Are the FSA (Food Standards Agency) irresponsible for issuing the result of a report, commissioned by the FSA, carried out by experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who studied data collected over 50 years which concludes that organic food has no benefits over non-organic food?
I think the press release below from the BDAA makes it pretty clear.
Press Release
Food Standards Agency Organic Food Review
Rebuttal from the BDAA – Bernard Jarman (Exec Director)
It is no surprise that a straightforward nutrient analysis concludes that there is no difference between organic and other food. After all the substances analysed are building blocks common to all foods. What is more surprising is that such a limited investigation has been carried out. It is widely acknowledged that food quality assessment needs to include many other factors too - flavour, keeping quality and absence of chemical residues being but three.
The reasons why people choose organic food are various, but important among them is that they have been grown without pesticides and contain virtually no toxic residues. This is highly significant but was consciously left out of consideration by this piece of research. The effects of chemical residues on health have been well documented.
A second reason they choose organic food is that organic farming guarantees that the environment is properly cared for, that animal welfare is assured and that the integrity of plants and animals is fully respected. At a time of growing awareness of the damage being done to the environment, this is a major consideration when buying food. Organic farming, dependent on soil for providing nutrition to the plants is focussed on creating humus, and humus is a very powerful method of locking up atmospheric carbon.
Of course there are also the personal reasons, as consumers also chose organic food because of its quality. Quality concerns flavour, smell, appearance, keeping quality and vitality, all somewhat intangible elements which are difficult to assess analytically. However, the human senses can assess quality in a moment, and where, in wine tasting for example, we are most interested we develop senses that are highly acute. In this area organic and in particular, biodynamic growing is consistently shown to produce a better product. People who care as much about their carrots as about their wine know what nonsense this report is talking.
Biodynamic food bearing the Demeter label and incorporating all organic standards is particularly known for its fulsome flavours, good keeping quality and high vitality. Analytical tests on fresh biodynamic vegetables also show well balanced protein formation (improving digestibility) and increased dry matter and fibre content. All factors which contribute to a healthy diet.
Organic food is better for the environment and better for health.
Organic food is a wise and meaningful choice for consumers to make.
So, are they irresponsible – yes it’s almost like saying, ‘it’s safe to smoke’!!
