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Are organic foods oversold?
January 16, 2006
MarketWatch:When it comes to food quality in the United States, all apples are created equal. Or are they?
"The science to date does not indicate a clear and substantial benefit from selecting organic as opposed to conventionally grown products," said Christine Bruhn, director of the Center for Consumer Research at the University of California at Davis, who said she doesn't receive funding from the food industry.
A growing number of people are willing to pay a premium for food certified as organic -- produce generally barred from being grown with pesticides, synthetic materials or genetic modification, and livestock raised without antibiotics or growth hormones.
But many scientists say it's unlikely organic food gives consumers any extra health benefit, and they're better off eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains of any kind.
It's true that organic foods have low levels of pesticide residues -- but so do conventionally grown foods, Bruhn said. "There is no indication that people in the United States are becoming ill from pesticide residues in conventional food."
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