Many people feel that eating organic vegetables is better for their health than consuming the traditional variety. The Mayo Clinic says that organic foods must have the United States Department of Agriculture seal identifying them as organic and that vegetables grown organically are grown with natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost. While there are restrictions on these types of fertilizers, the Royal Society of Chemistry says that fears are raised about eating organic vegetables because of the use of raw manure and the potential for the presence of harmful bacteria. When buying organic, the Mayo Clinic recommends washing vegetables thoroughly to reduce the dangers associated with eating them.
Bacteria
The University of California's Perishable Handling Quarterly publication cites information that states that using raw animal manure can result in vegetables that are contaminated with illness-causing pathogens, such as E. coli and salmonella. The USDA says that there are guidelines in place that restrict the use of raw manure, but that doesn't always stop farmers from using it. This is why people are advised to wash their organic vegetables well before eating them.
Harmful Fungi
According to Stuart Thompson, director of the Gaia Organics Research Institute, the lack of pesticide use by organic farmers leaves their crops open to more damage by insects and rodents. This damage can lead to the introduction of fungi into the vegetables that produces toxins that are harmful to a person's health. Some of these toxins are carcinogenic, meaning that they are cancer causing. Thompson says that soap and water or a small amount of hydrogen peroxide can effectively rid traditional produce of pesticides. In addition, these fungal infections can often be more hazardous to a person's health than ingesting the pesticides would be.
Environmental Impact
Environmental expert Rob Johnston, writing in The Independent, says that organic farming often uses more energy than does farming traditional vegetables, such tomatoes. This is because organic tomatoes require the use of more land, which also increases the amount of energy needed to grow them. According to Johnston, tomatoes grown in a greenhouse emit more carbon dioxide into the air. Many other organic vegetables require additional land usage, which uses resources and increases the carbon footprint.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Organic Foods: Are They Safer? More Nutritious?
- Perishable Handling Quarterly: Organic Produce Production and Food Safety
- Gaia Research: Why Commercial Organic Vegetables Are Hazardous to Your Health
- United States Department of Agriculture: Should I Purchase Organic Foods?
- Royal Society of Chemistry: Organic vs. Nonorganic - The Debate
Member Comments
alivelas July 6
It is difficult for me to place credence in an article that contains grammatical errors. ex: "organic farming often uses more energy than does farming traditional vegetables, such tomatoes." This article is not properly cited. I would appreciate better notations, or links to the articles mentioned. Especially with the claim that tomatoes grown in a greenhouse emit more carbon dioxide. Greenhouses are used to grow non-organic tomatoes as well as organic crops, so this does not really support the idea behind the article. The presentation, lacking direct citation, seems very biased to me.
Lunajoy23 July 6
I agree with all of you. Another reason I think this article is suspicious is that they mention the introduction of fungi into the vegetables "produces toxins that are harmful to a person's health. Some of these toxins are carcinogenic, meaning that they are cancer causing" without mentioning that synthetic pesticides and fertilizers can cause cancer too. Thank you for fighting this misinformation.
Imbri_Eternity July 6
Like alivelas, I'm also concerned about the veracity of the article and the supporting studies. I would be interested to know if this is simply a, "Pesticides and fungicides kill pests and fungus, so therefore organic veggies have more pests and fungus." I'm sure there are studies supporting this, since that's kind of the point of using pesticides and fungicides. Are there studies showing increase in danger compared to historical farming?
EJToll July 6
I have to agree with Alivelas, section on environment has some really outrageous claims. I grow high intensity organic vegetables and have my plants spaced about 2/3 of the recommended distance for non-organics. My production is high. There are no citations of these studies. The greenhouse statement is ludicrous without citation. The comment that an organic farm has a greater carbon footprint than a conventional farm smacks of a study grant sponsored by ADM or Ortho.
msmit002 July 6
Hmmm. Sounds like an article written by Monsanto...
Former Member July 6
Mt thoughts as well.
Former Member July 6
My thoughts, I meant to say.lol
CanaDuke01 July 6
This is ridiculous. The fact that you're listening to The Royal Society of Chemistry to tell you not to eat chemical-free food is a major conflict of interest. I'll bet McDonald's will tell you the same thing.
Notloc July 6
This entire thin is BOLOGNA! Not one of the statements made have any proof or value to me!
alicekemper July 6
It is interesting how everyone thinks that this article is BS. You people should really do some research on your own. Then maybe you would see how mass organic farming (not your back yard) is not good for the environment and that if we converted the world to organic farming, many would starve. Oh and the largest producer of organic foods is China. hmmmm dont think thats where I want to eat my foods from
k0n2ad July 6
Wash your food.
k0n2ad July 6
Wash your food.
beekokweh July 6
This is bunk...what is our alternative...GMO's grown in a sterile indoor environment??? Wow who wrote this artice??? Monsanto???
