Organic food advocates have been celebrating today after a major new study appeared to show their choice is better than non-organic food. Previously there has been little or no evidence that pricier organic options had any health benefits for consumers. Now a study funded by the European Union apparently shows organic foods have more antioxidants and nutrients than non-organic foods.

The study has yet to be peer reviewed and I haven’t unearthed a press release yet so the best guess I can provide is that the current (mainly British) media storm has been led by articles over the weekend in the Sunday Times (one, two). One of these opines: “The evidence from the £12m four-year project will end years of debate and is likely to overturn government advice that eating organic food is no more than a lifestyle choice.”

That was then followed up other reporters. The BBC notes that “researchers did admit the study showed some variations”, although variation in what it doesn’t say. Other coverage is lacking even this caveat, the Guardian says organic fruit and vegetables contained up to 40% more antioxidants than non-organic examples while organic milk contained over 60% more antioxidants. Discussion of whether or not antioxidants actually benefit health seems to be missing from most coverage (read what the National Cancer Institute and Medline think, or just go straight to New Scientist’s The antioxidant myth: a medical fairy tale).

Organic advocates are having a field day. Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association, says the EU project builds on what his organisation has been doing for years and he comes up with this odd quote:

“For the past 60 years, the Soil Association has sought on the basis of practical observation, underpinned where available by sound science, to show the benefits of sustainable, organic farming to the health of people and planet.” Obviously he meant the association has been trying for 60 years to establish whether there is any benefit in organic food; he clearly in conscience wouldn’t want to go into such studies already knowing the result.

The soil association points also to three studies on Organic Eprints as ‘EU studies show higher nutritional values’.

As an aside, here is a list of some of the things that can be used on farms in the UK under DEFRA’s ‘organic’ standards:

Products or by-products of animal origin, including blood meal, wool, fur, hair

Sulphur

Image: Getty