Are Organic Foods Safer Than Their Conventional Counterparts?

From 1997 to 2010, U.S. sales of organic foods rose from US$3.7 to $27 billion. Although consumers buy organic foods for a myriad of reasons, health often is a key factor. In this systematic review of 240 studies, researchers compared organic and conventional foods from the perspective of health benefits and risks.

The analysis yielded no significant differences in vitamin content, prevalence of bacterial contamination (in produce, chicken, or pork), or heavy metal contamination (in produce). Risks for isolating bacteria resistant to ≥3 antibiotics was 33% higher in conventional chicken and pork than in organic meats, and likelihood of detecting pesticide residues was higher in conventional than in organic produce (38% vs. 7%).