Since the U.S. government began regulating organic products in 1990, proponents have claimed that eating organic food makes us healthier. That claim, as difficult as it is to nail down, is ultimately misleading.
When comparing (organic) apples to (conventional) apples, the evidence simply doesn’t suggest that organic makes people healthier. After analyzing 240 studies about the nutritional value of organic food, the authors of a 2012 review study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that they “[lack] strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods.” (The researchers did conclude, however, that eating organic could reduce consumers’ exposure to pesticide residues and the possibility of ingesting antibiotic-resistant bacteria).
But defining what makes a consumer “healthy” — or at least “healthier” than someone else — is not always clear. Additional nutrients may in fact be good for us, but does that mean we require them to “be healthy,” or are we just fine without them? A 2016 review study published in the British Journal of Nutrition analyzed 170 studies, concluding that organic dairy and meat had higher levels of omega-3s — acids that have been linked to lower rates of heart disease and better immune function — than their conventional counterparts. While increased levels of omega-3s have been shown to be good for you, it doesn’t necessarily justify paying the premium for organic dairy and meat — conventional meat and dairy are not entirely devoid of omega-3s.