Foods marked as Organic (or “bio“), are one of the latest trends in food fashion. People are willing to pay three times the price of dairy products, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, apples and greenery, if they are presented as totally natural and eco-friendly – that is grown without pesticides and other chemical substances.
Organic food stores offer approximately the same range of products as the regular stores, but the prices indicated there are different, much higher. Is it justified?
On the one hand, many customers have a strong belief: the more natural, the better. People are afraid of chemistry, assuming (and rightly) that it may be harmful to their health. So those whose wallet allows it, prefer to pay more for the products with the Organic inscription – simply because they feel safe to consume them.
On the other hand, American scientists have recently reported they did not find any difference between conventional and organic foods. The comments came from a senior research fellow at Stanford University Dena Bravata. She and her colleagues compiled the information on the differences between organic and non-organic products. There was not so much information, by the way: medical journals did not provide any references to the long-term studies that would comment on the health of a person, eating only “organic” foods. There were some experiments, which lasted from 2 days to 2 years, but this is not enough for drawing fundamental conclusions.
Anyway, in the course of their analysis, the experts from Stanford found no evidence that organic foods were more nutritious or less hazardous to health. The amount of vitamins and nutrients contained in them is the same as in conventional products (except for phosphorus – more of it is contained in “organic” foods). Undoubtedly, naturally grown fruits and vegetables do not have so many pesticides. According to the scientists, in the conventional foods they do not exceed the normal range. Could it be comforting for the customers? After all, the norm is good, but the cumulative effect has not been canceled. Some buyers do not want to check the strength of this effect on themselves. But only a few of them remain consistent in this case – that is they choose “organic” foods and remain loyal to them to the end.
Most people buy organic foods from time to time, alternating them with the usual ones – thus, the effect is negated. What remains is only allegiance to the advertised brand, but it does not affect health.
