Organic farming, A review food quality and, of the human health, evidence 2 ORGANIC FARMING FOOD QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH Contents he birthright of all living things is Preface 3 health. This law is true for soil, plant, T animal and man: the health of these four is one connected chain. Any weakness or defect in the health of any earlier link in the Executive summary 4 chain is carried on to the next and succeeding links, until it reaches the last, namely, man. The widespread vegetable and animal pests and diseases, which are such a bane to modern 0.1 Introduction 7 agriculture, are evidence of a great failure of health in the second (plant) and third (animal) links of the chain. The impaired health of human populations (the fourth link) in 0.2 Background 9 modern civilised countries is a consequence of this failure in the second and third links. This general failure in the last three links is to be attributed to failure in the first link, the 0.3 The evidence 12 soil: the undernourishment of the soil is at the 3.1 Food safety 13 root of all. The failure to maintain a healthy agriculture has largely cancelled out all the 3.2 Primary nutrients 29 advantages we have gained from improvements 3.3 Secondary nutrients 41 in hygiene, in housing, and medical discoveries. 3.4 Observed health effects 47 To retrace our steps is not really difficult once we set our minds to the problem. If we are willing to conform to natural law, we shall rapidly reap the reward not only in a 0.4 Holistic approaches 53 flourishing agriculture, but in the immense asset of an abounding health in ourselves and in our children’s children. 0.5 Discussion and conclusions 59 Sir Albert Howard (1945) 0.6 Recommendations 69 0.7 Appendix 72 Acknowledgements 87 ORGANIC FARMING FOOD QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH 3 Preface ecord numbers of people are now eating organic, It is almost as if consumers have become laboratory animals and many of them are doing so because they feel in the huge experiment that is industrialised agriculture, R intuitively that they are making a more natural and storing up untold health problems for the future. Chemicals healthy choice. This report assesses the evidence behind such as DDT and lindane have been banned after the initial that intuition. dismissal of safety concerns. Research in animal feeding trials has indicated that health effects often only reveal Sir Albert Howard, whose research in the 1930s did much themselves over long time spans, sometimes even over to inform the development of organic farming and inspired successive generations. So the evidence presented in this the foundation of the Soil Association, believed the health report showing nutritional differences between organic of the soil, plants, animals and people was ‘one and and non-organic foods should not be lightly dismissed. indivisible’. But how much evidence is there to validate Nor should the food safety issues raised. The organic the hypothesis that farming methods have an important movement has repeatedly advocated the precautionary effect on the nutritional quality of the food we eat? principle, questioning practices that violate the natural cycle and represent a potential threat to health. This report examines over 400 published papers considering or comparing organic and non-organic foods It would be easy to criticise this report, as some surely in relation to key areas of food quality important to the will, on the grounds that the Soil Association is a partisan promotion of good health – food safety, nutritional content organisation. However in the midst of a distinctly ill- and the observed health effects in those consuming food. informed debate, we have taken responsibility for It points out that organic standards specifically prohibit the bringing together the existing evidence and subjecting use of certain additives and manufacturing processes linked it to closer scrutiny than ever before. A number of scientists, to health concerns such as osteoporosis and heart disease, organisations and experts in the fields of medicine, nutrition and argues that there are no grounds for complacency and organic research have endorsed our findings and about the long-term effects of pesticides and additives recommendations and I urge you to read the report for on our health. It asserts that there is indicative evidence yourself and draw your own conclusions. suggesting nutritional differences between organic and non- organic food. More research is needed, it emphasises, but Organic Farming, Food Quality and Human Health complements if the indications of the available evidence are confirmed the strong environmental arguments for going organic there could be major implications for public health. presented in our previous report, The Biodiversity Benefits of Organic Farming. It is a compelling and challenging These conclusions are sure to be controversial. They contribution to an important debate, which I hope will contradict Sir John Krebs of the Food Standards Agency, help all food producers to deliver healthier food, and who said in August 2000 that “there is not enough enable consumers and governments to make informed information available at present to be able to say that choices in this time of crisis for our agriculture. organic foods are significantly different in terms of their safety and nutritional content to those produced by conventional farming”. Sir John’s comments rather echo those of the critics of the mid-1980s who said there was no evidence to justify the Soil Association’s decision to ban animal protein from feed for organic livestock. Patrick Holden Within a few years Britain’s non-organic herds were Director, Soil Association being ruined by BSE, and the scientific evidence linking the disease with feed was all too abundant. 4 ORGANIC FARMING FOOD QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH Executive summary Key findings • Food additives More than 500 additives are permitted for use in non- A comprehensive review of existing research reveals organically processed foods, compared with around significant differences between organically and non- 30 permitted in organic processing. Organic standards organically grown food. These differences relate to food prohibit additives and ingredients which have been safety, primary nutrients, secondary nutrients and health linked to allergic reactions, headaches, asthma, growth outcomes demonstrated by feeding trials. retardation, hyperactivity in children, heart disease and osteoporosis. • Nitrate Non-organic fertilisation practices result in higher levels Food safety of potentially harmful nitrate in vegetables. Studies have shown lower levels in organically produced crops. • Pesticides Nearly all pesticides are prohibited in organic farming and residues are rarely found. By contrast, a high incidence of pesticide residues occurs in non-organic Primary nutrients foods, and there is growing concern about the ‘cocktail effect’ of multiple residues on human health. This review differs from previous inconclusive studies as • Food poisoning a result of exacting criteria which have been introduced There is no evidence linking organically produced to establish the adequacy of the methodologies of research. foods with an increased risk of food poisoning. A Each comparative study has been screened against these recent survey gave organic food a clean bill of health clearly stated criteria before being included in this review. and confirmed expectations that organic methods, such as careful composting of manure, minimise pathogenic • Vitamin C and dry matter contents are higher, on average, risks. in organically grown crops. • GMOs • Mineral contents are also higher, on average, in organically Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their grown crops, although the small number and heterogenous derivatives are prohibited in organic production. There nature of the studies included mean that more research is is currently insufficient published evidence to reach any needed to confirm this finding. definitive conclusions regarding the safety of genetically • Research indicates a clear long-term decline in the trace modified foods for humans, although negative health mineral content of fruit and vegetables, and the influence effects have been observed in animal trials. of farming practices requires further investigation. • Antibiotics The routine, growth promoting or prophylactic use of antibiotics is prohibited in organic standards for animal husbandry. There is growing concern over the risk to Secondary nutrients human health from antibiotic resistance developing in micro-organisms partly because of the misuse and • Research is beginning to confirm the expectation that overuse of antibiotics in livestock rearing. organic crops contain an increased range and volume • BSE and vCJD of naturally occurring compounds known variously as No record has been found of any case of BSE, suspected secondary plant metabolites or phytonutrients. of being linked to new variant CJD in humans, in any • Phytonutrients increase the capacity of plants to withstand animal born and reared organically. external challenges from pests and diseases, and an EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 increasing number of them are also known to be Recommendations beneficial to humans. • Further research is needed in this field. • Consumers wishing to improve their intake of minerals, vitamin C and antioxidant phytonutrients while reducing their exposure to potentially harmful pesticide residues, nitrate, GMOs and artificial additives used in food Observed health effects processing should, wherever possible, choose