Organic food has a reputation for being healthier than conventional, and there's some evidence for that. But when it comes to organic wine, the health benefits are much less clear, experts say. And they won't help you avoid a hangover.

Organic wines still make up just a tiny fraction of the U.S. wine market, but when they are sold here, they must be approved by the USDA, just like fruits and vegetables. The USDA has three levels of organic certification that can appear on wine bottles: 100% organic, organic and made with organic grapes. Each of these have standards for the amount of organic ingredients that must be in the wine (100% organic ingredients, at least 95% and at least 70%, respectively). There are also other categorieslike biodynamic, which has its own private regulatory bodies and treats the whole vineyard as a living ecosystem, even taking into account astrological influences.

But the main difference between all these categories, according to wine experts, is the amount of sulfites.

Sulfitespreservatives added to wine to prevent it from spoiling, oxidizing and aging too quicklyare perhaps the most controversial ingredients in the wine world. They have long been a key feature of winemaking, because yeast naturally produces low levels of them during fermentation. Organic and 100% organic wine must have no added sulfites and can only contain them up to 10 parts per million (ppm). Wine made with organic grapes and biodynamic wine can have sulfites up to 100 ppm, and conventional processed wine can have sulfites up to 350 ppm.

MORE: Here's What Happens When You Drink Red Wine Every Night

So the fewer sulfites, the betterright? Not necessarily. Without sulfites, its difficult to make wine that smells, looks or tastes like what most shoppers are used to drinking, says Ryan Elias, a food chemist at Penn State University. A very small percentage of people are allergic to sulfites, which is why winemakers must list them on their labels. But unlike food packages, wine bottles are not required to list many other ingredients, which can make sulfites stand out. On a wine bottle theres a disclosure that says contains sulfites, Elias says. That concerns a lot of consumers, because they think if theres disclosure on the label, it must be something bad.

While people often blame sulfites for causing hangovers, experts say evidence does not support this. Some studies have shown that sulfites can cause asthmatic reactions in a small number of people, but when it comes to avoiding a pounding headache, research suggests that other wine components like histamines and tanninsor even alcohol itselfare more likely to be involved.

In fact, most people are already used to sulfites. Amino acids in the human body naturally produce them as part of their efforts to break down alcohol toxins. Sulfites are also used in plenty of other foods; they keep dried fruit from browning. If you can eat dried apricots and not get a headache, then you can you drink wine and not get a headache because of sulfites," Elias says. "Youre getting a headache from something else."

Beyond sulfites, winemakers can use many other additives to change the finished productsome even with an organic certification. Additives can range from Mega Purple, a grape concentrate used for color and sweetness, to oak chips for flavor, to animal products such as gelatin, egg whites, milk products, fish bladders and even clays like bentonite, for fining and clarifying the wine. As long as these ingredients are made organically or don't contain anything banned on the national list of allowed and prohibited substances, they can be used when making organic wine.

MORE: Drinking Wine Is Linked to a Lower Risk of Diabetes

Some advocates are pushing for more ingredient labeling on wine bottles, but thats still pretty far off in the future, says Magali Delmas, an environmental economist at UCLAs Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. And because wine is treated as a luxury in the U.S., there is very limited research into potential health effects of organic wine, which Delmas says leaves customers to make a lot of assumptions. Eco-labels are supposed to reduce the information asymmetry, says Delmas. But right now you need to be in the know to appreciate the [organic] certification.

Some may choose organic wine to sidestep pesticidesanother big issue when it comes to growing wine grapes. However, while some chemicals are banned from use in organic wines, others are still allowed, and wine labels dont have to include them.

Seeking out information about growers pesticide and farming practices is the best thing consumers can do if they want to drink healthier wine, says Amanda Stewart, assistant professor of food science and technology at Virginia Tech. Some regions have local certification programs that guide winemakers in sustainable practices tailored to the climates theyre working in, and vineyards often offer more information about their processes to customers who visit.

Its not as simple as having a program like organic, where they say you can do all these things and its applied all over the country, Stewart says. Id rather somebody look at the whole picture than just go to the grocery store and say okay, this wine was made without sulfites.

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Drinking Organic Wine Won't Prevent a Hangover - TIME

Dear Dr. Roach: Do you think there's much benefit to buying organic foods, now that my husband and I are in our 60s? I'll gladly purchase organic fruits and veggies when we host our children and grandchildren, and our garden is chemical-free, but I can't imagine that the added expense of buying organic will provide much benefit to senior citizens (on a fixed income, no less) whose bodies already have 50 or more years of exposure to pesticides and herbicides. Is there any solid evidence either way? D.B.

