Nutrient Content

Organic farming grew out of a belief that healthy soil produces healthy food. These practices have clear environmental benefits and health benefits for those living and working on or near farms. As well, organic foods consistently have fewer pesticide residues than non-organic foods.

Do organically-grown foods provide greater nutritional value? Only a few carefully-controlled studies of nutrient content in organic foods have been done. These studies are listed below. The difficulties inherent in such research, from procuring funding for studies and controlling variables in farm management to accounting for natural variations in agricultural products and selecting nutrients for study, continue to limit progress toward a concise answer.

As with all research, no single study can completely answer such a general question. However, the growing body of evidence suggests a connection between organic farming practices and increased nutrient content of organically-produced foods, just as organically-grown food provides environmental benefits and decreases pesticide exposures.

Help us promote further research in organic agriculture!

The following studies address nutrient content in organic foods
Bourn D, Prescott J. A comparison of the nutritional value, sensory qualities, and food safety of organically and conventionally produced foods. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2002 Jan;42(1):1-34. Available from CRC Press.

Carbonaro M, Mattera M, Nicoli S, Bergamo P, Cappelloni M. Modulation of antioxidant compounds in organic vs conventional fruit (peach, Prunus persica L., and pear, Pyrus communis L.). J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Sep 11;50(19):5458-62. Available from ACS Publications.

Asami DK, Hong YJ, Barrett DM, and Mitchell AE. Comparison of the Total Phenolic and Ascorbic Acid Content of Freeze-Dried and Air-Dried Marionberry, Strawberry, and Corn Grown Using Conventional, Organic, and Sustainable Agricultural Practices. J. Agric. Food Chem., 51 (5), 1237 -1241, 2003. Available from ACS Publications.

Podwall D, Dresner HS, Lipetz J, Steinberg JJ. Variation in the deoxynucleotide composition between organic and nonorganic strawberries. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 1999 Nov;44(3):259-70. Available from Elsevier Science Direct.

Williams CM. Nutritional quality of organic food: shades of grey or shades of green? Proc Nutr Soc. 2002 Feb;61(1):19-24. Clear discussion of the available research comparing organic and non-organic foods and the barriers to continued research. Available from Ingenta Select.

Worthington V. Nutritional quality of organic versus conventional fruits, vegetables, and grains. J Altern Complement Med. 2001 Apr;7(2):161-73. Available from Ingenta Select.

Worthington V. Analyzing data to compare nutrients in conventional versus organic crops.. J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Oct;8(5):529-32. Available from Ingenta Select.

For more general information visit our Resources and Organic Links pages.