The rise in organic food sales is one of the most notable lifestyle trends of the last decade, thanks to baby boomer consumers. In 1980, retailers sold $178 million worth of organic products; this year, estimates are projected for $6.6 billion in sales.
If you think organic is healthier for you and your family, you may be interested to know that organic produce may carry pesticide residues, just like standard produce often does. A Consumers Union study published in the January 1998 issue of Consumer Reports checked pesticide levels of unwashed apples, tomatoes, peaches and bell peppers bought at stores across the country. Researchers found pesticide traces on 77 percent of the conventional produce they tested and on only 25 percent of the organic produce. (Organic foods may have been contaminated during trucking, the researchers ventured; they may also have been exposed to pesticide drift from neighboring non-organic farms.)
Adding fuel to the organic vs. conventional food controversy is the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) work in this field. While the EPA monitors the types and amounts of pesticides used in efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe, no one yet knows if the EPA's allowable levels of pesticides contribute to the development of childhood and adult cancers, as some scientists allege.
What's more, although organic produce is 57 percent costlier than standard supermarket fruits and vegetables, you may not be getting more nutrition benefits, after all. One recent study at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, found that beta carotene levels were almost the same in organic and supermarket produce purchased from two stores over a five-month period.
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