Report ‘did not address use of chemicals’
Scientists found no significant difference in the nutrition content, or any additional health benefits, between organic and conventionally produced food.
The Food Standards Agency, who commissioned the report from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the findings would help people make an informed choice.
The research was split into two parts, one of which looked at differences in nutrient levels and their significance, while the other looked at the health benefits of eating organic food.
It did find there were beneficial nutrients in organic food, such as flavonoids and beta carotene, but concluded they were not important.
Spokesperson for the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association Grace Maher said she believed the research would not put off people from buying organic foods, which were generally more expensive.
“The main reason people choose organic produce is because they do not want pesticide residues in their food. There has been no longitudinal study of the negative effects of foods treated with chemicals and we would like the Government to put some funding towards that,” she said. There was also the question of the amount of energy that went into the production of conventional foods, compared with organic foods that were less energy intensive and beneficial to the climate.
The British study did not look at pesticide residue or the environmental implications of organic food because this would be beyond the specialism of the scientists involved. The study reviewed all papers published over the past 50 years that related to the nutrient content and health differences between organic and conventional food.
FSA director of consumer choice and dietary health, Gill Fine, said the study did not mean that people should not eat organic food. She said “there is little, if any nutritional difference between organic and conventionally produced food, and ... there is no evidence of additional health benefits from eating organic food”.
Ms Maher said research on the nutritional content in organic foods was only catching up with the development of organic farms.
She pointed to a study published last year that found a higher level of antioxidants and vitamin C in organic fruit and vegetables and a higher level of omega 3 in organic dairy products. The Qualify Low Input Farming Project was carried out at Newcastle University.
