Organic nutrition
One of the key principles of organic agriculture is health and many shoppers choose organic food to avoid pesticides and because they believe it is healthier for them. But is organic better for you?
Milk
Studies show organic farming systems produce milk which is nutritionally different to milk from cows raised on non-organic dairy farms. In fact, no system of farming has milk with higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids or a healthier balance of omega-6. Research from Glasgow and Liverpool Universities found organic farm systems resulted in milk which has on average 68% higher levels of the essential fatty acid omega-3 and a healthier omega-3:6 profile than non-organic milk.
Crops
The most up-to-date research shows that organic crops are of a much higher nutritional quality than their non-organic counterparts. The peer reviewed research, a 'meta-analysis' of 343 previous studies by Newcastle University, and published in the British Journal of Nutrition, has found significant differences between organic and non-organic farming.
The research, presents strong evidence that switching to food produced using organic standards can lead to increased intake of nutritionally desirable antioxidants, without increased calories, as well as a reduced intake of potentially harmful cadmium and pesticides. The message is clear: how we farm can affect the quality of the food we eat. Organic is different.