Is organic food healthier or just more expensive?
I bet that if you’re reading this, you likely fall into one of two categories. One: you regularly buy organic fruits and vegetables. Two: you buy organic occasionally, fluctuating between feeling guilty about your health and the environment, and blaming the entire system because you can’t afford Amazon Prime. Either way, when you do purchase organic food, you may feel a sense of self-assurance—like you’re taking control, not only of your health but of the environment. Suddenly, you see all the other people reaching for that pesticide-laden, carcinogenic apple, and you can’t help but think they all look sick. Heck, you could even diagnose their type of cancer based on the potatoes they’re putting in their basket. But is it true that organic food is healthier? Or is it just a clever marketing strategy that targets our basic human need to feel special and in control of our lives? I’ll leave you sometime later to reflect on your supermarket behaviours, but for now, let’s delve into the scientific evidence surrounding this topic.
Defining "Healthier"
First, let’s clarify what we mean by “healthier” here. Both consumers and researchers interpret this term in various ways, which can lead to confusion. When we discuss the health impacts of organic food, we could be referring to several things: organic food being free from “harmful” substances like pesticides and other contaminants, being more nutritious with higher levels of vitamins and minerals, or having a broader positive impact on public health—such as a reduced risk of cancer.
What About Pesticides and Fertilizers?
Fungi thriving on a fallen log in the rainforest, playing a crucial role in decomposition and nutrient cycling. These fascinating organisms help break down organic matter, enriching the forest floor and sustaining biodiversity
When we talk about pesticides, we’re making a broad generalization. Pesticides include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and other chemicals that vary widely in their chemical composition. It's akin to discussing the harmful effects of "medications" in general—obviously, paracetamol is not the same as chemotherapy. This is one of the main challenges when discussing pesticides, both in research and in society. For context, according to the EU pesticide database, there are currently around 420 pesticides approved for use in conventional agriculture¹. As researchers have pointed out, to fully understand the impact of pesticides on human health, we need to evaluate each product and its formulation individually. Moreover, research in this area predominantly focuses on occupational exposure, specifically the pesticide exposure of farmers and producers. Much less is known about the cumulative risks of exposure to multiple pesticides across the broader population, including through diet, drinking water, and the environment—especially in agricultural regions².
In this highly polarized debate, I’ve often seen people argue that in the absence of consensus on the issue, no policies should be implemented. However, as organizations like the FAO have pointed out, this lack of agreement should only serve to heighten our interest in studying the long-term health effects of various pesticides². A 2013 report from the EFSA thoroughly analyzed existing data on pesticide exposure and human health. While it acknowledged the inherent issues with epidemiological studies (which make it difficult to establish direct cause-and-effect relationships), the report found a strong association between pesticide exposure and diseases like childhood cancers and Parkinson's disease. Additionally, it noted growing evidence linking pesticide exposure to endocrine disorders, asthma, allergies, diabetes, and obesity—issues that merit further investigation³.
In addition to pesticides, fertilizers can also have detrimental effects through contamination of water and food. Phosphorus fertilizers, for example, naturally contain cadmium, the concentration of which depends on the mine from which it was extracted. Cadmium accumulates in soil and plants, eventually entering the food chain, acting as a carcinogenic. The EU has recently established a maximum permissible level of cadmium in phosphorus fertilizers, although scientific opinions about the risk of cadmium accumulation in soils remain divided⁴.
Is Organic Food Packed with Nutrients?
The question of whether organic fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, has been widely debated. However, what I found particularly surprising was the lack of discussion around the reasons behind this. Think about it for a second: if we’re constantly told that conventional farming uses excessive fertilizers, why would it follow that these crops would contain fewer nutrients?
It seems logical to assume that, if the necessary building blocks for nutrient production are available—whether through organic or conventional fertilizers—the vitamin and mineral content in crops should be similar. However, plant metabolism is incredibly complex. A vast array of molecules with different functions are produced, including those involved in growth, reproduction, and defence (seriously, plant metabolism is fascinating—check it out!). All of these processes must be perfectly coordinated to ensure the plant uses available resources efficiently for survival.
Some researchers have proposed the Growth Differentiation Balance Hypothesis (GDBH) and the C-nutrient balance hypothesis (CNB) to explain how plant metabolism is regulated in response to available resources like soil nutrients. These theories suggest that plant metabolism always prioritizes growth over the production of other metabolites—such as those involved in defending the plant against pathogens (secondary metabolites). According to these hypotheses, plants tend to produce more secondary metabolites when resources are at intermediate levels—not too low (which would cause nutrient deficiency) and not too high. These secondary metabolites, such as polyphenols, tannins, and flavonoids, are known for their beneficial antioxidant properties. Some studies have shown that intermediate nitrogen fertilization promotes flavonoid synthesis in medicinal plants like Artemisia⁵⁻⁶. One study published in Scientific Reports found that tomatoes grown under organic practices, with manure applied to the soil, had higher concentrations of phenolic compounds compared to those grown with conventional nitrogen fertilizers⁷. However, these researchers did not directly test the GDBH and CNB hypotheses, and others have criticized these models as oversimplifying the complexities of plant metabolism and its regulation in response to environmental factors⁸⁻⁹.
