According to a new European Union-funded study, organically produced food is better than ordinary food. Organic food like fruits, vegetables and milk, contain more nutrients and may contain higher concentrations of cancer fighting and heart beneficial antioxidants.
Researchers said that the £12m four-year study’s complete findings will be published within next one year.
Professor Carlo Leifert of the Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture based at Newcastle University, UK, who with his team are working on the EU funded project called the Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) project, announced the findings.
Prof Leifert said that research results indicated that eating organic food was equivalent to eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables each day.
Study results show organic food has up to 40 % more antioxidants than non-organically produced food. Organic milk contains up to 60 % more antioxidants and healthy fatty acids.
Researchers grew fruit, vegetables and reared cattle on adjacent and non-organic sites across Europe, including 725 acre farm linked to Newcastle University.
Prof Leifert said, “We have shown there are more of certain nutritionally desirable compounds and less of the baddies in organic foods. Our research is now trying to find out where the difference between organic and conventional food comes from. What we’re really interested in is finding out why there is so much variability with respect to the differences. What in the agricultural system gives a higher nutritional content and less of the baddies in the food?”
He also hoped that the study findings would help farmers in organic to improve the quality of their produce.
UK government’s Food Standards Agency (FSA), currently states, “Consumers may also choose to buy organic food because they believe that it is safer and more nutritious than other food. “However, the balance of current scientific evidence does not support this view.”
QualityLowInputFood (QLIF) is a European Union (EU) sponsored project that aims to improve quality, ensure safety and reduce cost along the organic and ‘low input’ food supply chains through research, dissemination and training activities.
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