Just to clear up a common misconceptions. "Organic" is marketing, not scientific- all food is technically "organic". Chemically, organic is any carbon containing molecule with a carbon-hydrogen bond.

Anyone who believes that organic food is more healthful has a seriously lacking grasp of the science behind food. When you take the exact strain of a plant and grow it in two different ways, its chemical and genetic make up remain the same, one maybe larger than the other if one growing method was more efficient but its biochemical content is defined by it's genes not by the way it was grown.

Organic food uses pesticides and fungicides. Theirs are just more inefficient since the active in agents are not isolated and so far larger amounts have to be used. Organic pesticides include Rotenone which has been shown to cause symptoms of Parkinson's disease and is a natural poison used in hunting by some native tribes. Another is Pyrethrum, which is carcinogenic. Just because something is "natural" does not mean it is safe or healthy.

Organic fertilizer delivers the same load as synthetic ones, just more of it is used since again, it is not processed and is inefficient. All plant fertilizers organic or synthetic, consist of nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. Referring to one as "chemical" fertilizer and implying that the other is not is illiterate. The only difference is the source of the chemicals.

Today's synthetic pesticides and fertilisers are completely biodegradable anyway. In 2006 in the united states there were two outbreaks of E.coli, both traced to organic spinach and lettuce.

Organic methods require about twice the acreage to produce the same crop. Efficient growing methods that actually utilise the scarce land to it's full potential is much better for the environment. Particularly in the developing world where farming is the main cause of deforestation.

Oh, i am saying all this with the assumption that people already know that most organic food is made by large corporations and not mom and pop farmers, like everyone assumes. In fact, a lot of organic is made by the same companies that take part in the much maligned "industrial" farming. So if you think you're somehow striking a blow against big business, just know the corporation don't give a toss because they're still taking your money lol.

Dumbasses, organic food means companies can charge MORE for LESS product. Corporations LOVE that, as you can imagine and no well managed food company is stupid enough not to have jumped on the organic gravy train.

Does organic Coke mean that they will put cocaine back in my soda?

MmmmMMmm Mmm I hope so!!

There are definite factors that have been linked to obesity, including a sedentary lifestyle, overconsumption of calories, and economic-driven factors. But, there is no proven correlation between the growth of Americans’ waistlines and the growth in U.S. organic sales.

It is important to recognize that there are real differences between organic packaged foods and their non-organic counterparts. By law, organic packaged foods must be made without the use of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. This is particularly important given recent research illustrating the link between exposure synthetic food dyes and increased incidents of health problems, including ADHD (http://www.organicitsworthit.o....

Organic packaged foods also reflect the true cost of the food production. By contrast, there are hidden costs generated through the production of non-organic products for which everyone pays indirectly. As Dr. Sandra Steingraber has written (http://www.organicitsworthit.o..., “Among the costs not incorporated into the bar codes that beep their way through the check-out lane: fertilizer-contaminated groundwater, insecticide-contaminated fish, herbicide-contaminated rain, dead honeybees, poisoned wildlife, deformed frogs, eroded soil, toxic algal blooms, ozone depletion, and antibiotic resistance. These are what economists call "externalities"—the costs of an activity that are borne by others. The bad thing about externalities is that they lead to market outcomes that are costly to society even though privately profitable.”

At the same time, organic packaged products support a system of sustainable agricultural management that promotes soil health and fertility through the use of such methods as crop rotation and cover cropping, which nourish plants, foster species diversity, help combat climate change, prevent damage to valuable water resources, and protect farmers and farmers’ families from exposure to harmful chemicals.

It is also worth noting that mounting evidence (http://www.organicitsworthit.o... indicates that organically grown fruits, vegetables and grains may offer more of some nutrients, including vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus, than their counterparts grown using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

Given these and the many other benefits organic products have to offer, it is clear that organic is worth it for our health as well as the health of our planet.

It's true because it's on the internet!

Sugar will make any 6 year old go nuts, organic or not.

go start your own blog dude

A better Penn & Teller con was on giving people a choice of fine bottled waters at a restaurant, but all the water came from a garden hose.

Didn't matter, people still talked up the nuanced differences between the water like a connoisseur.

Organic sugar, butter, or oil ... is still sugar, butter or oil!

That's absolutely true. But the problem is manufacturers and chemists who come up with artificial ingredients that are supposed to be healthier but turn out to be just as bad or worse for you (eg, sugar vs saccharin (cancer in rats), butter vs margarine (increased coronary disease), vegetable oil versus olestra (leaky anus)).

Organic food is such a scam. It's an excuse for stores and farmers to charge more and make a bigger profit.

call me crazy, but i'd prefer less toxic pesticides and fertilizers in our water and soil and delicious animal products.

But your organic food is grown in China where the FDA has no jurisdiction.

From which cow pasture did you find this information?

are you going to back this up with information or just fart in the wind?

i read labels. most organics sold here, from eggs to lunch meat to lettuce, are produced in Canada, Mexico, and USA.

How in the world can you perceive that a yoghurt or a cookie tastes as if it had more fiber and less fat? Absent the real ability to tell, you will likely use faulty information which in this case is the label: organic or not organic. Also did the volunteers tried the organic product right after the non-organic product or did they have to wait until later to increase the chance that they forget how the organic one tasted?

huh, i always thought intelligence was in inverse proportion to attractiveness.

Not always the case, but it makes ugly people feel better. ;)

i'd come up with a snappy rebuttal, but i'm just too goddamn good-looking...

Touche.

that was hilarious