conventional produce you'll find will not have unsafe levels of synthetic pesticides (according to the EPA). And some organic pesticides, like solanine can make you very sick. Organic manure can spread E. coli. Food contains bacteria, and there's always some sort of health risk. Anecdotally, I got salmonella from a locally-grown organic cage-free egg.
As of right now, it has not been determined whether organic foods have more nutrients than non-organic. The studies that say that there are nutritional advantages (more vitamins, antioxidants, etc) to organic have differences that are so small that they are unlikely to have an impact on overall nutrition.
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An egg is still an egg, a carrot is still a carrot, beef is still beef. Personally I love my dad's homegrown veggies more but this is because I know how much care and love he puts into it and to see him smile after all he has been true makes me so happy. He was overweight, had a mild stroke and a mild heart attack, he is a retired paramedic and is my inspiration.
Everything else tastes the same to me. Home made food taste much better than shop bought version to me because I know exactly what I put in it.0 -
why would the tomato from the garden be better from the one in the store??? Please explain the difference...
Grocery store tomatoes are bred and handled for color and ability to stand up to shipping, not so much for taste. That's why they're often bland and watery.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/theworld/gm/taste.html
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I think it depends on what you're buying. In some cases, no but in some cases yes.0
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Nutritionally, no. Taste, maybe. Supporting your local farming community, definitely.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Yup, this. No extra nutrition benefits. (although, certain veg that tend to carry pesticide residues there can be tangental benefits...I'd peel a conventional carrot, for example, but just wash and eat an organic one, so I get tiny amounts of extra fiber, etc from my organic carrot.)
Organic food in a grocery store is not likely to taste better than conventional. If you are looking for better taste, you'd be better off prioritizing locally grown instead of organics. (Although for people that live in a climate like mine, locally grown is only really an option for a small part of the year.) What makes that backyard tomato taste so good? It was likely bred and hybridized for taste and not for shippability and long shelf life, as the mass-grown grocery varieties generally are. Also, long-shipped tomatoes are generally picked slightly underripe and kept in cold storage. Your backyard tomato wasn't picked until ripe and then was hopefully not refrigerated, so the taste and texture will be far superior.
I live in an area where modern suburbia mingles with centuries-old family farms. I choose to buy from my local organic farmers because I want to support their businesses, because I am glad that there is less environmental impact on our local rivers and aquifer, and, in the case of animal-derived products, because I can see that the livestock is being raised and kept humanely and responsibly.
Magic for my body? nah. but healthy for my community, so, I'm in.0 -
^^ This.
Don't buy organic because you think it will taste worlds better. Buy organic (or locally/sustainably grown) because it's better for the world.0 -
I went through this same questioning a few years back and for me what I decided on-
-focus on locally grown/produced things during growing season and then flash freeze as much as possible (especially blueberries and corn)
-off season months focus on conventional frozen produce because it's frozen soon after it's picked, vs traveling across country and may not be in good condition by the time arrives to my store
-buy a few un-frozen things in off season months, that I can't get frozen (bananas, apples and mushrooms mostly)
-buy organic if it's a similar price. Meijer and Aldi both have decent organic options and sometimes it's the same price or even cheaper. But, organic is a pretty low priority for me-I just make sure to wash everything before using and then don't worry about it
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Organic isn't even really more sustainable, particularly as the label is used in the USDA organic certification.
Consider the much bemoaned glyphosate, using it as a spray herbicide has allowed farmers not to have to drive tractors to till soil annually. The reduction in gas used, and the fact that carbon and methane in the ground is no longer disturbed by the tillage means that it is more sustainable, and in fact takes the equivalent of 12 million cars off the road.
Locally grown is possibly better for your local economy, but it isn't necessarily environmentally better. There isn't a lot of hard data on it, but consider, growing food locally means it might require MORE energy to make. Idaho grows a lot of potatoes because potato growing is easy in Idaho. If you lived in a drought area of Nevada, a local potato might have required so much energy to irrigate it that you'd have been better off using the energy to freight it in from Idaho.0 -
Nutritionally, no. Taste, maybe. Supporting your local farming community, definitely.
This is my take.
I buy local and in-season when possible because I think it tastes better and I do like to support small farmers and the broader surrounding community, and frankly you are better off with frozen than produce carted in from far away, picked unripe, etc., from a nutritional perspective (although I think it's all fine and tend to buy the non frozen from far away stuff in the winter anyway, since I think it cooks better than frozen for how I use it). The sources I use for local also happen to be organic in many cases and that's often part of the marketing efforts for the local farms I like to support, but I don't personally care much about whether it's organic or not and wouldn't go out of my way or pay extra for organic in a grocery store.
