Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives? A Systematic Review

Our growing nutrition crisis has come to a point where organic foods, which are in many cases grown to be more nutritions, are not more nutrient dense than conventional foods. The recent systematic review from Stanford discusses this.

“Consumers purchase organic foods for many reasons. Despite the widespread perception that organically produced foods are more nutritious than conventional alternatives, we did not find robust evidence to support this perception. Of the nutrients evaluated, only 1 comparison, the phosphorus content of produce, demonstrated the superiority of organic foods…In summary, our comprehensive review of the published literature on the comparative health outcomes, nutrition, and safety of organic and conventional foods identified limited evidence for the superiority of organic foods. The evidence does not suggest marked health benefits from consuming organic versus conventional foods, although organic produce may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and organic chicken and pork may reduce exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”