Organic Consumers Association Responds to Faulty and Misleading UK Organic Nutrition Study

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. (https://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.