Organic Food

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The claim · organic is more nutritious and safer

EVIDENCEGUIDE 1 · REVIEW 1

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Organic certifies how the food was grown, not the nutrition or safety of the food. The nutritional difference between organic and conventional produce is small. As for pesticide residues, take the EU's annual testing as an example: the large majority of sampled foods had residues within the legal limits. Eating more fruit and vegetables matters far more than choosing organic. Why the nutritional gap is so small is the subject of the chapter How big the nutrition gap really is, which starts from a vegetable's variety, the light it grew in, and the days since harvest.

Organic does buy some real gains, just not the ones on the shelf card: its best-supported benefit is in the soil and water, and it can also lower the pesticide residue you eat.

This story answers four questions: what the label actually certifies, how big the nutritional difference really is, what happens to residue once it is inside you, and where the same money buys the most.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.

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Organic Food

Read full story

Stop 1/6

The claim · organic is more nutritious and safer

EVIDENCEGUIDE 1 · REVIEW 1

READ THE ORIGINAL

Organic certifies how the food was grown, not the nutrition or safety of the food. The nutritional difference between organic and conventional produce is small. As for pesticide residues, take the EU's annual testing as an example: the large majority of sampled foods had residues within the legal limits. Eating more fruit and vegetables matters far more than choosing organic. Why the nutritional gap is so small is the subject of the chapter How big the nutrition gap really is, which starts from a vegetable's variety, the light it grew in, and the days since harvest.

Organic does buy some real gains, just not the ones on the shelf card: its best-supported benefit is in the soil and water, and it can also lower the pesticide residue you eat.

This story answers four questions: what the label actually certifies, how big the nutritional difference really is, what happens to residue once it is inside you, and where the same money buys the most.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.