May 21:

When we go to the grocery store, we see normal, conventional, milk on the shelf, and organic milk next to it whose price is significantly higher, but why? According to Paarlburg, the price of organic milk can be up to 128% higher than the conventional. When picking up that organic milk, and paying over double for it, wouldn’t you think it was better for you? That is the current question under investigation. If organic prices are so much higher, one would think it is because it is so much better for you, but studies are showing there is not much of a difference between conventionally produced and organic milk. Paarlburg says, “strictly on nutritional grounds, health professionals from outside the organic community have found little or no advantage from organic foods” (171). The Mayo clinic backs up this argument by claiming, “No conclusive evidence shows that organic food is more nutritious than is conventionally grown food” (171). The Mayo clinic also states in its book, The Mayo Clinic Diet, that research is ongoing, but they have found the two different forms of food to be comparable in nutritional content. The Harvard Health Blog did studies as well and agrees there is not much of a health benefit given that,”researchers discovered very little difference in nutritional content, aside from slightly higher phosphorous levels in many organic foods, and a higher omega-3 fatty acid content in organic milk and chicken”. If the nutrition doesn’t seem to be the key to spending the extra money for organic, it must be the other factors that weigh into the need to buy them such as environmental or the decreased use of pesticides. However, an Oxford study found that organic milk, cereals, and pork production tend to generate more greenhouse gas emissions per unit of output than the conventional style of farming. It is true that they use less pesticides, which pose a very small health risk anyways, but that is one factor drawing people towards organic. We need to be aware though that organic foods do carry risks, something we learned about today. Paarlburg mentions several episodes of people dying after eating organic foods that contained things such as E. coli and salmonella. There are pros and cons to organic as well as conventional, but from a strictly nutritional view point, there is little to no difference in the two; so paying double the price would not benefit the customer looking to strictly eat a more nutritious diet.