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Organic vs. Nonorganic: Understanding the Issues

When deciding whether or not to choose organic food, consider the numerous issues that surround the industry and weigh their importance to you personally.

Health Concerns

Organic advocates cite health concerns as a reason for embracing organic food, as they believe that many common food-production processes and technologies pose a danger to human health. In particular, they have expressed concern about the following:
  • Pesticides: Since the 1940s, conventional food producers have relied on manmade chemicals, or pesticides, to minimize the harmful effects of crop-eating pests. A primary concern among organic advocates is that pesticide residues remain on foods after they are harvested, possibly in toxic and cancer-causing levels.
    • The FDA’s ongoing Total Diet Study has found pesticide residues on convention-ally farmed foods to be between 0.0001 and 2.04 parts per million, with produce generally containing more residues than grains, beans, and rice.
    • Independent studies have been inconclusive in their attempts to prove or disprove that these levels of pesticide residues are dangerous to humans.
  • Hormones: For decades, dairy farmers have injected cows with the growth hormone BST (also known as BGH) to stimulate increased milk production. In 1993, the FDA approved the use of a synthetic version of this hormone, rBST. Today, both nonorganic dairy cows and nonorganic beef cattle are often injected with rBST. Organic advocates point to studies suggesting that adding hormones to the food supply disrupts the human endocrine system (see Organic Dairy Products, Eggs, and Soy Products).
  • Food additives: Synthetic food additives are found in nearly all nonorganic processed foods to extend their shelf life. Organic processed foods may also contain natural additives, and in some cases, even one of a handful of synthetic additives permitted by the NOP. Some studies have linked additives to increased rates of heart disease, cancer, and skin disease in adults, whereas other studies suggest links to allergic reactions, headaches, asthma, growth retardation, and hyperactivity in children.
  • Antibiotics: Many livestock farmers give their animals antibiotics to keep them healthy and speed up their growth. Organic advocates claim that antibiotic residues in meat or dairy products are harmful to humans. These supporters are also concerned that the widespread use of antibiotics encourages the development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. Despite the lack of irrefutable evidence of these claims, the NOP prohibits the use of antibiotics in organic meat and dairy products.
  • Genetically modified organisms (GMOs): The genetic modification of food involves removing genes from one species and placing them into another in order to create a desirable trait in the latter, such as bruise-resistant tomatoes or rice fortified with vitamin A. Many organic advocates fear that genetically modified food products could create new viruses, increase antibiotic resistance, or alter the nutritional content of foods in detrimental ways. The technology is still too young to validate any of these fears, but some experts warn against buying GM foods simply because their effects haven’t yet been adequately studied. All organic food is made without GMOs.
  • Irradiation: Many food items from herbs and grains to potatoes and fruit are irradiated to kill insects, bacteria, mold, and microorganisms. Though the FDA permits irradiation, organic advocates claim that it would be unnecessary in the first place if producers simply kept cleaner food-processing facilities.
    • Research has shown that foods exposed to low doses of irradiation pose no more danger that spending a day in the sun.
    • However, some products, such as frozen hamburger patties, are given higher doses of radiation and may pose a greater health risk.

Additional Health Concerns for Children

In 1993, the National Research Council found that children are more susceptible to pesti­cide residues because they ingest more food per unit of body weight than adults, and their immune systems are not yet fully capable of detoxifying these residues. Subsequent studies have confirmed that children who eat predominantly nonorganic diets have higher concentrations of pesticide residues in their bodies than adults with similar diets. The full effect of this increased presence of pesticide residues in children is still unknown, but it is indisputable that organic diets reduce residue concentration in children.

Is Organic Food More Nutritious Than Nonorganic Food?

All plants grow by extracting nutrients from soil. Organic farmers maintain their soil’s nutrient level by adding compost and manure and by rotating crops, whereas most nonorganic farmers maintain their crop yields by adding synthetic chemical fertilizers to their soil.

The question of whether these synthetic fertilizers reduce the nutrient content of crops is the subject of hot debate—different studies have yielded conflicting results. Organic advocates point to studies showing higher nutrient content in organic foods, whereas proponents of conventional agriculture lean on studies suggesting that the differences are negligible. If nutrition is the only factor in your decision, you’ll be hard-pressed to find compelling evidence to justify a switch to organic food.

