So far there are no evidences that organic foods are healthier as compared to the conventional foods. However, people usually prefer organic foods from conventional foods as they consider it to be pesticides and pathogen free. Although the organic food is grown in natural ways without the use of any chemicals, but when it comes to assessing the safety then there is no surety that these are safer as compared to the conventional foods.

There are a lot of differences between the conventional and organic foods when it comes to comparing them. When we refer to organic food it is the way on how the farmers grow their vegetables, fruits, dairy products and grains. Basically the organic practice of farming aims at reducing the use of chemicals, preservation of water and soil and reducing the pollution of the environment. When farmers make use of the organic practices, they do not put in use the conventional methods of pest and weed control and protecting the livestock from diseases.

However, it is claimed that neither the conventional nor the organic food are free from pesticides and chemicals. Moreover scientists have to say that the health-risks associated with the disease causing microorganisms are far more than the negligible amount of pesticides remaining on the food products. There is not much scientific proof available that the food-borne pathogens are completely eliminated with the organic farming practices. The homegrown manure and the composting might not be sufficient enough to kill these pathogens that cause food-borne diseases.

It is not always necessary that the organic food can provide you with pathogen and pesticide free food. In contrast, the conventional foods available are cheaper and make use of the well-researched techniques. Most of them have a biotechnological background, which makes the food and the supplies more abundant and economical for the consumers. The foods grown in a conventional way have a better shelf life when compared to the organic foods.

A lot of research has been done on the nutrient content of the organic and conventionally grown foods. For 10 out of the 13 categories of nutrients analyzed, there has been no significant difference found in the production methods or the nutrient content of the conventional and organic food. Minor differences that were found are most likely because of the use of fertilizers and the ripeness at the time of the harvest. However, the consumption of these at the level that is reported by the organic foods would not provide any significant health benefits.

If you still wish to buy organic food for your family, then make sure that you are buying authentic organic food that carries the label of USDA Organic. These labels are provided only to organic foods from three categories. First is when the food is 100% organic or is made of purely organic ingredients. Second, the food contains 95% organic products. And the third is when the products contain 70% organic ingredients. Any foods which contain less than 70% of organic ingredients cannot make use of this label. The foods that are termed as pesticide free, hormone free or all-natural should not be confused with organic food, especially if you are on a look out for organic foods.

Anthony Jorgensen

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