Organic food is defined as food grown or raised without the use of additives, coloring, synthetic chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers, hormones), radiation, or genetic manipulation.
In relevance to organic vs. non-organic food, you may have heard the acronym “GMO“.
GMO stands for genetically modified organism. This indicates the food source is either altered or modified in a laboratory using engineered techniques. The main purpose of this is to preserve food to last longer and increase taste.
Within previous years, scientists and researchers have identified health risks associated with GMO including:
- Difficulty getting pregnant
- Weak immune system
- Organ failure
- Various types of cancer (leukemia, kidney, bladder, thyroid, and breast cancers)
- Digestive problems (reflux, constipation, abdominal pain)
Organic vs. non-organic in the media
This video makes the following claims:
- Organic foods are not more nutritious compared to non-organic.
- Chemicals (copper sulphate and pyrethrin) are found in organic fertilizers that have been shown to cause leukemia.
- The marketing industry is the reason why consumers believe organic is better for them.
This videos makes the following claims:
- Pesticides and fertilizers found in organic farming are just as harmful as non-organic farming.
- Food sources that say “organic” are not always 100% organic, unless otherwise indicated.
- Health is not based on food sources, but rather from a person’s genes, diet, and lifestyle choices.
This video makes the following claims:
- There is no evidence proving that organic food is better than non-organic.
- Organic does offer some benefits to the environment, but at a hefty cost.
- Any food supplier can use the word “organic” as a marketing scheme.
Potera, C. (2016). Eating for Two: Does an Organic Diet Make a Difference? Environmental Health Perspectives, 124(3), A55. https://library.neit.edu:2404/10.1289/ehp.124-A55
- This article focuses on three birth defects associated with eating non-organic diets including:
- hypospadias– birth defect in males where the urethra (tube that carries urine out of the body) is not correctly located.
- cryptorchidism– defect in males where one teste does not function properly.
- preeclampsia– affects blow flow from mother to baby resulting in premature labor.
- Everyone (especially pregnant women) should consume organic food for its health benefits (better immunity, decreased risks of birth defects).
- The article also explains that the study was based on a low amount of participants and genetic/family history information was not obtained.
- This article focuses on three birth defects associated with eating non-organic diets including:
This article does not support any of the videos.
Seufert, V., Ramankutty, N., & Foley, J. A. (2012). Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture. Nature, 485(7397), 229–232. https://library.neit.edu:2404/10.1038/nature11069
- This article analyzed 66 studies on various agriculture including:
- fruits, cereals, vegetables, legumes, maize, barely, wheat, tomato, soy bean.
In order to determine if the cost of organic farming is more cost efficient than compared to non-organic farming.
THE RESULTS: Organic farming is less cost efficient!
The article does not support any of the videos.
Thompson, Dennis. (2018). Love Organic Foods? Your odds for some cancers may fail. HealthDay News. https://library.neit.edu:2084/login.aspx?
This article discusses that new research has found that those who ate an organic diet had a 25% reduction in developing cancer.
However, there is NOT ENOUGH evidence to prove that eating organic was the reason why. (Hmm.. maybe genetics?)
The article also states, “Organic foods are grown without pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals” (Thompson, 2018). The end statement to this article emphasizes that regardless, organic or non-organic, eating an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will maintain good health.
This article supports some of the claims made in video 1 and 2.
After completing my research, video 1 and 2 seem to be the most credible. However, due to lack of information and uncertainty that was obtained in articles 1 and 3, there is not enough evidence to prove that organic is better for you.