The Data is Coming In—Organic Food is Better for You!

By Susan Stewart, Organic Certification and Sustainability Coordinator

This is an exciting time for organic agriculture. The 2008 Farm Bill's new national priority is organic agriculture, so we should see an increase in research comparing organic to conventional products. We want Wedge members to have accurate information about news from the field, so to speak, because myths about organic food are still out there. There really is a connection between healthy soils, healthy plants, healthy food, and human health.

The most influential research farm of the 20th century, the Rodale Institute, has identified outcome differences in chemical-based farming and regenerative organic farming (which uses compost, cover crops, and soils that build root systems). Organic farming creates foods that contain, on average, higher levels of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, chromium and antioxidants than conventionally farmed products contain. One of the most significant reasons for this difference is the vitality of the top six inches of organic soil, where life forms are abundant and nutrients are available to help plants develop robust root systems.

Modern conventional agriculture breeds high-yield crops, but nutritional value dips as yields increase. Plant breeders have programmed plants to produce larger tomatoes, short wheat with large-grain heads, and corn that can tolerate close spacing in the field, but these plants do not devote much energy to sinking deep roots and generating health-promoting compounds known as phytochemicals, many of which are antioxidants and vitamins. This unintentional and largely unnoticed slippage in nutrient density has been accepted as a "price of progress" in boosting yields. This is known as the "dilution effect."

Studies are showing that organic farming tends to produce crops with higher concentrations of micronutrients and phytochemicals. The increases range from 20 percent or more for certain minerals and an average 30 percent more in the case of antioxidants. Organic fertilizers offer a balanced mix of nutrients, and release those nutrients gradually. The slow release encourages plants to develop strong root systems that aggressively absorb nutrients from the soil.

In 2002 there was only one published study comparing the nutrients in organic and conventional foods. In 2007 there were ten peer-reviewed studies. Those showed that out of 236 valid matched pairs, organic foods were nutritionally superior to their conventional counterparts in 61 percent of the cases. Organic samples contained higher concentrations of polyphenols and antioxidants in 75 percent of the matched pairs.

While protein was 85 percent higher in conventional samples, nitrates were also 83 percent higher. Higher nitrate levels are the result of high-nitrogen inputs, which make plants grow very large while reducing their flavor. They also shorten a plant's shelf life, reduce levels of Vitamin C, and produce more sugar and moisture. The increased sugar content is delivered in the glycosylated form, which is insulin resistant. (Insulin resistance is commonly associated with Type 2 diabetes.)

We'll bring you more organic research results in the coming years!