April 22, 2000 / Knight-Ridder Tribune / Sonya Colberg, Tulsa World, Okla.
More Americans are, according to this story, cheerfully shelling out an
average 20 percent premium for foods grown organically, and some consumers
are even choosing to pay as much as 110 percent more for organically grown
produce.
What are they getting for their money?
Lora Wilder, nutrition information specialist at the food and nutrition
information center at the National Agriculture Library, was cited as saying
that science is silent on this one, adding, "In terms of whether it's better
or not, it totally depends on who you talk to. I'm not aware of any studies
that show without a doubt that it is better from a nutritional standpoint."
Audrey Cross, national nutrition policy adviser during President Jimmy
Carter's administration who has a Ph.D. in nutrition and is a Columbia
University professor who continues to advise Congress, local and state
governments and consumer groups, was cited as saying that nutrients are
nutrients, adding, "From a nutrient point of view, Vitamin C is Vitamin C
whether it was manufactured in a factory, or came from an orange grown in a
nonorganic field, or from an orange grown in an organic field."
So, organically grown produce is not better for you than regular
produce? "If you looked on a nutrient-by-nutrient basis, you'd have to
answer that question: Probably not," Cross said.
MaryAnn O'Dell, registered dietician working for Akin's Natural Foods
Market, was cited as saying she has seen one study that shows there may be
more mineral content in organic fruits and vegetables, adding, "That's just
one study, so it remains to be seen. Since we don't know the negative impact
of pesticides over long-term use, most people do believe the organics are
better for you because they don't have the pesticides."
Christine Bruhn, with the Center for Consumer Research at the University of
California, Davis, was cited as saying surveys show that about 60 percent to
70 percent of consumers think that organic products are better for them,
adding, "We question, as scientists, what exactly that means. Some have
stated that organic products are more nutritious. There is no scientific
literature to support that point of view."
Katherine DiMatteo, executive director of the Organic Trade Association in
Greenfield, Mass., was cited as saying that organic production methods do
reduce chemical pesticide applications and benefit people, adding, "The
whole basis of organic standards is about what happens to the environment
when you farm. Certainly the fact that the EPA has declared agriculture as
the largest nonpoint polluter of water in the United States eliminating and changing the types of materials and methods you use, as we
do in organic, you're helping to improve water quality, which we're all
affected by."
Cross was cited as agreeing that environmental impact has a bearing on
health and that well-being results from activity levels, heredity, rest,
stress and the nutrients and chemicals we gobble down with every meal,
adding, "One of the things that we notice is that people who follow more
natural health-styles are healthier. By more natural health-styles, I mean
people who are making sure they get outdoors each day to make sure they get
a certain amount of sunshine. They're making sure they sleep with the
window open, and are eating organic foods. And certainly including organic
foods in your diet reduces the number of chemicals that weren't really meant
to be consumed by humans."
Unlike some organic food fans, Cross was cited as saying she is unwilling to
buy organic produce when the food is 100 percent or 110 percent higher than
conventionally produced foods.
(posted without permission)
