Yael: Have you gone organic, Don?

Don: Huh?

Y: You know . . . when you're shopping for fruits and vegetables do you buy regular      produce, or do you buy organic?

D: Well, the organic stuff is usually more expensive, so I guess I just get regular fruits      and vegetables.

Y: But aren't you bothered by all the pesticides used by conventional farmers? And      don't you want to eat food that's more nutritious?

D: Hold on a sec . . . those are two different things. Yes, I think that pesticides and      herbicides can cause problems, especially when it comes to polluting groundwater      and rivers and lakes--not to mention my ingesting them. But as far as organic food      being more nutritious, I'm not sure about that.

Y: But isn't nutrition the entire point of organic food?

D: A lot of people think so, but there's no conclusive evidence that organic food      contains more vitamins, minerals, or other nutritious compounds than other food.

Y: Really? That seems surprising.

D: Well, there is some evidence. Some studies have found that organically grown      tomatoes have more antioxidants than conventionally grown tomatoes. Do a web      search and you'll find plenty of articles claiming that organic foods are more healthful      supposedly because they don't have preservatives and use crop rotation instead of      pesticides. But how many of these claims are backed by hard scientific evidence? I      don't know. What I do know is that a reputable source such as the Mayo Clinic      website claims that there's no reason to assume that organic food is more nutritious      than other food.

Y: Okay . . . but organic farmers use only natural pesticides and fertilizer, right?

D: True. And so there is evidence that organic food is good for the environment. But as      for whether it gives us more nutrition . . . that's still up for grabs.  

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