Suzanne Somers Online

"UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has persistently declared that organic food is no more nourishing than conventional food. But the Soil Association pointed out in its own report [9] that, of the 99 studies on which the FSA based its opinion, only 29 studies were valid and relevant; and even those form a heterogeneous group and cannot be compared properly. Nevertheless, some idea of the relative nutritional properties of organically and non-organically produced food can be obtained, which indicated that, on average, organic food is more nutritious than non-organic food.

The reason that the nutritional content of organic foods is sometimes no higher than that of conventional foods is due partly to the fact that the soil on some organic farms has not had time to recover: [U.K.] regulations require only two years for conversion of land from intensive chemical farming to organic farming. This time span is insufficient for restoring minerals and other plant nutrients and the microbes necessary for healthy functioning of soil. Additional factors affecting the results include the influence of the particular cultivars assessed, and conditions of growth and storage.

A review published in 2001 reported that nitrate levels in organic food are on average 15 percent lower [11], which is important, as scientists at Glasgow University found a link between nitrates in vegetables and gullet cancer, which has trebled over the past 20 years, claiming more than 3000 lives a year. The scientists believed that an increase in the use of nitrate fertilisers since World War II might be one of the main reasons for the rise in this cancer.

The British Society for Allergy, Environmental and Nutritional Medicine stated [13]: “We have long believed the micronutrient deficiencies common in our patients have their roots in the mineral-depletion of soils by intensive agriculture, and suspect that pesticide exposures are contributing to the alarming rise in allergies and other illnesses.”

(source:ISIS Press Release 04/09/06 -- http://www.iis.org.uk/ OrganicFarmsHealthy Plants. php) [9] Heaton S. Organic Farming, Food Quality and Human Health, Soil Association, Bristol, 2001, [11] Worthington V. Nutritional Quality of Organic Versus Conventional Fruits, Vegetables and Grains. J Altern and Complem Medicine, 2001, 7, No. 2, pp.161-173, [13] Heaton S. (ref. 9), back cover.