Is Organic Food Better for You?
- Science Holic
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Author: Lillian Dong
Editors: Oscar Chen, Joshua Payne
Artist: Christina Chen
The modern world is filled with flashy advertisements and misleading marketing terms designed to maximize profits for companies by charging consumers as much as possible. In the face of all these product variables, many people cannot discern whether these buzzwords make a difference. One of the most well-known terms to describe food items is “organic”. The general understanding of organic food is that it follows regulations designed to keep chemicals out of plants and protect the well-being of livestock, but this comes at an average price increase of 50%. Additionally, debates regarding whether organic food is actually healthier remain inconclusive. This article will examine the impact of organic regulations on produce and their potential effects on you.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires organic produce to be grown on farms that utilize methods such as resource cycling and conserving biodiversity to minimize the environmental impacts associated with conventional farming. For example, rather than using synthetic fertilizers — which pollute the environment and lead to biodiversity loss — organic practices include reusing animal manure to reduce overall waste and avoid biodiversity loss simultaneously. In addition to banning chemical pesticides and fertilizers often used in agriculture, certain practices, such as using sewage sludge to fertilize land and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), are also banned. Although these effects all seem to focus on the environment rather than human health, there is evidence that organic diets lead to a reduction in overall health issues. A 2019 article that reviewed numerous studies comparing organic and conventional diets found that an increased number of organic foods was associated with reduced rates of infertility, congenital disabilities, pre-eclampsia, and other negative symptoms. The actual effect of consuming organic foods remains unconfirmed because researchers do not fully understand how these foods produce the observed results. As an example of this debate, while synthetic fertilizer and pesticide residues are higher in conventional foods than in organic foods, these higher levels are still subject to strict regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding what it deems safe. Yet, some researchers claim these regulations fail to consider the effects of mixing synthetic chemicals, as seen in conventional farming. Evidently, the nuances in health impacts due to organic regulations in agriculture make it challenging for researchers to provide definitive statements.
Organic regulations for livestock can limit the use of harmful chemicals and protect the well-being of animals. In particular, livestock’s food must be entirely organic; they must be able to access the outdoors, and they cannot receive drugs that prevent diseases and parasites on a regular basis. These regulations create a stark contrast to factory farming, which provides animals with minimal roaming space and breeds them to maximize production at the expense of their health. Like plants, organic livestock farming is better for the environment in many ways. This managed grazing improves the soil fertility of pastures, and organic feed requires significantly less energy and fossil fuel than producing grain feed. Onto human health impacts, the use of growth hormones in conventional farming creates concerns. In a 2015 publication, researchers hypothesized that growth hormone residues inside animal products could increase the risk of breast cancer. However, these claims remain unconfirmed because researchers cannot access the relevant long-term studies, as they are not made publicly available. Many may see this lack of evidence as enough to disregard these health concerns. In response, the researchers raise a point to consider: many growth hormones approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) were approved decades ago and are not routinely reviewed, suggesting that the beliefs about food safety may be based on outdated information.
If a definitive conclusion on organic food had been found, this article would not exist. Although it may be frustrating, researchers lack sufficient evidence to make broad statements about the impacts of different farming practices. Nevertheless, even though organic food may or may not be better for human health, it is always better for our environment.
Citations:
Nachman, K. E., & Smith, T. J. (2015). Hormone use in food animal production: Assessing potential
dietary exposures and Breast Cancer Risk. Current Environmental Health Reports, 2(1), 1–14.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Labeling Organic Products. Labeling Organic Products |
Agricultural Marketing Service. https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Organic Livestock Requirements - Agricultural Marketing
Service.
Vigar, V., Myers, S., Oliver, C., Arellano, J., Robinson, S., & Leifert, C. (2019). A systematic review
of organic versus conventional food consumption: Is there a measurable benefit on human
health? Nutrients, 12(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010007
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