Dear D.B.: The data are not entirely conclusive, but the preponderance of the evidence is that organic food does not provide significant health benefits, compared with conventionally grown foods. In my opinion, organically produced foods are not worth the extra expense just because they are organic.

Both organically grown and conventionally grown foods contain residues of pesticides, but organic food has lower amounts of conventional pesticides (however, nearly all are far below the Environmental Protection Agency standards). Organic foods have a more restricted list of pesticides that can be used, and some of these are poisonous to humans. Take, for example, copper sulfate, a chemical commonly used in organic farming (in the U.S., but banned in some European countries) to kill fungus and bacteria. It is many times more deadly, at least in rats, than glyphosate (Roundup), a commonly used conventional herbicide. It also is carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in animals. However, by the time foods arrive in a grocer's market, these chemicals are present at such small amounts (in both organic and conventional produce) that they are very unlikely to cause any symptoms or disease.

Most data show that organic food does not have more nutrients than conventionally grown foods. There may be an argument that organic farms are friendlier to the environment; however, I have had conventional farmers write to me to dispute that as well.

Growing your own food is getting it as fresh as possible, but local farmers markets are another good way to buy local. In my opinion, food that is locally produced (whether conventionally or organically) is likely to be fresher and more nutritious than food shipped in from far away. Washing the produce under running water and rubbing gently with hands or a vegetable brush gets rid of most of the residual pesticides, dirt and bacteria.

Bacterial infections are increasingly a problem with organically produced foods, with over half of recent foodborne illness attributable to organic foods. All produce needs to be rinsed: Danger from bacterial contamination is probably greater than the risk from pesticides.

There is a great deal of further information about this, but I found much that was biased (both pro-organic and pro-conventional), even from organizations I have respected. I found good and unbiased information from the national pesticide information center at npic.orst.edu.

Dear Dr. Roach: After a bout of arm pain due to inflammation in the C-7 disk in my neck was resolved using a prescription anti-inflammatory, I asked my orthopedist if there were supplements that could help. He suggested tart cherry juice as a scientifically proven anti-inflammatory. I have tried it and feel a definite improvement with respect to the arm and other arthritic ''hot spots'' I have. Real or the placebo effect? J.V.S.

Dear J.V.S.: Tart (Montmorency) cherries have anti-inflammatory properties, and preliminary studies have shown that they help people recover from exercise faster, improve strength and reduce inflammation after intense exertion. Larger, well-designed trials are needed to confirm these results, but the results so far are encouraging. Most studies used cherry juice concentrate twice a day, of an amount equivalent to the juice of 45 cherries.

It's always impossible in an individual to separate ''real'' or placebo, but there are data supporting tart cherries for relief of inflammation.

Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.

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Is there really a difference between organic and conventional ... - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

WASHINGTON Do you choose organic produce because its healthier and locally grown?

Think again.

A new report on how the U.S. Department of Agriculture actually markets the organic label without any standard of certification, doesnt do any field-testing and, through its bureaucracy grew exponentially during the Obama administration, is driving up imports from China, Turkey and other countries with disastrous safety records.

And thats not the worst of it, says the report by the Capital Research Center.

Here are some shockers about how the organic foods phenomenon is costing you more, making foods less safe and costing real American organic farmers marketing share:

1. So-called organic food in America tests positive for synthetic pesticides four times out of 10.

2. Up to 80 percent of food labeled organic in American stores is imported. This increase has coincided with incidents of organic food-borne illness.

3. The USDA tripled its organic foods budget over the last eight years without requiring any field-testing of either domestically grown produce or imported.

4. During that time, tens of millions of dollars in subsidies were given to preserve the 0.7 percent of American farmland devoted to growing organic food.

5. The USDA has increased spending to $9.1 million on the organic bureaucracy, yet none of its 43 staffers are responsible for finding fraud, field-testing for safety, recalling unsafe food or encouraging domestic farming.

6. About 43 percent of the organic food sold in America tested positive for prohibited pesticide residue, according to two separate studies by two separate divisions of the USDA, conducted in 2010-2011 and 2015.

7. Organic groceries accounted for 7 percent of all food sales in America last year, but the U.S. government contracts out organic inspections to a total of 160 private individuals for the entire country. There are only 264 organic inspectors worldwide.

8. The USDAs National Organic Program tests only finished product and only 5 percent of the time covering only pesticides, never looking for dangerous pathogens from manure. Yet synthetic pesticides show up 50 percent of the time. It took until 2010 before any field-testing at all was required by the USDA.

9. The USDA certified label for organic food is not based on any objective, scientific process that ensure authentic or safe produce. In fact, the program is regulated by the USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service and not connected to the departments food safety, research, inspection, nutrition or risk management services.

