IS ORGANIC THE HEALTHIER OPTION?
FOOD & DRINK
‘Organic’ is a common buzzword within the wellness sphere. This is often used to suggest that a food is superior in terms of quality or healthfulness, but is this actually the case? Organic food production focuses on the sustainability of soil, the wider environment and human wellbeing.1 This uses farming and production methods adapted to local conditions, which promote biodiversity.1 Organic food legislation varies between countries. In the EU, the ‘EU organic logo’ can be used if at least 95% of the agricultural ingredients meet the standards of the EU Organic Regulation.2 The EU has passed new legislation that will come into force on 1 January 2021.25 Examples of the changes that will be made include: • new rules for producers which will make it easier for smaller farmers to convert to organic production; • new rules on imported organics to ensure that all organic products sold in the European Union are of the same standard; • a greater range of products that can be marketed as organic. If a product carries the Soil Association organic logo then it has been certified to meet the standards of the EU Organic Regulation, as well as a set of higher standards devised by the Soil Association.3 Detailed guides can be found at: www. soilassociation.org/our-standards. There isn’t always a big difference between conventional farming and organic farming. For example, pesticide use is reducing in conventional farming in many countries and strategies such as crop rotation are often used in both types of farming.4 In some countries, organic products differ because they aren’t produced using hormones and antibiotics and cattle are more likely to be grass-fed. In the EU, there are laws against using hormones and antibiotics as a routine part
of food production and the majority of cattle are grass-fed.5,6 Similarly, synthetic pesticides may be used in some cases with organic farming; although this is less likely than with conventional farming. NUTRITIONAL CONTENT
Some minor nutritional differences have been found between organic and conventional produce. For example, systematic reviews found that protein levels may be slightly higher in conventional produce and phosphorus may be slightly higher in organic produce.7,8 However, these small differences are not thought to be clinically meaningful.7,8 Similarly, a meta-analysis of organic versus conventional milk, found higher levels of omega-3, iron, vitamin E and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in organic milk, but lower levels of iodine and selenium.9 However, these differences were relatively small overall. Furthermore, the authors acknowledged that the main reason for this difference was related to whether the cattle were grass-fed, rather than due to organic production overall. Seasonal and geographical differences are also thought to have a big impact on the nutritional content of milk. These authors also conducted a meta-analysis to compare the nutritional content of organic versus conventional meat.10 This found similar levels of saturated fatty acids, but slightly lower levels of monounsaturated fat and higher levels of omega-3 fat in organic meat. But the authors highlighted that the main differences were again likely related to grass-feeding, and that the reliability of the data in this study was found to be low. Studies examining biomarkers or nutrient levels, eg, serum and urinary antioxidant levels, have not found any
Maeve Hanan UK Registered Dietitian Freelance Maeve is a Consultant Dietitian and Health Writer. She also runs the blog Dietetically Speaking.com, which promotes evidence-based nutrition and fights nutritional nonsense.
REFERENCES Please visit: https://www. nhdmag.com/ references.html
www.NHDmag.com December 2019 / January 2020 - Issue 150
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