Sales of Organic Food Are Growing Faster Than Conventional Food in the UK

Nutritionally speaking, the benefits of eating organic food are now clear. In 2014, in what is arguably the most comprehensive analysis to date, an international team led by Professor Carlo Leifert from Newcastle University in the UK found that it contains up to 69 percent more of key antioxidants than regular food, as well as lower levels of toxic metals and pesticides. Based on an analysis of 343 peer-reviewed studies from around the world, Leifert’s findings destroyed the myth that organic food is nutritionally indistinguishable from that produced using pesticides.

Other studies back up Leifert’s work. A review published in 2009 by the French Food Agency AFSSA showed that organic food contains higher levels of minerals, such as iron and magnesium, as well as more antioxidants. Similarly, a study published in 2007 found that organic carrots, apples and peaches contain increased amounts of vitamin C and flavonoids. Scientists analyzing organic tomatoes have repeatedly made comparable findings and confirmed they have more vitamin C, phenolic compounds and flavonoids than their conventionally grown counterparts.

To read how scientific research is increasingly confirming the health benefits of organic food, see this article on our website.