10. Many natural pesticides approved for organic use are more toxic than the synthetic ones used by conventional farmers.

11. Though the USDA insists on an annual onsite inspection of every organic farm and facility it certifies, the inspector (regardless of country) needs permission from the farmer or processor whose facilities he or she intends to inspect, and he or she makes an appointment weeks in advance. Individual inspectors can be refused contracts to perform inspections by any USDA-certified organic entity, with no reason required.

12. Many of the 79 certifying agencies that grant USDA organic certification to farmers and processors receive 1.5 to 3 percent of gross revenue from their clients this royalty from an industry worth roughly $40 billion a year. As noted, certifiers collect these royalties only on shipments they approve.

13. Many farmers make use of manure, but usually not on crops for human consumption. Only in the organic industry is manure routinely applied to fields growing crops for humans, a practice which can be detrimental to human health even deadly, especially when manure is not fully composted. Even so, the USDA does not require field testing for possible fecal contaminants on the organic crops it certifies, even though such testing costs less than $25 per episode.

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As long as consumers believe organic food is worth more (that it is wholesome, natural, and authentic, so certified by the USDA) no one making money in the organic sector will be obligated to prove organic food is worth the extra cost. Meanwhile, the interests of non-organic consumers, conventional and biotech farmers, processors, and wholesalers recede as the organic movement, with its knee-jerk opposition to modern farming, dominates the debate and sets the rules.

The original report from which this story was adapted was prepared by Mischa Popoff, a former inspector of organic farms under contract with the USDA and author of Is It Organic?

The rest is here:

13 facts about 'organic' foods that will shock you - WND.com

Use local sweet corn and zucchini to create a savory sandwich and add a bowl of 'Lighter New England Clam Chowder' for a complete New England meal.

Goose Pond Farm in West Kingston takes pride in its organic fruits, vegetables, local honey and maple syrup, and fresh eggs, as well as baked goods such as cookies and muffins, and annual flowers.

Owner Nancy Moultrop Barusso believes in organic, local produce to protect future generations, save energy and reduce human dependence on fossil fuels, and build soil fertility. Barusso grew up on a farm and returned to her roots in 2009 to establish Goose Pond Farm.

All of Barussos vegetable gardens show her commitment to growing healthy produce. Her husband, George Barusso, tills the soil and maintains the farms infrastructure to assist Nancy in her determination to produce organic food.

Goose Pond Farm is especially known for its large variety of vegetables, which are harvested from late April to November and include corn, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, Chinese broccoli, arugula, pac choi (also called bok choy), kale, carrots, beets, green beans, radishes, green onions, garlic, snap peas, snow peas, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, broccoli, eggplant and cabbage.

The farms mascots are the Barussos two female chocolate Labrador retrievers, Ms. Charley and Ms. Bailey. The two make sure to greet each visitor to the farm and provide security for the fruits and vegetables.

Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, the small farm is located next to a small pond, which is home to a family of geese after which it was named. Find it at 545 Waites Corner Rd., West Kingston, (401) 783-4946.

For a true New England meal, enjoy these two recipes, one made with local sweet corn.

Anessa Petteruti blogs about food and shares recipes atfoodfinessa.com. She lives in East Greenwich.

Oven-Fried Zucchini and Oregano Corn Sandwich

Oven-Fried Zucchini:

medium zucchini, sliced -inch thick lengthwise

1 large egg, beaten

cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon olive oil

Oregano Corn:

1 corn cob, kernels removed

cup fresh oregano

Sandwich:

cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

teaspoon dried parsley

teaspoon dried tarragon

teaspoon dried basil

avocado, mashed

1 ciabatta or French roll

cucumber, julienned

carrot, julienned

fresh basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip each zucchini slice into beaten egg and then into Italian breadcrumbs. Place on baking sheet, and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until zucchini is crispy. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, saut corn kernels with fresh oregano. Set aside once corn is lightly cooked but still has a slight crunch.

In a small bowl, toss halved cherry tomatoes with tablespoon of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, parsley, tarragon and basil. Set aside.

To assemble sandwich, spread mashed avocado on both side of roll. Place oven-fried zucchini on roll, and top with oregano corn, marinated cherry tomatoes, julienned cucumbers and carrots, and fresh basil. Drizzle with tablespoon of olive oil. Close sandwich.

Lighter New England Clam Chowder

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium white onion, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups 2% milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 ounces clam juice

1 pounds russet potatoes, chopped into cubes

1 bay leaf

16 ounces shelled clams, chopped

3 tablespoons chives, chopped

cup oyster crackers

Add olive oil and white onion to a large pot over medium heat. Saut onion for 2 minutes, until fragrant and translucent. Add flour and stir well until onions are coated. Add milk, salt, pepper, clam juice, potatoes and bay leaf. Allow mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are almost cooked. Add clams, and cook for another 7-10 minutes until clams and potatoes are fully cooked.

