WASHINGTON - August 4 - The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) denounced a report issued on July 28th by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) of the UK as "faulty and misleading." The FSA report alleges that there is no substantial difference in nutritional content between organic and conventional food. The report, however, ignores the well-documented health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming, as well as the growing body of evidence that demonstrates organic food's nutritional superiority.

The FSA report, completed by Dr. Alan Dangour of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, was based on the review of fifty years worth of research papers on the subject. Nonetheless, the report was methodologically flawed, ignored recent nutritional science studies, and appears to be based on politics rather than science.

Though the UK's Food Standards Agency is a government agency, its chairpersons read more like a who's-who of European agribusiness. FSA Chairman John Krebs is a rabid promoter of Genetically Modified crops and an avid opponent of organic farming.

The FSA study pointedly ignored the growing body of research that demonstrates organic foods nutritional superiority to conventional foods. Most recently, a rigorous study commissioned by The Organic Center establishes that organic foods are on average nutritionally superior, with greater concentrations of antioxidants, vitamins and total protein.

Independent of the alleged nutritional differences between organic and conventional crops, organic foods clearly reduce human exposure to dangerous pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic hormones and other contaminants in the food system. The OCA has documented the numerous negative health impacts of consuming pesticide and chemically laced conventional foods.  (http://organicconsumers.org/organic/wic-faq.pdf)

"This misleading and flawed report ignores the numerous health, environmental and economic advantages of organic food versus conventional food, said Ronnie Cummins, Executive Director of the Organic Consumers Association. "Organic farming is a truly sustainable and viable solution to the public health, environmental and climate crisis we are facing," concluded Cummins.