People often pay hefty prices for organic products, but a group of researchers concluded that there is little difference in the nutritional value of organic versus ordinary food.
The findings are a major a blow to the $48 billion organic food industry. You can listen to my story on the issue here.
After reviewing 50 years of published literature on the topic, researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine were not able to find any evidence of added health benefits from eating organic produce. The findings were published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"Our review indicates there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organic over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority," study leader Alan Dangour of the London School's Public Health Intervention Research Unit said in a statement.
But the review did not address any contaminants or chemical residue associated with various agricultural practices. Many people prefer organic food because of the absence of chemical additives -- as well as animal welfare or environmental concerns.
The study was commissioned and funded by Britain's Food Standards Agency, the governmental office that regulates food production and sales in Britain.
Click here to read the London School of Hygiene & Topical Medicine's news release
Click here to read the study abstract.
--Lucy Kafanov, Washington Bureau.
