Claim: Organic Food Isn't Healthier

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has published a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition claiming that organic foods are neither healthier nor more nutritional than conventionally produced food. The report contradicts previous scientific reporting and explodes the cultural myth that food grown without the use of pesticides and hormones is nutritionally superior. Dr. Alan Dangour, who led the review, said, "Most studies were based on the hypothesis that eating organic food is beneficial to health. Looking at all of the studies published in the last 50 years, we have concluded that there's no good evidence that consumption of organic food is beneficial to health based on the nutrient content." But so what if organic isn't more nutritious, asks Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, in The Atlantic. "This is an example of nutritionism in action: looking at foods as if their nutrient content is all that matters—not production methods, not effects on the environment, and not even taste."