Introduction

When people farmed simply and ate plainly there was no need for organic produce. But the growth of intensive agriculture after the end of World War II has brought fears of pesticides, antibiotic resistance, mad cow disease, growth hormones, E. coli, salmonella and genetic modification, and people have lost their faith in food.

Seventy-nine percent of American [1] and 44 percent of British [2] consumers are concerned about the safety of their food, and the numbers are increasing. Seventy-eight percent of Americans agree they have "no idea what they might be eating." And concerns about food safety cut across every age, income, and education demographic.

Most Americans say that the idea of organic food is appealing to them.[1] A recent Newsweek live vote showed that 70 percent of respondents think organic food is better for them than mass-produced products.[3]

Sixty percent of Britons who choose organics give health as their main reason, while half say they like the lack of pesticides in products. Forty-six percent think organic foods contain more vitamins and minerals, while nine percent are worried about genetic modification and six percent about the link between BSE and its human form, vCJD.[2]

Organic agriculture is different from non-organic, or 'conventional,' agriculture in that it refrains from using synthetic agricultural inputs such as chemical pesticides, fertilizers, growth hormones, synthetic preservatives and additives, irradiation and genetic modification. Thus, hazards posed by synthetic input residues are prevented as much as possible, and this underlies the consumer belief that organic foods are healthier.

Little research has been done to compare the health value of organic and non-organic foods, but studies published in peer-reviewed journals have shown organic foods to have higher nutritional value, contain fewer pesticide residues and carry a greatly reduced risk of food-borne illnesses such as E.coli infection. It has also been shown to increase fertility and speed recovery from illness, and is used in a number of alternative therapies.

However, in recent years, there has been a disinformation campaign by those who stand to gain from intensive agriculture. High-profile attempts to discredit the safety of organic foods have backfired spectacularly. Claims that organic farming increases the risk of E. coli contamination and contain high levels of pesticide residues were later discovered or confessed to be fabricated, and most reports seem to lead back to Dennis Avery, Director of Global Food Issues at the Hudson Institute.

Dennis Avery's work is supported by Monsanto, DuPont, Novartis, ConAgra, DowElanco and others who profit from the sale of products prohibited in organic production.[4]