Environmental Issues

It would be impossible to feed the world’s population without exacting a toll on the environment, as all forms of agriculture disrupt the environment. Organic farming practices have a much better record than conventional agricultural practices in minimizing that impact.

Soil Degradation

All farming causes some level of soil degradation, including these problems in particular:
  • Soil fertility: The amount of nutrients existing in the soil
  • Soil erosion: The loss of topsoil due to wind, rain, and agricultural activity
  • Soil salinity: The salt content of soil (which tends to be exacerbated by irrigation); if salinity gets too high, plants cannot survive
Organic farmers and conventional farmers have different approaches to dealing with these three problems.

 
Issue
  
Conventional Agriculture Response
  
Organic Response
Soil fertility
  
Fertility is maintained through the use of synthetic fertilizers.
  
Fertility is maintained through the use of compost and manure.
Soil erosion
  
Farmers often replant crops in the same land plots, replacing spent nutrients by using synthetic fertilizers. Although this practice causes erosion, farmers claim that it eliminates the need to cultivate additional soil unfit for food production­—which would cause far more erosion.
  
Organic soil maintenance methods keep soil healthier and reduce erosion. Crop rotation also taxes the soil less than consistently replanting the same crops in the same soil.
Soil salinity
  
Conventional agriculture methods rely heavily on irrigation, increasing soil salinity problems.
  
Traditional, small-scale organic farmers generally avoid growing crops where irrigation is necessary. As the organic industry grows, however, a larger percentage of organic food is grown on industrial organic farms, which are just as dependent on irrigation as nonorganic farms.
 

Water Contamination

All agricultural byproducts—whether from manmade or organic farming—have the potential to enter drinking water supplies as well as lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans. The most common byproducts found in water supplies are:
  • Pesticide residues
  • Runoff from synthetic fertilizers
Because organic farms avoid both pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, organic farming practices have a much better record in protecting water supplies from contamination.

Air Pollution

All agriculture contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
  • Most food is grown away from urban areas. This means the food must be transported, which adds large amounts of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to the air.
  • Livestock and crops are responsible for the emission of large amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, which are also harmful to the atmosphere.
Though all agricultural practices contribute to air pollution, small organic farms are generally located closer to the final destination of their products, requiring less transportation. As the organic food industry continues to grow, however, an increasing proportion of organic products are being grown on large, industrial farms often located just as far from urban centers as comparably sized nonorganic farms. As a result, the most effective way to address agriculture’s air pollution problems is to buy locally grown food, whether it is organic or nonorganic.

Loss of Biodiversity

In its pursuit of efficiency, industrial farms tend to reduce the types and varieties of crops they grow, often planting large swaths of land with single crops—a process called monocropping. This narrowing of crop varieties results in a larger and cheaper food supply, but it contributes to a loss of biodiversity (species variety) that some people find troubling.
  • Some organic agriculture advocates argue that plants are no different than animals, many of which are protected by the Endangered Species Act, and that protecting biodiversity is crucial to maintaining a balanced planet.
  • Others point out that large single-crop farms are more vulnerable to pests and require increasing amounts of synthetic pesticides, further harming the environment.
Most organic farmers tend to grow a wide array of fruits and vegetables both to protect biodiversity and to defend against infestations of pests forming on single crops.

Cost

Organic food is, virtually without exception, more expensive than nonorganic food. Organic food advocates claim that organic farms simply cost more to operate than conventional farms, citing, for example, that the labor required for pest and weed control costs far more than most pesticides. Detractors argue that organic foods are deliberately and unnecessarily marketed and priced as luxury items.

The truth probably lies somewhere in between. As the organic food industry grows and more national supermarket chains begin to carry organic food, prices are slowly dropping. The following table compares prices for various organic and conventional food products.

