Organic Foods Average 25% Nutrition Premium over Conventional Foods

BOULDER, Colo. - March 18, 2008 - A comprehensive review of 97 published studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and conventional foods shows that organic plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains) contain higher levels of eight of 11 nutrients studied, including significantly greater concentrations of the health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants.

In this first comprehensive review of the scientific literature comparing nutrient levels in organic and conventional food completed since 2003, a team of scientists conclude that organically grown plant-based foods are 25% more nutrient dense, on average, and hence deliver more essential nutrients per serving or calorie consumed.

Magnitude of Differences Heavily Favors Organic Foods

Several methods were used to place the magnitude of the differences in nutrient levels between organic and conventional foods into perspective. In two-thirds of the matched pairs favoring the conventional food, the differences in favor of conventional were under 10%, compared to 26% of the matched pairs in which the organic food was more nutrient dense by a margin under 10%.

The premium in favor of the conventional food was 21% or greater in just 15% of the matched pairs in which the conventional food was more nutrient dense, whereas in the more nutrient dense organic food matched pairs, 41% favored organic by 21% or more, and 24% of the pairs were 31% or more nutrient dense.

The largest differences were in the case of the flavonoid quercetin, where the organic foods were 2.4-times more nutrient dense on average, and nitrates, where levels were 1.8-fold lower in organic foods (a desirable nutritional feature).

The consistency of the differences observed, the relative importance of the nutrients for which the organic samples tended to be markedly higher, and the sizable advantage in many of the organic foods within matched pairs lead the team to conclude -
"Yes, organic plant-based foods are, on average, more nutritious in terms of their nutrient density for compounds validated by this study's rigorous methodology."

Commenting on the results, Dr. Neal Davies, a professor in the School of Pharmacology at Washington State University, and a study co-author, said "We have carried out many careful comparisons of both nutrient levels and biological activity of antioxidant polyphenols in organic and conventional foods over the last five years. Not only are we seeing a general trend in favor of the nutrient density of organic food, but also evidence that nutrients are often present in organic foods in a more biologically active form."

For More Information Contact:

Dr. Charles Benbrook, The Organic Center: cbenbrook@organic-center.org, 541-828-7918

SOURCE: The Organic Center