Genetically Engineered Plants and Foods: A Scientist's Analysis of the
Issues (Part I)
Annual Review of Plant Biology
Vol. 59: 771-812 (Volume publication date June 2008)
First published online as a Review in Advance on February 19, 2008
DOI: 10.1146/annurev.arplant.58.032806.103840
Peggy G. Lemaux
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California,
Berkeley, California 94720; email:

http://www.annualreviews.org/eprint/....032806.103840

.....3.16. Are Organic Foods Healthier or Safer?
Organic farming is a method of agricultural production that does not
allow the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or growth
enhancers. Foods grown under organic certification differ from
conventionally produced food by the manner in which they are grown,
handled, and processed, but an “organic” label does not guarantee the
nature of the product, the food, or ingredient, only its production
method. The important factors for many people who consume organic
foods relate to the perceptions that they are healthier, taste better,
are better for the environment, have lower pesticide levels and fewer
food additives, and are better for animal welfare (214). However,
organic certification does not imply that foods produced using organic
methods are more nutritious or safer than those produced without
organic methods (195).
A 2007 review by the British Nutrition Foundation stated, “There
appears to be a perception among many consumers that organic foods are
more nutritious and therefore healthier than conventionally produced
foods. However, to date there are limited data to support this
view” (248). This perception has led in part to increases in the world
market for certified organic foods to $34 billion in 2005 (111). A
2007 poll showed that 57% of polled consumers strongly believed that
science had proven that organic food was healthier than conventional
(182, figure 17). Because of the paucity of scientific data, the UK
Food Standards Agency decided in October 2007 to seek a contractor who
will evaluate relevant studies and compare the nutrient and non-
nutrient content of organic and conventional foods to determine if any
compositional differences have nutritional or other health effects in
the context of the complete diet (86).
In general, only a small number of peer-reviewed studies exist that
analyze nutritional differences between foods produced conventionally
and organically. Although statistically significant differences have
been observed for a limited number of metabolites for a few foods
grown under differing environmental conditions using conventional and
organic production systems, more research is required to determine if
any of these differences have actual health-promoting effects. Some
examples......