Former Member July 6
Would Monsantos have the time to write this? With all of the innocent farmers they take to court, all of the frankenfood they are making, do they really have the time? Ummm..... yes.
GianlucaNYC July 6
I agree with the above comment, always wash your food! Then please consider local farmers markets as a strong option... you can actually see the producers, talk to them and possibly even arrange to go and visit their farms. To me local should be even more of a priority than organic!
luverne1000 July 6
Wow, I will be canceling my list serve to Livestrong for promoting such an outrageous article. Every time an e-coli breakout happens it is from conventional not organic foods. And what about the long term consequence of conventional farming? Too many issue with this article to get into detail here, but maybenext time do your research before publishing such an unbelievably biased article.
luverne1000 July 6
Wow, I will be canceling my list serve to Livestrong for promoting such an outrageous article. Every time an e-coli breakout happens it is from conventional not organic foods. And what about the long term consequence of conventional farming? Too many issue with this article to get into detail here, but maybenext time do your research before publishing such an unbelievably biased article.
luverne1000 July 6
Wow, I will be canceling my list serve to Livestrong for promoting such an outrageous article. Every time an e-coli breakout happens it is from conventional not organic foods. And what about the long term consequence of conventional farming? Too many issue with this article to get into detail here, but maybenext time do your research before publishing such an unbelievably biased article..
Daantje July 6
I wash my food always, if it's organic or not, I'm always washing.
The Bacteria E. Coli is usually not a illness causing pathogen, only if it comes in the wrong places or is mutated. I think you should have explained that.
Matti422 July 6
I'm confused - organic farming means using raw manure? I'm pretty sure most organic farmers that use fertilizer still use sterilized manure. I'm with the skeptics on this. No citations, no background information as to where this "data" comes from, and no real information that shows a link to poor health and organic food. This is very, very disappointing for a web site I thought I respected...
Morris327 July 6
Yeah, this piece is pretty clunky. I think there are advantages and disadvantages of organic farming, so I'm not a total "advocate." I think one can use chemicals responsibly, although organic farming in the US is very stringently regulated. It's interesting that in order to support the idea that there are "dangers" associated with organic vegetables, the writer had to use as sources (1) Gaia "Research," which is really a UK company that makes and sells "natural" skin care products and that sort of thing and (2) a 2008 opinion piece in a British online news sourch. Nothing wrong with British news sources, mind you, but the regulations may be hugely different. I'm also very skeptical of claims that growing organic food requires more land; the organic farms I've seen use more intensive methods, so actually use less land. As to the comment about growing tomatoes in a greenhouse--seems irrelevant to me. Maybe that's an issue in the UK.
yviestreats July 6
This was such a stupid article!!!! Manure causing E Coli ... well, let's see why this could possibly happen ... Cows were designed to eat grass ... start pumping them full of corn, which their bodies weren't meant to process, and let the E Coli fun begin!!
..."The problem is that the corn-heavy diet acidifies the cow?s digestive tract. Under normal circumstances E. coli O157:H7 is killed by stomach acids. But the increased acidity in the cow's stomachs allows for the more acid-resistant E. coli bacteria to survive and replicate. When these acid-resistant E. coli enter the food supply, it is especially dangerous because a person?s primary defense against E. coli, stomach acid, is now useless..." /www.nbafoodadvocate.com/corn-fed-cattle-bigger-cows-bigger-e-coli-threat-more-foodborne-illness-1177>
So, if this is the case, manure that infects produce with E. colineeds to be traced back to its source and the diet of the animal needs to be monitored and/or fixed!
Can't wait to read the article about the benefits of high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars, and a diet which includes McDonald's ... Keep up the AMAZING articles!!! Pfffft.
resources4life July 6
Is this article written as a spoof? It seems like a troll tactic to say something obviously inflammatory and false just to get people talking about it. I wouldn't expect this from Livestrong.com content writers. I know they were hiring people to write content for the site recently. I wonder if they don't have very good oversight of their content writers. Can anyone become a content writer and post whatever they like? This article was promoted from within the main newsletter list serve, so I'm really surprised nobody read it over before promoting it so broadly. The article indicates it was written by Eliza Martinez. This person's photo seems very obscured, perhaps intentionally. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a fake person, perhaps a troll just trying to stir up trouble in this online community. Victoria Dugger is listed as the person having reviewed the article. I'm guessing that Livestrong.com like other online communities is vulnerable to roaming gangs of trolls and hackers wanting to gain access to the inner circle. That's the only thing I can think of that would explain this article.
rivendale17 July 6
I'm not impressed with this article at all. I really like Livestrong.com, but the amount and type of advertising it supports is making me reconsider the validity of the information they are presenting. I think it can be very biased.
stevesancarlos July 6
This appears to only be an article that attracts attention and eyeballs, but is in reality fairly meaningless. The basic rationale is absurd. Let's go back 150 years. People ate fruits and vegetables. By nature they were "organic." All this mystique over and perceived risk in eating ORGANICS is mind-boggling.
