Organic farming, food quality and human health: a review of the evidence

By UK Soil Association

Abstract
This book, "Organic farming, food quality and human health", contains a comprehensive review of existing research that reveals significant differences between organically and non-organically grown foods (fruits, vegetables, and cereals).

These differences relate to food safety (pesticides, food poisoning, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and new-variant-Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, food additives, nitrate), primary nutrients (vitamin C, dry matter, minerals), secondary nutrients (phytonutrients) and health outcomes demonstrated by feeding trials.

Holistic techniques for assessing the qualitative aspects of food, including picture forming methods and storage degradation tests are also reviewed. Discussion and conclusions, and recommendations to consumers, farmers, researchers and the government are also included. Brief summaries and explanations of validity assessments of 99 papers claiming or claimed to make a direct comparison of organically and non-organically grown crops are presented in the appendix.

See the full article (PDF, 1.5 MB)

Source
Organic farming, food quality and human health: a review of the evidence. 2002; 87. Publisher: Soil Association, Bristol, UK


en français