Experts Debate Benefits of Organic Food

The question "Is Organic Food Marketing Hype?" was a recent topic of the Newsweek Intelligence Squared US debate.  Newsweek enlisted six experts to the debate the issue.

The former head of the Food Standards Agency said that "six in 10 Americans who buy organic food believe it is healthier," but eight countries have looked at this issue and all "have concluded that there is no health benefit of eating organic food compared with conventional food."  Many also believe that organic foods do not contain pesticides, but they "just contain a different set of pesticides."

An environmental-health scientist and director of technical policy for the Consumers Union argued the benefits of organic food over conventional, saying that organic animals "eat a diet free of excrement" and organic food "is free of antibiotics" and heavy metals like arsenic.  This expert says that "there are some inadvertent benefits to being healthier to the environment" and since organic practices are better for the environment, they "might be better for us too."

Another participant argued that organic production methods are detrimental for the environment because it takes more land to grow the same amount of food and causes more soil erosion.  The chief scientist at the Organic Center, however, argued that the biodiversity of organic crops allowed more production per acre and the preservation of beneficial insects.

A cancer researcher from the University of California at Berkley found that about 50 percent of both synthetic pesticides and natural compounds caused cancer in rats at high doses.

No particular consensus was drawn from the debate, but the moderator, John Donavan was "surprised" the "level of passion generated by this topic."

To read the Newsweek story, click here.

Posted: 09/03/2010