Organic food has no added nutritional benefit
So why am I paying extra for the stuff grown on Prince Chrles' frm ????????????????????
In the most comprehensive study ever to be carried out into the nutritional content of organic food compared to ordinary fare, scientists found no significant difference in vitamins and minerals.
A separate study found there are no extra health benefits to eating organic food rather than meat, fruits or vegetables grown on intensive farms.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which commissioned the research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, concluded there was no reason to buy expensive organic food for nutritional reasons.
The study is likely to come as a blow to the billion-pound industry which is already struggling in the economic downturn as shoppers turn away from more expensive goods. For example, an organic chicken costs three times the price of a more conventionally-reared bird.
But celebrity chefs and organic farmers said the studies failed to take into account the health impact of the "cocktail of chemicals" left on conventional food and the environmental benefits of growing organic food on wildlife-friendly farms. Advocates claim the produce is better for you, with some claiming it can help cure skin conditions, asthma and even cancers.
However previous studies have proved confusing, with some claiming organic foods can provide more vitamins, while others find no difference to ordinary foods.
The new research looked for the first time at the best evidence over the last 50 years. After looking at 160 studies on the nutritional content of organic foods versus non organic it concluded there was no significant difference in vitamins and minerals that are important to human health. A further study of more than 50 studies on the health implications found no good evidence that organic food is better for you than non-organic.
Dr Alan Dangour, of the LSHTM, who carried out the studies, said the report was the most comprehensive review of the health benefits of organic food ever carried out.
"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority," he said.
Gill Fine, FSA Director of Consumer Choice and Dietary Health, said there is no need for people to buy highly-priced organic food for the health benefits.
"The study does not mean that people should not eat organic food. What it shows is there is little, if any, nutritional difference between organic and conventionally produced food and that there is no evidence of additional health benefits from eating organic food."
Telegraph
A new report from a U.S. environmental group suggests the "new car smell" long beloved by the purchasers of vehicles could be a sign of harmful chemicals inside the car.
Much of the smell comes from plastics and materials used inside the car, from the steering wheel to the dashboard to the carpets — parts often made with chemicals including flame retardants, plasticizers and other chemicals that can give off gas or leach into the environment.
The Ecology Centre, a Michigan-based environmental group, tested components in the interiors of 200 new-model cars for toxic chemicals including bromine, chlorine, lead and other heavy metals. The chemicals "can be harmful when inhaled or ingested and may lead to severe health impacts such as birth defects, learning disabilities and cancer," the report notes.
The group rated the cars according to relative level of health and environmental concern associated with the chemicals in the vehicle, in comparison with other vehicles tested.
The cars of most concern included the Nissan Versa, Chevrolet Aveo and Kia Rio, which all rated above four on the five-point scale. The Chevy Cobalt, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Volvo V50 station wagon were among those rated as "of least concern."
The Ecology Centre's ratings do not offer an absolute measure of health risk or chemical exposure, the study notes. However, its investigation found some toxic chemicals at levels five to ten times higher in new cars than would be found in an average office or home.
"The nose is great at detecting small amounts of a chemical. If you can smell something, it's there," said Ernie Pokopchuk, an assistant professor in chemistry at the University of Winnipeg.
Pokopchuk said some of the chemicals identified in the story could have serious effects.
"They can be irritating, might be something as simple as making your eyes kind of red, feel like they're burning a little bit, irritation like that, or it can be as severe, with a high enough dosage, it can lead to health concerns, birth defects, cancers," he said.
Vince Gabrielli, manager of lease and commercial sales at a Winnipeg Dodge dealership, says this is the first he's heard about the issue.
"Obviously, it's a concern for most consumers," he said. "Manufacturers are always going to be wondering if there's enough toxins to be harmful to the public, and if that's the case, then they'll probably put restrictions on it and hopefully get rid of that."
Some companies, such as Volvo, are already selling cars with interiors marketed as healthier. In Volvo's case, the approach controls the use of nickel in dashboard controls, keys and safety-belt buckles and chemicals used in upholstery fabric and leather.
"Safety is much more than that small probability [of] what if I get into a crash," says Michael Rawluk at a Winnipeg Volvo dealership. "It's [also] how does this car impact my health?"
The Ecology Center hopes this study will push car manufacturers to use safer products in the future, noting that toxic chemicals are not required to make interior auto parts, and some manufacturers have begun to phase them out.
For people who already own cars listed as "of concern" in the study, the centre recommends using solar reflectors in the windshield, because heat and ultraviolet rays accelerate the release of chemicals; the centre also recommends opening the windows for a few minutes before driving off.
CBS News report 2007
To add to Yanapa2's post, we breath in allsorts of crap daily, from car exhaust and factory waste to oven cleaning sprays. Even the smell of a new car is harmful apparently. Something to do with the chemicals used to treat the interior.
I personally dont think eating organic is going to make much difference
How organic is Organic ? with acid rains, polution the hole in Ozone...
The food might be organic but everything else we live in is not!
Organic does not cost less because it requires other, more labour intensive methods of pest control, better use of the soil (and using better/healthier natural fertilizers) and because they are not using preservatives to maintain shelflife, there is more spoilage.
Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"
In fact organic food should cost less...as the "farmers" will not be paying for the chemicals & fertilisers etc.....lol
GM foods are a different thing altogether as their genes are modified.
with the global economic recession, tell me which one is cheaper?
Just because food is produced nearby doesn't mean that pesticides aren't used in their production.
Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"
Yeah. Obvious reason. But misused as marketing ploy when people jump on the bandwagon. Don't believe everything you read or hear.
bosyang said "... no preservatives and chemicals added, that's the big difference"
- Agreed and cancer patients, etc. need to eat organic foods for this reason. Good health is a long term investment.
/Btw, no need to buy the expensive organic food that's marketed at ridiculous prices. Just go to the villages / countryside for fresh food. None in Qatar, of course. That's a spanner in the works for us...
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Don't want no drama,
No, no drama, no, no, no, no drama
no preservatives and chemicals added, that's the big difference
kathy
Well, millions and millions of people thought and still do think that organic is nutritionally superior to GM foods.
Pathetic.
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
marycatherine said it all and I agree fully, organic usually taste much better ...
What kind of idiot would think that organically grown brocolli has a higher nutritional content than "regular" brocolli? Brocolli is Brocolli is Brocolli.
However, organic food can and does taste better, does not have perhaps "dangerous" or "unnecessary" chemicals/additives/preservatives and is certainly better for the environment and the world (and us, by default).
Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"
I heard this about a year ago. Buying organic is a lifestyle choice, just as those who prefer free range eggs to 'normal' eggs.