Overview
The global demand for organic food is rising. In 2007 the organic food
market in the UK was estimated to be worth over £2 billion - an
increase of 22% since 2005. The UK organic market is now the third largest
in Europe after Germany and Italy. These increased sales are thought
to result, at least in part, from increased consumer confidence in the
safety of organic foods, and their perceived benefits to human health
and the environment.
Several reviews published in the past 10 years have compared nutritional
composition of organic and conventionally produced foods, and have reported
equivocal results. None of the reviews employed an explicitly systematic
methodology. Little research has been conducted on the potential benefits
of organic foods for human health, and there is no consistent underlying
hypothesis for the mechanisms of action of any putative health benefits.
Given the large and increasing demand for organic foods in the UK and
elsewhere, up-to-date objective independent statements on the relative
nutritional and health merits of organic vs. conventionally produced
foods are needed for both public policy and consumer advice.
This project conducted two separate systematic reviews of published
scientific literature. The first review compared the composition (nutrients
and other nutritionally-relevant substances) of organically and conventionally
produced foods. The second review evaluated the putative health effects
of organic food.
Protocols
To access the systematic review protocol on the composition (nutrients
and other substances) of organically and conventionally produced foods,
please press here.
To access the systematic review protocol on the putative health effects
of organic food, please press here.
Please note this is an updated protocol (updated 21st October 2008).
Published reviews
The full results of the two systematic reviews are available on the
Food
Standards Agency website which also provides access to the
data
used in the analysis. The systematic reviews have also been published
in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
To access a summary of the systematic review on the nutritional quality
of organic foods, please press
here.
To access a summary of the systematic review on the nutrition-related
health effects of organic foods, please press here.
LSHTM Project Staff
Dr. Alan Dangour (PI)
Dr. Liz Allen
Dr. Karen Lock
Professor Ricardo Uauy
Expert Independent Review Panel
Dr. Julie Lovegrove (University of Reading)
Professor Martin Wiseman (World Cancer Research Fund)
Funder
Food Standards Agency (Contract reference
PAU221)
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