Is Organic Over?

No doubt you’ve heard mention of the Stanford University study on organic produce by now. It’s shattered some major assumptions we’ve held for years on the dangers of conventional produce – namely, that there’s not as much to fear as we think. 

The study found that organics had just 30% lower levels of pesticide residue than conventional foods and negligible differences in nutritional value. Time to jump organic ship? Not so fast. Findings on antibiotic-resistant bacteria in conventional meat shouldn’t be understated, and the Stanford team will continue to study longer-term effects of pesticides. And as the LA Times points out, it’s important to recognize that the strides we’ve made in reducing conventional pesticide levels came from methods pioneered by organic farmers. Things can still get better for conventional produce – but for now, I'm sticking with my pesticide-free (backyard grown) tomatoes.

Produce study provides some much-needed context from The LA Times