breezebird July 6
totally ridiculous. Never seen a link to Salmonella or E Coli being from organic produce.
hlfmoonwvs July 6
Should I just stop eating in general? LOL Seriously people, if you don't know that you should wash and inspect your fruits and veggies (organic or not) before consuming them, you've got other issues. My argument for the last paragraph on energy use and growing organic, BUY LOCAL, ORGANIC and IN SEASON (OR GROW YOUR OWN). Better for the body and the environment! If we eat tomatoes in season, rather than year round, that alone will save all the energy needed to grow enough tomatoes organically for everyone, IN SEASON. Am I right or wrong on this one? I'm guilty of eating tomatoes out of season and grown in a hot-house... This article is not well written or expanded on...
hlfmoonwvs July 6
Should I just stop eating in general? LOL Seriously people, if you don't know that you should wash and inspect your fruits and veggies (organic or not) before consuming them, you've got other issues. My argument for the last paragraph on energy use and growing organic, BUY LOCAL, ORGANIC and IN SEASON (OR GROW YOUR OWN). Better for the body and the environment! If we eat tomatoes in season, rather than year round, that alone will save all the energy needed to grow enough tomatoes organically for everyone, IN SEASON. Am I right or wrong on this one? I'm guilty of eating tomatoes out of season and grown in a hot-house... This article is not well written or expanded on...
LJB1965 July 7
What a load of crap (literally)! Natural fertilizers were used since the dawn of time and when used properly, are the best choice. You can't "spray on" the natural stuff like you can spray on the chemicals. It has to be worked into the soil, the soil has to have time to rest, etc. The key word here is "worked" - everybody wants the quick buck and they don't care what the cost to the consumer may be. The chemicals used to grow the majority of crops and animals by the corporations that took over our nation's food industry approx. 30 years ago are the primary cause of rampant disease and illness. How many people do you know with a disease, condition or illness? How many people did your parents know with these ailments when they were our age? Refer to the percentages, not how many more people there are in our general population today vs. yesterday. Not looking so good, is it?
uma7 July 7
Wow! Who paid for this research?!?!? This article is ridiculous! Can't even comprehend why you would post this garbage on your site!!!
stacyh629 July 7
I was really surprised about the lack of substance in this article. Like most, I was surprised by the lack of citing, lack of hard facts, and failure to mention anything about the harm pesticides do to the workers who apply or workers who pick the food that uses the pesticides. It also fails to mention anything about animal farming and it's affects on the environment.
I will still choose to buy organic when I can afford it; grow my own organic vegetables; and wash my fruit and veg.
aim-high July 7
Who are you kidding?
Was this written by Monsanto?
The dangers of pesticides to both our personal bodies, the planet and future generations far out-weighs any naturally occurring fungus or damage by insects. You can't wash off pesticides like you can soil or mold. You also can't ever separate that caterpillar gene from our genetically modified corn.
mellycooks July 7
Canceling my livestrong account. This is outrageous.
kgompper July 7
proving once again that some people will believe any old spin. Even if it makes little sense. Disappointed in LIVESTRONG
Floryhawk July 7
Puh-lease. This is the silliest article I've seen in a long time. I've been taking the LiveStrong articles seriously, but suddenly I'm questioning the veracity of other articles that have been posted. What Drivel.
ruthygirl July 8
I used to think LiveStrong was a good site with reliable information but this article proves me wrong.
KarynShawaluk July 9
Organic produce causes cancer, huh? Wow, it's been awhile since I've read an article so poorly researched and cited. None of the "dangers" mentioned are any different than dangers in produce grown in the industrial food system. I too will be cancelling my Livestrong subscription - can't believe anything I read on it if there isn't any editorial oversight to what's posted (and, more alarmingly, pushed out in an e-mail newsletter).
mikedalena July 28
Why is everyone so concerned about this article's credibility? It all sounds perfectly logical and reasonable to me. Get your heads out of the sand people. You want so badly to be cool and do the "right" thing that you have no capacity to think for yourselves. Read the information, research it on your own, then draw your own conclusions. I'm sure if this article stunk of praise for organics you'd get all kinds of hysterical if someone questioned it. All I can tell is that most of you are brainwashed fools. I bet you'd make great evangelicals - it's your brand of thinking that makes those people so dangerous, and stupid.
mikedalena July 28
Why is everyone so concerned about this article's credibility? It all sounds perfectly logical and reasonable to me. Get your heads out of the sand people. You want so badly to be cool and do the "right" thing that you have no capacity to think for yourselves. Read the information, research it on your own, then draw your own conclusions. I'm sure if this article stunk of praise for organics you'd get all kinds of hysterical if someone questioned it. All I can tell is that most of you are brainwashed fools. I bet you'd make great evangelicals - it's your brand of thinking that makes those people so dangerous, and stupid.
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