 
Item
 
Supermarket* (conventional)
  
Supermarket* (organic)
  
Food Co-Op** (organic)
Apple juice (32-oz bottle)
  
$1.10
  
$1.75
  
$2.21
Apples (1 lb)
  
$1.79
  
$2.49
  
$1.61
Bananas (1 lb)
  
$0.69
  
$0.79
  
$0.86
Bell peppers (1 lb)
  
$1.49
  
$3.98
  
$2.26
Bread (sliced loaf, whole wheat)
  
$1.49
  
$3.98
  
$2.26
Cereal (15-oz box)
  
$2.49
  
$3.49
  
$3.16
Chicken breast
  
$4.99
  
$6.89
  
$7.90
Coffee (1 lb)
  
$9.99
  
$10.99
  
$7.00
Eggs (1 dozen extra large)
  
$3.69
  
$3.99
  
$2.90
Ground beef (85% lean, 1 lb)
  
$4.29
  
$6.99
  
$6.05
Ketchup (24-oz bottle)
  
$2.29
  
$3.69
  
$2.58
Macaroni and cheese (6-oz box)
  
$0.89
  
$2.09
  
$1.37
Milk (1/2-gallon carton)
  
$2.19
  
$3.39
  
$3.11
Pasta (16-oz box)
  
$1.39
  
$2.29
  
$1.68
Peanut butter (18-oz jar)
  
$1.99
  
$2.99
  
$3.72
Salsa (16-oz jar)
  
$3.29
  
$3.69
  
$2.65
Soy milk (32-oz carton)
  
$2.19
  
$2.49
  
$2.09
Spinach (6-oz bag)
  
$1.98
  
$3.98
  
$3.16
Tomato sauce (26-oz jar)
  
$3.29
  
$3.99
  
$2.35
Tomatoes (vine-ripe, 1 lb)
  
$2.98
  
$4.98
  
$2.49
 
* Whole Foods Market, New York, NY (as of 2007)

** Park Slope Food Co-Op, Brooklyn, NY (as of 2007)

Quality and Flavor

Researchers have performed hundreds of studies and taste tests over the years to try to determine whether there’s any discernible difference in quality and taste between organic and nonorganic food. The bottom line is that any two foods grown in different settings—with or without different growing practices—likely will not taste the same. In any case, because taste is so subjective, it’s hard to make blanket statements. Try some organic and nonorganic products side by side and make a judgment for yourself.

Appearance

Many shoppers make judgments about food quality based on appearance. Though an attrac­tive appearance can be a sign of quality and freshness, blemishes and odd shapes are not necessarily signs of poor quality.
  • Many food products today are waxed, buffed, or treated with chemicals to influence their appearance in the supermarket aisle, so it’s easy to assume that those gleaming fruits and vegetables are fresher or of higher quality than the smaller, speckled ones. In reality, many of those spotless tomatoes and glossy apples were bred specifically for sturdiness and shelf life, not flavor.
  • Misshapen or speckled produce, on the other hand, was probably farmed closer to you, may be more flavorful, and may even be cheaper. Don’t be afraid to try fruits or vegetables with imperfect appearances, regardless of whether or not they’re organic.

Social Concerns

Many organic advocates’ concerns extend beyond health, nutrition, and environmental issues to include economic and social justice values as well. In particular, organic advocates focus on supporting local, sustainable agriculture, maintaining the welfare of the farmers and laborers growing and harvesting food, and safeguarding the welfare of the animals that provide us with food. The core social issues these advocates address through organic food principles are the following:
  • Support of local agriculture: As large industrial farms have perfected methods of increasing crop yields and lowering prices, they have put thousands of small farmers out of business. Conventional agriculture advocates insist that their existence has resulted in a net increase of jobs, but these jobs are often low-paying and are clustered in a small number of communities near industrial farms.
  • Worker safety: Laborers on conventional farms are exposed to more synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers than laborers on organic farms. Studies have suggested links between prolonged exposure to these chemicals and higher rates of cancer and immune system problems. It is difficult to gauge the prevalence of pesticide poisoning because its symptoms resemble many viral infections and are often misdiagnosed.
  • Animal welfare: Many organic advocates are concerned that industrial farms treat animals, from veal calves to chickens, inhumanely during their lifetimes. For that reason, they favor free-range farming and other animal husbandry practices that permit animals to roam freely or live more “natural” lives.
 
 
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