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How popular are organic foods and why have they become a food trend?
Organic foods are growing in popularity as people are becoming more aware of the impact that their food choices have not only on their own personal health but also on the environment in which they live. Organic foods are the fastest growing segment of the food business in the United States. Currently, organic food is a 14 billion dollar business, expected to grow to 23 billion dollars in the next several years. They continue to increase in popularity not only because they do not contain the toxins found in conventionally grown foods but because of their nutritional value.
Organic foods have traditionally been purchased because they do not contain the pesticide residue levels found on conventionally grown food. According to one study whose findings are based on pesticide residue data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, organic fruits and vegetables were shown to have only a third as many pesticide residues as their conventionally grown counterparts. Study data, which covered more than 94,000 food samples from more than 20 crops, showed 73% of conventionally grown foods sampled had residue from at least one pesticide, while only 23% of organically grown samples had any residues. When residues of persistent, long-banned organochlorine insecticides such as DDT were excluded from the analysis, organic samples with residues dropped from 23 to 13%. In contrast, more than 90% of USDA's samples of conventionally grown apples, peaches, pears, strawberries and celery had residues.
Organically grown meats are preferable because they do not contain the antibiotic and hormone residues often found in conventionally produced meats. Organically grown foods are also cultivated using farming practices that work to preserve and protect the environment, reducing the pollution that can occur with the application of agricultural chemicals to our land (which then pervades into other arenas of our ecosystem).
But that's not all. Science is now finding that organic foods can also be nutritionally superior to conventionally grown foods. Proof of their superiority has been demonstrated in numerous studies. In 1998, a review of 34 studies comparing the nutritional content of organic versus non-organic food found organic food had higher protein quality in all comparisons, higher levels of vitamin C in 58% of all studies, and 5-20% higher mineral levels for all but two minerals. In some cases, the mineral levels were dramatically higher in organically-grown foods - as much as three times higher in one study involving iron content. Other studies have found that organic foods may also contain more flavonoids than conventionally grown foods.
A review of 41 studies comparing the nutritional value of organically to conventionally grown fruits, vegetables and grains, also indicates organic crops provide substantially more of several nutrients, including:
* 27% more vitamin C
* 21.1% more iron
* 29.3% more magnesium
* 13.6% more phosphorus
For a long time, organic food could usually only be found at natural food stores and farmer's markets. Yet, in the last decade more and more supermarkets have chosen to offer organic foods, reflecting public demand, and making it more commonplace. A recent announcement by the mega-store chain, Wal-Mart, to carry organic foods in their stores will probably prove to make it even more available.
For more information on this topic, see:
* Everything I Need to Know About Organic Foods
* Why Organic Foods are Better for Health
References:
Unauthored. Effect of Agricultural Methods on Nutritional Quality: a Comparison of Organic With Conventional Crops. Altern Ther Health Med. 1998;4(1):58-69.
Unauthored. Nutritional Quality of Organic Versus Conventional Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains. J Altern Complement Med. 2001;7(2):161-73.
Worthington V. Analyzing Data to Compare Nutrients in Conventional Versus Organic Crops. J Altern Complement Med. 2002;8(5):529-32.