Another hypothesis suggests that organic crops may have higher levels of phenolic compounds. These secondary metabolites, produced by plants in response to various stresses, serve multiple functions such as defence against herbivores, protection against UV radiation, and attracting pollinators. When we consume these compounds, they act as antioxidants, which have been linked to a reduced risk of various diseases. Organic farming practices promote biodiversity, which could expose plants to a broader range of stressors that trigger the production of these beneficial compounds. For instance, Ibanez et al. designed an experiment where they intentionally wounded strawberry leaves and compared the levels of phenolic compounds and vitamin C in damaged plants after 7 and 14 days. They found that phenolic compounds increased in the damaged plants, but vitamin C levels decreased. Notably, the effects were seen in the fruit, not the leaves, suggesting that the plant’s stress response affects different parts of the plant in distinct ways¹⁰.
However, the variability in results remains a major issue. Many studies find higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds in organic produce, while others do not⁹⁻¹¹. This inconsistency can be attributed to the variety of agricultural practices being studied. Practices such as composting, manure application, no-till farming, and cover cropping can all influence soil and plant health in different ways. Therefore, further research into specific agronomic practices is needed. Additionally, the mechanisms behind organic food being “healthier” are still not fully understood or proven. Some studies attempt to address this, but they may be biased, as people who buy organic food often lead healthier lifestyles in general¹².
The Complexity of the World
By now, you might be thinking, “I just want a clear conclusion!” I get it—we all crave certainty. But more often than not, the world is much more complex than we’d like to believe. The evidence surrounding the health benefits of organic food remains inconsistent, but further research could provide clarity in several ways. If health benefits are proven, it could lead to increased investment in environmentally friendly agricultural practices and give consumers the knowledge they need to make more informed choices. In the meantime, let’s respect each other’s choices and perspectives—because it’s through open dialogue that we grow as a society!
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References
1. European Commission. (2022). EU pesticides database. Food Safety - European Commission. Retrieved March 2025, from https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/pesticides/eu-pesticides-database_en.
2. Food and Agriculture Organization. (2022). Pesticides and their impact on the environment. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved March 2025, from https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/soils/publications/pesticides.pdf
3. Ntzani, E. E., Ntritsos G, C. M., Evangelou, E., & Tzoulaki, I. (2013). Literature review on epidemiological studies linking exposure to pesticides and health effects. EFSA Supporting Publications, 10(10), 497E.
4. Gilbert, N. (2018). European Union debates controversial plans to limit cadmium in fertilizer. Science. https://doi. org/10.1126/science. aat8448.
5. Wang, Z., Zhao, T., Ma, L., Chen, C., Miao, Y., Guo, L., & Liu, D. (2023). Mechanisms governing the impact of nitrogen stress on the formation of secondary metabolites in Artemisia argyi leaves. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 12866.
6. Deng, B., Li, Y., Xu, D., Ye, Q., & Liu, G. (2019). Nitrogen availability alters flavonoid accumulation in Cyclocarya paliurus via the effects on the internal carbon/nitrogen balance. Scientific reports, 9(1), 2370.
7. Oliveira, A. B., Moura, C. F., Gomes-Filho, E., Marco, C. A., Urban, L., & Miranda, M. R. A. (2013). The impact of organic farming on quality of tomatoes is associated to increased oxidative stress during fruit development. PLoS One, 8(2), e56354.
8. Erb, M., & Kliebenstein, D. J. (2020). Plant secondary metabolites as defenses, regulators, and primary metabolites: the blurred functional trichotomy. Plant physiology, 184(1), 39-52.
9. Sun, Y., & Fernie, A. R. (2024). Plant secondary metabolism in a fluctuating world: climate change perspectives. Trends in Plant Science, 29(5), 560-571.
10. Ibanez, F., Bang, W. Y., Lombardini, L., & Cisneros-Zevallos, L. (2019). Solving the controversy of healthier organic fruit: Leaf wounding triggers distant gene expression response of polyphenol biosynthesis in strawberry fruit (Fragaria x ananassa). Scientific reports, 9(1), 19239.
11. Brandt, K., Leifert, C., Sanderson, R., & Seal, C. J. (2011). Agroecosystem management and nutritional quality of plant foods: the case of organic fruits and vegetables. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 30(1-2), 177-197.
12. Poulia, K. A., Bakaloudi, D. R., Alevizou, M., Papakonstantinou, E., Zampelas, A., & Chourdakis, M. (2024). Impact of organic foods on chronic diseases and health perception: a systematic review of the evidence. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1-14.
