--FSA-Commissioned 'Nutritional Quality of Organic Foods: A Systematic Review' Draws Unsupported Conclusions from a Flawed and Incomplete Look at Benefits of Organic Foods 

BOULDER, Colo., Aug 05, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The following is being issued by The Organic Center -- We (The Organic Center) strongly refute the claim made by Dr. Alan Dangour and his U.K. colleagues that the nutritional benefits of organic food are 'not important.' Left unchallenged, the U.K. team's study and Dr. Dangour's remarks could erode consumer confidence in the inherent nutritional and health benefits of organic food. Among the multiple missteps in the FSA's analysis are a failure to properly assess differences in the levels of key polyphenols and antioxidants and not using stringent guidelines to determine whether the studies are scientifically valid.

In our March 2008 report covering many of the same studies comparing nutrient levels in organic and conventional foods, we confirmed that organic foods were, on average, 25 percent higher across 11 key nutrients compared to conventional foods. Significant new science released since early 2008, which was the cut-off date for studies included in both the FSA's and our study, provide additional strong support for the conclusion that organic foods offer nutritional and public health benefits.

In a separate report released in May 2009, we analyzed dozens of studies, the majority published in the last three years, that collectively show exposure to pesticides during pregnancy and the first years of life increases the risk of obesity, neurological problems and diabetes. With the average American child exposed to 10 to 13 pesticides daily in food and drink and the rate of new diabetes cases doubling in the last decade, reducing pesticides in children's foods is a top public health priority.

Environmental benefits of organic farming include promoting more bio-diverse, agricultural landscapes; helping reverse the effects of global warming through sequestering more carbon than conventional farming; and improving health and survival among honey bee and endangered fish and amphibian species.

We call upon government bodies, academic institutions, business leaders and consumers to join us in contesting this incomplete and flawed analysis of the benefits of organic food and farming.

For a full analysis of the FSA report, visit: http://www.organic-center.org/science.nutri.php?action=view&report_id=157