Organics – Worth the Price?

. . .  Stanford study claims no difference between conventional and organic – but don’t believe it! Do you fork over your hard-earned cash for organic versus conventional produce because you believe it’s healthier?  If so, you may have been dismayed by headlines announcing that a Stanford University review of almost 300 scientific studies found no difference between conventional and organic food in terms of either safety or nutrient value. Well, I’m here to tell you that there IS a difference: organic produce is higher in nutrients, much lower in toxins and well worth the added expense. The Stanford scientists’ findings are very much at odds with a growing consensus that pesticides in conventional agriculture are harmful, and that organic foods are far healthier. Even the President’s Cancer Panel, which is part of the National Cancer Institute, recommends eating organic food as one step to take in preventing cancer. Besides cancer, many other degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, dementia and other neurological problems have been linked with pesticides. How could Stanford scientists have come up with such a bizarre finding? Well, according to farmer and consumer advocate group The Cornucopia Institute, Stanford scientists have deep ties with the agribiz and biotech industries, going back to the 1970s when they rose to the defense of a beleaguered tobacco industry. Although the study’s authors say that they chose to forgo specific funding for this study in order to avoid the appearance of bias, they are employed by Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute, which receives millions from agribiz giants like Cargill and Monsanto. Contributions from such corporate behemoths overwhelm a lot of university agriculture departments, as they have at Stanford, and come to determine the department’s general mindset.* We’ll have more to say on the subject of conventional versus organic produce in this month’s Zine, but for now, my advice? Disregard these new headlines in the same way you disregard all those headlines about supplements being dangerous to your health, and simply go on as before.  Unfortunately, there is more profit to be made by confusing the public.  We prefer to enlighten...

Smith-Spangler C. Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives?: a systematic  review. Annals of Internal Medicine. Sept 4, 2012;157(5):348-366.

The Cornucopia Institute. Stanford’s “spin” on organics allegedly tainted by biotech funding. Cornucopia News. Published online September 12, 2012.

*For a detailed description of how corporate donors influence university agricultural research, see an April 2012 report by Food & Water Watch entitled “Public Research, Private Gain: Corporate Influence Over University Agricultural Research,” available online.