It's fun to garden too, but I don't have the space to get too much that way.
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The label organic is just to make people feel good about buying food that's grown/raised naturally because they think all chemicals are poison to the earth. Which is silly, but if they want to spend extra for peace of mind, that's their business. About the only organic I would buy is stuff grown locally, simply because I like supporting local and small businesses, not because it's organic.
What gets me is so many people come down on the side of organic because it's "natural" with no chemicals and all. What they forget is that without those chemicals, we couldn't grow enough food to feed as many people in the world as we do.0 -
There is a difference between organic and being locally grown. I like to purchase organic vegetables that are locally grown and sold at farmer's markets in the area when I can.0
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By locally grown, I mean small local farms. And yes, they're not all organic, but they're more likely to be.0
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I've read some articles that say that organic is not necessarily better nutritionally.
That being said, some organic fruits just taste better IMO. Have you ever had an organic banana? OMG. And I also agree with supporting local farms if at all possible.
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The label organic is just to make people feel good about buying food that's grown/raised naturally because they think all chemicals are poison to the earth.
I alluded to the Soil Association certification upthread. Much of the point of that certification system is to encourage systems based farming; smaller fields, field boundaries being uncultivated to allow a mix of flora and fauna, avoiding monocultures, crop rotation etc.
Much of that allows a smaller environmental impact.
Inevitably yields are lower, and produce needs to be used reasonably promptly. But then again I'm wary of salad that's still crisp three days after opening the bag.
The farming co-operative that I get fresh fruit and veg from is a national operation, so it's not minimal impact. They do have to move produce around the country to cater for demand.
Wouldn't disagree that for some the label is all that mitivates, rather than understanding their supply chain.0 -
Going a bit off the rails here, but you guys don't think something that tastes better/is more flavorful is likely more "nutritious"?
Like a bland, out-of-season hothouse tomato that was picked over a week ago is just as nutrient filled as a freshly picked, in-season tomato?0 -
I've read some articles that say that organic is not necessarily better nutritionally.
That being said, some organic fruits just taste better IMO. Have you ever had an organic banana? OMG. And I also agree with supporting local farms if at all possible.
I can get organic bananas for around .10 more a pound and have bought them a few times, but I didn't notice any difference in taste?0 -
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Going a bit off the rails here, but you guys don't think something that tastes better/is more flavorful is likely more "nutritious"?
Surveys are mixed, but there is no compelling evidence that like for like it's more nutritious. Your observation about time in the supply chain ould apply to organic produce as much as conventional.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »Going a bit off the rails here, but you guys don't think something that tastes better/is more flavorful is likely more "nutritious"?
Surveys are mixed, but there is no compelling evidence that like for like it's more nutritious. Your observation about time in the supply chain ould apply to organic produce as much as conventional.
Yes this. Frozen is more nutritious than non frozen in the winter, but I still think the non frozen typically tastes better, at least what you can get at my grocery. Some veggies just taste better to me than others due to preference, but that's not because they are the best ones. I don't like citrus fruits nearly as much as stone fruits, but that means nothing about nutrition, etc. Some varieties of tomatoes or, say, strawberries happen to be tastier, but I suspect that doesn't mean they are better nutritionally, just that they have been bred more for flavor and less for transportability. To the extent the taste benefit of local is due to when and how recently it's picked, I think that does make it better for you too, often, but as Meandering said that isn't about organic vs. conventional at all--I don't see a taste benefit for that, all else held equal.0 -
organic is more sustainable. The pesticides used on crops is having a massive effect on the insect population even outside farming areas. Bumblebee numbers have crashed. This is having a massive effect on other wild flowers that are unable to be pollinated, and its having a huge effect on the bird population who eat these insects, and also means that slug and snail populations and are starting to get out of control because there arent enough birds to keep them down. The ramifications go on and on.
I dont know whether organic tastes better. I think sometimes it does, and sometimes I cant taste much difference. I believe the welfare standards for organically produced meat and dairy animals are a bit higher and more stringent, certainly in the UK anyway, and thats not an unimportant issue, even if it isnt perfect.
I cant always afford to buy organic, but I think there is no doubt that it is preferable on many many levels to support organic farming where, and if you can.0
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