Serve chowder warm with chopped chives and oyster crackers.

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Organic produce abounds at West Kingston farm - The Providence Journal

DEAR DR. ROACH: Do you think theres much benefit to buying organic foods, now that my husband and I are in our 60s? Ill gladly purchase organic fruits and veggies when we host our children and grandchildren, and our garden is chemical-free, but I cant imagine that the added expense of buying organic will provide much benefit to senior citizens (on a fixed income, no less) whose bodies already have 50 or more years of exposure to pesticides and herbicides. Is there any solid evidence either way? D.B.

ANSWER: The data are not entirely conclusive, but the preponderance of the evidence is that organic food does not provide significant health benefits, compared with conventionally grown foods. In my opinion, organically produced foods are not worth the extra expense just because they are organic.

Both organically grown and conventionally grown foods contain residues of pesticides, but organic food has lower amounts of conventional pesticides (however, nearly all are far below the Environmental Protection Agency standards). Organic foods have a more restricted list of pesticides that can be used, and some of these are poisonous to humans. Take, for example, copper sulfate, a chemical commonly used in organic farming (in the U.S., but banned in some European countries) to kill fungus and bacteria. It is many times more deadly, at least in rats, than glyphosate (Roundup), a commonly used conventional herbicide. It also is carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in animals. However, by the time foods arrive in a grocers market, these chemicals are present at such small amounts (in both organic and conventional produce) that they are very unlikely to cause any symptoms or disease.

Most data show that organic food does not have more nutrients than conventionally grown foods. There may be an argument that organic farms are friendlier to the environment; however, I have had conventional farmers write to me to dispute that as well.

Growing your own food is getting it as fresh as possible, but local farmers markets are another good way to buy local. In my opinion, food that is locally produced (whether conventionally or organically) is likely to be fresher and more nutritious than food shipped in from far away. Washing the produce under running water and rubbing gently with hands or a vegetable brush gets rid of most of the residual pesticides, dirt and bacteria.

Bacterial infections are increasingly a problem with organically produced foods, with over half of recent foodborne illness attributable to organic foods. All produce needs to be rinsed: Danger from bacterial contamination is probably greater than the risk from pesticides.

There is a great deal of further information about this, but I found much that was biased (both pro-organic and pro-conventional), even from organizations I have respected. I found good and unbiased information from the national pesticide information center at npic.orst.edu.

Excerpt from:

Organic vs. conventional produce - The Adirondack Daily Enterprise

After an 8.4% sales increase from the previous year and Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, it looks like organic food is growing into a normal part of American life. Video by Henry Taylor

Producer of organic nectarines examines the ripeness of the nectarines at his field in Saint-Genis des Fontaines(Photo: RAYMOND ROIG, AFP/Getty Images)

Organic food sales are setting records asmore mainstream Americans fill their shopping carts with everything from eggs to gummy fruit snacks.

Having shed its hippy-dippy image, organic food is among the faster-growing categories in supermarkets even though it adds to food bills and studies vary when it comes to perceived health benefits.

Organicfood producers, which now includes giants such asGeneral Mills, are capturing more consumers such asbusiness coachPatty Lennon of Brookfield, Conn.

"Its produced in ahealthier way, without pesticides, without any bad things that contaminate the growth of the food and the growth of my kids," the 45-year-old mother of two said. "Asmy kids grow up, Iwant to know Ive done everything I could to put the right things in their bodies."

Sure, organic costs more. Lennon estimates the$450 she spends on groceries weeklywould drop to $275 or $300if she bought the usual non-organic products."I have the luxury of being able to afford it," she said..

In 2016, sales of organic food was at an all-time high of $43 billion, according to the Organic Trade Association.(Photo: Eileen Blass, USAT)

There are millions of other shoppers like her.

Sales of organic food hit a record $43 billion last year, up 8.4% from the previous year, according to the Organic Trade Association, based in Washington, D.C.. Compare that to the 0.6% growth rate in the overall food category. But they still have a long way to go: Overall, organic food now represents 5.3% of total retail food sales in the U.S.

Interest in organic products is booming not only due to a more conscientious consumer, but also thanks to rising incomes in a strong economy and improved farming practices that make organic yields more robust. The demand for organic extends from supermarket aisles to the multitude of farmers markets that have sprung up.

Organic's rising importance was underscored by Amazon's offer last month to buyWhole Foods Market, the upscale grocery chain known for its expansive produceselection, for $13.7 billion.

