Why The ‘Organic’ Label Doesn’t Always Mean Your Food Is Healthier

Why The ‘Organic’ Label Doesn’t Always Mean Your Food Is Healthier

When you see the word “organic” on your food, you assume it’s healthier and not made with scary chemicals. As this video explains, neither of those are totally safe assumptions.

The video above from ASAP Science explains that even if a product uses organic ingredients, that may not mean it’s healthier. Some natural pesticides can have a greater health and environmental risk than synthetic pesticides. Also, while long-term studies about purely organic diets are hard to come by, a meta-analysis of 237 studies showed that organic fruits and veggies don’t have any additional nutritional value over their conventionally grown counterparts.

Organic also isn’t a magic label that makes bad food good for you. If you’re already eating lots of fruits and vegetables, your diet won’t suddenly shift overnight because you started buying organic. Likewise, if you eat a bag of “organic” potato chips, you’re still eating junk food. It just wasn’t made with synthetic pesticides. Probably. For the most part.

None of this is to say that organic labels or foods are bad. Organic foods — especially those with the right labels — will often have lower levels of pesticides, growth hormones, and antibiotics. They also often have a better effect on the environment. If those things matter to you (and if you can afford the difference) then organic foods aren’t necessarily worse, but you’re not guaranteed to get healthier foods just because of the label.

Is Organic Food Worse For You? [ASAP Science]


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