What’s the story behind organic food?

Is it really a healthier option?

I have had my doubts. Now, they have been confirmed.

Organic food is defined as: those that are produced without the use of chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers commonly used in cultivation and drugs, such as antibiotics and hormones given to commercial livestock.” (Organic Food For Everyone)

There has been a lot of hype about organic foods over the past few years. The trend has seemed to go hand-in-hand with “going green” and global warming.

And the sales reflected the idea that went pop-culture.

Sales of organic food in the U.S. ”have grown between 17 and 21% each year since 1997, to nearly triple in sales, while total U.S. food sales over this time period have grown in the range of only 2 to 4 percent a year. According to the findings, organic food sales now represent approximately 2 percent of U.S. food sales.” according to the Organic Trade Associaton.

But according to money.cnn, the growth is not quite as steady anymore.

In December of 2008, sales were up 5.6%, compared to a 25.6% increase the year before.

Economists blame this on the tough economy. Organic food buyers are dependable, but not that dependable.

Numerous studies have been published about the health effects of organic food and today, the most notable is getting some attention.

According to a study performed by the London School of Hygine & Tropical Medicine, “organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food.”

The study authors reviewed 162 scientific papers comparing organic products to regular food and found no significant difference.

The research covered crops, meat, dairy and eggs.

Gill Fine, from Britain’s Food Standards Agency says “This study does not mean that people should not eat organic food. What it shows is that there is little, if any, nutritional difference between organic and conventionally produced food.”

I still think there are some unanswered questions there that need some more attention.

For example, do pesticides increase your risk for cancer? Scientists compared the nutritional value between organic food and regular items but not any other health effects.

I will continue to scavenge for organic food studies.

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