"There's an increasing awareness of organic products," saidRupesh Parikh, investment bank Oppenheimer's senior analyst for food, grocery and consumer products, who predicts continued double-digit annual growth. "Consumers are really looking more into what theyre eating."

The most popular organic items are fruits and vegetables, which account for close to 40% of all organic food sales, theOrganic Trade Association found. Organic produce sales grew at more than twice the rate of total fruit and vegetable sales.Almost 15% of veggies and fruit consumed in the U.S. is now organic.

With consumers' desire for more nutritious, less chemically-laden food comes a willingness to pay more. Some 44% of shoppers would pay an additional 20% or more for organic fresh vegetables, and 37% are willing to hand over that much more cash for organic poultry, found a study by the Hartman Group, a food and beverage research firm in Bellevue, Wash.

No wonder large food companies are diversifying their portfolios to include organic products.

"Finally, the conventional food and beverage industry has woken up and said, 'Why, this isnt niche anymore . Its eating into my share,' " Hartman Group senior vice president Shelley Balankosaid.

Campbell Souphas the Plum Organics baby food line and Bolthouse Farms salad dressings and juices. Coca-Cola has organicHonest Tea. Hormel's lineup includes organic meats label Applegate Farms.

General Mills'organic-only portfolio has grown more than 350% over the past fiveyears. Natural and organic sales were $1 billionthis year, growing at a double-digit clip since 2000 when the Minneapolis-based cereal makerfirst ventured into organic with the purchase of Small Planet Foods, which produces a variety of organic foods, from ketchup to granola bars. In 2014, General Mills acquired Annie's, which features fruit snacks, cereal,cookies and more.

"As the food values consumers are looking for have shifted, we always try to be responsive," said Carla Vernon, General Mills' vice president of the natural and organics portfolio.

The growing popularity of organic food has opened the door to price cutters.

The Sprouts Farmers Market chain, for instance, has become an organic alternative to Whole Foods. Andmainstream supermarket giants, such as Cincinnati-based Kroger, which operates a variety of chains around the nation, are dedicating more floor and shelf space to organic products.

With that customer migration from traditional groceries to organic goods will comelower prices for shoppers. Organic's profit margins are generally higher than on conventional groceries.

"When a product is available at more retailers, it puts pressure on gross margins and profitability," Parikhsaid. "Theres more available,so supply chain has an impact as well."

Related

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Organic food is pricier, but shoppers crave it - USA TODAY

Posted Apr. 15, 2000

Nearly three years after its first attempt, the USDA this March introduced a revised set of standards intended to clear up consumer confusion surrounding the organic foods industry, one of the fastest growing sectors of American agriculture.

The proposed National Organic Program offers a definition for the term "organic." Organic food is currently certified by various private and state organizations that use their own standards.

"A single national organic standard, backed by consistent and accurate labeling, will greatly reduce consumer confusion," said Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman. "Consumers will know what they are buying, and organic farmers will know what is expected of them."

Estimated retail value of organic food sales for 1999 is approximately $6 billion. The number of organic farmers stands around 12,200 and has been increasing at about 12 percent per year.

The Clinton administration has proposed $5 million in the fiscal 2001 budget to promote organic agriculture. The funds would go toward conducting research on improved organic production and processing methods, evaluating economic benefits to farmers, and developing new organic markets.

Appearing in the March 12 Federal Register, the 147-page proposal details the methods, practices, and substances that can be used in producing and handling organic crops and livestock (but not aquaculture), as well as processed products. It establishes labeling criteria and rules so consumers know what they are buying when they purchase organic food.

Genetic engineering, sewage sludge, and irradiation would be prohibited in the production of organic food products. Antibiotics would also be forbidden in organic livestock production, and pure organic feed would have to be used.

Included in the proposal is an accreditation program for state officials and private persons to certify compliance with the organic standards. The revised proposal resulted from analysis of an unprecedented 275,603 comments received in response to the USDA's initial, December 1997 proposal.

The AVMA in 1992 stated its concern that animal well-being not be sacrificed through the avoidance of medical treatment to preserve organic status.

In their comments about the initial proposal, the Association and several others said the prohibition on accepted veterinary medical preventive health care procedures could result in the organic livestock being raised in less humane fashion.

Although the revised standards prohibit the use of antibiotics on any animal to be sold, labeled, or represented as organic, the standards require that sick or injured animals be treated with appropriate medicine, regardless of whether the organic status is lost as a result.

These and other issues raised by the AVMA are addressed in the National Organic Program, which the Association is currently evaluating. The deadline for comments is June 12.

Send comments by June 12 to: Keith Jones, Program Manager, National Organic Program, USDA-AMS-TMP-NOP, Room 2945-So, Ag Stop 0275, PO Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-6456. Fax to (703) 365-0760 or file via: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop. Comments should be identified with docket number TMD-00-02-PR.

Link:

National standards for organic foods proposed - American Veterinary Medical Association

The organic food industry is a booming business, and with the recent sale of natural-foods giant Whole Foods to Amazon, its expected to grow even larger in the near future. While some consumers buy organic because they believe it's better for the environment, even more do so for health-related reasons, according to one 2016 survey.

What, exactly, are the health benefits of going organic? That depends on who you ask and which studies you consult. But if you do choose to buy organic foods, here are some science-backed bonuses youre likely to get in return.

Fruits, vegetables and grains labeled organic are grown without the use of most synthetic pesticides or artificial fertilizers. (The National Organic Standard Board does allow some synthetic substances to be used.) While such chemicals have been deemed safe in the quantities used for conventional farming, health experts still warn about the potential harms of repeated exposure.

For example, the commonly used herbicide Roundup has been classified as a probable human carcinogen, and the insecticide chlorpyrifos has been associated with developmental delays in infants. Studies have also suggested that pesticide residuesat levels commonly found in the urine of kids in the U.S.may contribute to ADHD prevalence; theyve also been linked to reduced sperm quality in men.

A 2014 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Nutrition found that organically grown crops were not only less likely to contain detectable levels of pesticides, but because of differences in fertilization techniques, they were also 48% less likely to test positive for cadmium, a toxic heavy metal that accumulates in the liver and kidneys.

When it comes to meat and milk, organic products can have about 50% more omega-3 fatty acids, a type of unsaturated healthy fat, than conventionally produced products, according to a 2016 study in the British Journal of Nutrition. Organic milk tested in the study also had less saturated fat than non-organic.

These differences may come from the way organic livestock is raised, with a grass-fed diet and more time spent outdoors, say the studys authors. They believe that switching from conventional to organic products would raise consumers' omega-3 intake without increasing overall calories or saturated fat.

Conventional livestock can be fed antibiotics to protect against illness, making it easier for farmers to raise animals in crowded or unsanitary conditions. The FDA limited the use of certain antibiotics for livestock earlier this year, but loopholes in the legislation still exist. And with the exception of poultry, conventionally raised animals can also be injected with synthetic growth hormones, so theyll gain weight faster or produce more milk.

But traces of these substances can make their way to consumers, says Rolf Halden, professor and director of the Biodesign Center for Environmental Security at Arizona State University. Drug residue is believed to contribute to widespread antibiotic resistance, he says, and organic foodswhich are produced without antibioticsare intrinsically safer in this respect. Organic meat and dairy also cannot contain synthetic hormones, which have been linked to an increased risk of cancer.

In a recent six-year study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers found that organic onions had about a 20% higher antioxidant content than conventionally grown onions. They also theorized that previous analysesseveral of which have found no difference in conventional versus organic antioxidant levelsmay have been thwarted by too-short study periods and confounding variables like weather.

The research was very well done, says Guy Crosby, adjunct associate professor of Nutrition at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. But he points out that this specific study takes just one aspect of phytochemicals and shows they can be improved under organic conditions. The question of whether organic foods are truly more nutritious is still debatable, he adds. Had the researchers chosen to measure a different vitamin or mineral, they may have found a different result.

Organic products are more expensive than conventional ones, and whether theyre really worth the extra cost is certainly a matter of choice. If you can afford all organic, that's fantastic, but it's not feasible for most people, says registered dietitian Cynthia Sass. If its not, the most important groups to buy organic, in my opinion, include foods you eat daily and produce on the Dirty Dozen listthose with the highest pesticide residues. If people eat eggs, dairy and meat, she also recommends buying those organic.

Halden says that vulnerable groupsincluding pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people suffering from allergiesmay benefit the most from choosing organically produced foods. He also points out that a strictly organic diet can still be plenty unhealthy: Eating too much sugar and meat and too few vegetables is risky, regardless of whether the shopper picks from the conventional or organic grocery selection, he says.

Its also important for consumers to make educated decisions about why they choose to buy organic, says Crosbyand not to get hung up on individual studies that havent been supported by additional research. If you're trying to reduce exposure to pesticide residues, organic is a good choice, he says. On the other hand, if youre buying them because theyre more nutritious, the evidence doesnt broadly support that," he says.

Link:

4 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Eating Organic - TIME

When some farmers in Tondoli, 35 km from Aurangabad, decided to form a group in 2000 to practise organic agriculture and sell their produce, they knew they had a long road ahead of them, particularly in convincing customers. With the help of the Institute for Integrated Rural Development (IIRD), which has been promoting organic farming in the region, they brought consumers from Aurangabad to show that they do not use chemical fertilisers or pesticides on their lands, which is why what they grow deserves a higher price.

Tondoli is in the semi-arid, drought prone Marathwada region and only 2% of its cultivable area is irrigated. This means the village has to make judicious use of water by growing crops native to the region and preserve the health of the soil. The villagers are convinced that organic farming is essential to that. Kailash Garad, a farmer in the group, says they get up to twice the price of inorganic vegetables and 20-25% more in pulses.

The 20-member farmers' group, which grows tur dal (pigeon pea), maize, millets, vegetables, wheat and cotton, does not get its fields vetted by a certifying agency. As small farmers owning between two and five acres each, they cannot afford one so they follow another, cheaper system, which has been gaining ground across the developing world over the past few years.

In Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), farmers in a group inspect each other's land and vouch for its organic credentials. "Just by taking a fistful of soil, you can make out if chemicals have been used or not," says Radha Shelke, another farmer in the group, sitting with the other members in her house.

The inspection is carried out at the start of every sowing season and farmers visit each other almost weekly to provide counsel. If a farmer is found to be in violation, her produce is not sold through the group till she rectifies her mistake.

"Who knows a farm better than a neighbouring farmer?" asks Joy Daniel, executive director of the IIRD, which works with 3,000 organic farmers in Aurangabadand Jalna districts. He adds that PGS involve much less documentation and can be easily adopted and replicated. The farmers' groups are helped by facilitation councils, which are mostly nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) like the IIRD. Facilitation councils across the country have been working under an umbrella body called PGS Organic Council since 2011.

The Green Seals Since 2001, the government had been promoting organic farming through third party certification under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). It was only in 2015 that the present dispensation officially recognised PGS. The NPOP, which is run by the Ministry of Commerce, was originally meant for exports and requires adherence to stringent standards.

There are 24 accredited certifying agencies that verify farms, storages and processing units. Products certified organic by them carry the India Organic logo. In 2015-16, the latest period for which data is available, there were 1.5 million hectares (1 hectare = 2.47 acres) of cultivable land certified under NPOP. In the same year, India exported a fifth of its certified organic production of 1.35 million tonnes.

The PGS-India programme, meanwhile, is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture through the National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF). Presently, there are 2.1 lakh farmers under the initiative, owning 1.5 lakh hectares, which is just a tenth of the third-party-certified area. Produce from farms that are being converted to organic carries the PGS-India Green logo during the transition period, and after three years of not using any chemicals, the farm will be eligible for the PGS-India Organic symbol. Draft regulations on organic certification are a step in the right direction but these might create some confusion in the minds of consumers initially, says N Balasubramanian, CEO, Sresta Natural Bioproducts.According to a recent report by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), India had 5,85,200 organic farmers in 2015, more than any other country and a quarter of the world total. Still, organic farming accounts for just 1.7% of India's cultivated area.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) last month released draft regulations on organic certification, the first of its kind, which recognise both the thirdparty system and PGS. Chandra Bhushan, deputy director-general of the Centre for Science and Environment, says India is unique in that the government has taken the lead in organic certifications, while in the rest of the world it is left to autonomous bodies.

"Fake organic products are not a health issue. It's only about false claims. There are a lot of food products claiming they are 0% trans fat or 0% cholesterol. There is no mandatory certification for that."

Pawan Agarwal, chief executive of the FSSAI, counters that by saying even mislabelling falls within the Food Safety Act of 2006. "We are not getting into certification ourselves. We are only recognising certifications." He adds that if there are more valid certification systems in the future, even those might be included.

PGS vs Third Party Having two systems comes with its own hitches. Bhushan says there is no linkage between the two certification systems. For instance, exporters cannot process foods with PGS-certified ingredients because developed markets like the US, the biggest for organic products, and the European Union do not accept PGS yet. But Krishan Chandra, director, NCOF, says over a hundred countries are willing to trade in PGS products.

"Mauritius, Nepal and Taiwan are willing to import from us." PGS certification will soon cover not just farms but also food processing, he adds. Sikkim, which last year became India's first state to become fully organic, wants its land producing exportable commodities to remain under third-party certification, while introducing PGS in other areas.

Third-party certification is normally done for groups of 500 farmers each, and fields of 35-45 farmers are tested in each group.

Sandeep Bhargava, CEO of OneCert Asia, one of the largest certifiers, says it costs between Rs 150 and Rs 500 per farmer per year for certification and the cost of internal audits and documentation could be Rs 2,500 per farmer. However, he notes, the costs are defrayed by companies and through government schemes.

Joy Daniel of the IIRD says in PGS if the contribution of volunteers working with NGOs were to be monetised, the cost could be Rs 1,000 per farmer in the first three years and a tenth of that there on. Supporters of PGS question the veracity of third-party certification, given its small sample sizes N Balasubramanian, CEO of Sresta Natural Bioproducts, says the company foots the cost of certification of the farmers it sources from. Sresta, which sells the 24 Mantra Organic brand of products, is India's largest organic foods company, accounting for 28% of the Rs 3.2 billion packaged organic foods and beverages market in 2016.

Since 40% of its business comes from exports, which necessitates third-party certification, it follows the same for the domestic market.

"The draft regulations are a step in the right direction but PGS will have to be handled with care," says Balasubramanian, adding that a dual certification system might create some confusion in the minds of consumers initially. Shrikant Sharma, CEO of Sanjeevani Agro Foods, another organic foods company, says they experimented with PGS a few years ago but gave up owing to the lack of a viable market for the same.

"Consumers don't believe PGS as it is self-certification." Madhav Pandit, who used to be with the Maharashtra Organic Farming Federation, says PGS' biggest failure is its inability to create a market for the produce. "Whatever prices farmers get is because of their own efforts and individual identity and not because of PGS."

Kalyan Paul, president of the PGS Organic Council, says while small retail stores are open to selling PGS products, it's not easy convincing big retail chains. Future Group, which owns Big Bazaar and Foodhall, a premium store, and Godrej Nature's Basket did not respond to requests for comment. But Seshu Kumar, head of merchandising, Bigbasket, an online grocer, says the company spent a lot of time trying to decide where to source its organic produce from.

"We met people working in the organic field who believed PGS is more attuned to the Indian farming conditions and it can get a lot of farmers into the system."

While Bigbasket sources vegetables and fruits from around 100 PGS-certified small farmers in Mysuru and Gokak in Karnataka, for its in-house brand of organic rice and pulses, it has tied up with a couple of third-party-certified farmers' cooperatives in the state. There are sound arguments to be made to favour third-party certification over PGS and vice versa. But both are here to stay while exporters will always prefer third-party certification, given the conflict of interest in farmers certifying each other in PGS, the only way for small organic farmers producing fruits and vegetables to have some sort of label is through PGS. The need of the hour is for both systems to be linked seamlessly so that India's efforts to promote organic farming do not get lost in a tussle over which logo should be on the back of a pack.

Original post:

Is the two certification system harming India's organic food market? - Economic Times

Organic food can be more expensive at the grocery store but some experts say investing in your health is worth the cost. In the fifth episode of ABC News' "Healthy Living for Summer" series, we spoke with chef Tara Punzone from Real Food Daily, a Los Angeles-based organic restaurant.

But first, what does organic mean?

"The word 'organic' refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat," the nonprofit Mayo Clinic states on its website. Organic farming does not permit certain things, such as synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge as fertilizer, most synthetic pesticides, genetic engineering and antibiotics or growth hormones for livestock.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also sets specific standards for what is certified organic. Food that is organic will carry a USDA Organic seal.

Punzone said eating organic is better because "you're avoiding chemicals that they're spraying on foods and chemicals in soil and all kinds of pesticides, and things they have no idea what it does to your health."

"Research shows people have lower levels of pesticides when eating mostly organic," according to Karen Smith, senior manager of clinical dietetics at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. "But there is no research linking that to disease risk or disease incidence."

But she did point out that there appears to be a health correlation between pesticides and people working or living in areas with high exposure to them.

"People living in areas where theyre spraying fields with pesticides or working in areas with high pesticide exposures - there are studies showing higher rates of cancer or children having increased risks of birth defects and other diseases," Smith said.

Punzone warns consumers to avoid non-organic soy, corn and wheat.

"Those three things they're tying to turn out at mass production and speed, they're inundating these crops with all kinds of chemicals to grow faster and be edible faster and they're using these products in everything," she said.

Below is advice Punzone and experts gave ABC News.

While higher prices may hinder some consumers from buying organic, Punzone said organic vegetables and fruits are worth the cost because they have more nutrients and enzymes.

"You [may be] saving money on non-organic now, but think about what will happen in the future [if you get] sick and you have issues to deal with," she said.

Overall, if you can eat organic, "go for it, because we dont know the potential risks associated with consuming foods high in pesticides and if youre able to afford and have access to organic foods then I think thats a great option, but it definitely isnt the only option," Smith said.

And just because a cookie is labeled organic, it doesn't mean it's healthy.

"You have to weigh the risks versus the benefits," Smith said.

Watch ABC News discuss organic foods in the video above.This weekly health series will continue throughout the summer.

See the rest here:

'Healthy Living for Summer': Eating organic - ABC News