Pesticides in your peaches: Tribune and USDA studies find pesticides, some in excess of EPA rules, in the fragrant fruit

As we munch into the fragrant core of peach season, shoppers face an array of choices for the same fuzzy fruit but little guidance on which type to pick. Expensive organic? Pricey farmers market? Cheap peaches from the grocery store?

Cost is certainly important. But there are essential numbers that go beyond the price tag of a peach, or any other item from the produce aisle.

Which contain the highest levels of pesticides?

Challenges to study finding organics no better than conventional produce

The recent British study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, concluding that organic produce has no nutritional benefits over conventional, misses the main point that organic fruits and vegetables are free of herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. But the study has many other limitations.

The Organic Center, whose mission is to generate peer reviewed scientific research on the benefits of organic farming, has challenged the findings of the British study on several points

Organics industry hits back at dietary findings

The organics industry is hitting back and rejecting claims made in a report by Britain’s Food Standard Agency (FSA) that found organic produce has no health or nutritional benefit over conventionally produced food. The groups are labeling the report's results incomplete.

With regard to the findings of the FSA report, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) said the study totally avoided the issue of pesticides and took a very narrow view of 'health'.

Organic debate gets dirty

A BRITISH agency which produced a report claiming there was no real health benefit to eating organic food has been accused of being biased against the organic sector.

The organic movement is furious the report claimed organic food offered limited nutritional advantages to conventional food, but failed to take in to account the effect chemical residues had on consumers of conventional food, or other reasons consumers chose organic, such as taste, animal welfare and sustainability issues.

Organic 'has no health benefits'

Organic food is no healthier than ordinary food, a large independent review has concluded.

There is little difference in nutritional value and no evidence of any extra health benefits from eating organic produce, UK researchers found.

The Food Standards Agency, which commissioned the report, said the findings would help people make an "informed choice".

But the Soil Association criticised the study and called for better research.

Organic claims beefed up

BUTCHERS often mince their words when it comes to answering questions about organic meat, an investigation by the nation’s leading consumer group has found.

A Choice survey of 29 butchers in Melbourne and Sydney found only 11 were able to answer a question about which body certifies their organic beef. Seven butchers did not know or couldn’t reply directly, but referred customers to brochures or posters with the information.

AFRICA: Organic Farming Could be Answer to Food Insecurity

Commercial farmers sometimes fail at organic farming because they switch over too quickly, ditching all chemicals, which is as traumatic for the soil as "a drug addict going cold turkey".

This is how Cornelius Oosthuizen, the head of the South African Biofarm Institute’s management team, explains why there are relatively few organic farming success stories in South Africa. The South African Biofarm Institute promotes sustainable and profitable biological and organic farming.

Organic produce farmers fear the rising costs of newest government food safety legislation

Organic farming worldwide is partly a product of the 1990s boom times when that market grew rapidly. But now, because of the USA's deep recession, according to the July 17th, 2009 Reuters article, "Embattled organic sector worries about regulation," some farmers are worried and/or angry about the future of organic farming due to new food safety rules emanating from Washington.

Is organic food more nutritious?

I was buying salad greens a few days ago when I overheard a woman say to her partner: "Honey, grab an organic red pepper instead. It has more vitamins." Despite being in the middle of researching this very topic, and confident that I was going to get a message to mind my own business, I refrained from launching into a debate. The truth is, the belief that organic produce is nutritionally superior to conventionally farmed is only mildly supported by scientific evidence.

Green tips for buying organic produce and bulk

Organic produce and bulk items are definitely the way to go these days. The use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers is at such a high, it is hard to fully appreciate the impact they will make on the earth and our future generations. So buying organic is not only good for you, it is good for your family and for the earth.

Organic meat is winner

FOR Shane and Ann Blundy, making the decision to switch to organic farming 16 years ago was easy. "When I was farming conventionally, the animals kept getting sick," Shane says. "The only person making any money was the vet."

Now, with 3000 lambs and 1000 cattle on their 485ha south Gippsland property, Cherry Tree Organics, the Blundys' biggest problem is how to keep up with demand.

10 top tips for organic food on a budget

As hard discounts shops continue to hammer suppliers, and organic sales flatten out does this spell the end of the organic revolution? Not at all says the Soil Association who have come out with a simple and easy to manage top ten tips for organic living without first having to have run the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Organic vs. natural a source of confusion in food labeling

At first it may seem only right for Dean Foods, the nation's largest organic dairy producer, to roll out a line of yogurts and milk marketed as "natural."

But Dean's announcement last week alarmed advocates of organic food, who say the burgeoning market for less expensive "natural" foods reaps billions from consumers while guaranteeing little or nothing in exchange.

Organic Trade Association defends organic standards

The Organic Trade Association is refuting a Washington Post article that claims the U.S. Department of Agriculture's organic standards have been relaxed, saying the article is based on "old news and urban legends."

According to the July 3 Post article, the USDA inspector general's office is investigating the USDA's oversight of private certifiers who decide what products can carry the organic label, and whether those products meet the federal organic standards.

EU report reveals pesticides in organic food

An annual monitoring report found traces of pesticides in organic food products for the first time, challenging public perceptions that organic products are free of synthetic plant protection products.

Organic growers have difficulty meeting demand, USDA reports

Demand for organic food has been outpacing the ability of U.S. farms to supply it, according to USDA economists.

Forty-four percent of organic handlers reported short supplies of ingredients in 2004, the economists said in a report on the state of the industry.

Thirteen percent of the organic companies said they couldn't meet demand for at least one of their products.

Organic means costly

You'll just set some crops and let nature take its course, right?

Oh, so wrong.

“People really don't know what goes into this,” said Anthony Owens, who grows 96 acres of apples and 41 acres of vegetables and melons in Henderson County — all organically. “My famous quote is, ‘I've learned to become part farmer, part scientist.' People don't realize that organic growing requires so much more hands-on knowledge and research.”

Organic food faces new rules

The Canadian organic industry is preparing for the long-awaited National Organic Regulations.

The organic market has long been crowded with private standards, voluntary national standards and international certifications, including the United States Department of Agriculture's certifications and the European organic certifications.

How to buy the best organic foods

Americans spent close to $28 billion in 2008 on organic edibles, up from $1 billion in 1990, according to The Organic Trade Association. And organic foods remain an area of growth even with the rising cost of grocery items and tougher economic times.

If you're fueling these double-digit sales, you likely already have your reasons for buying organic. Even so, recent changes to America's food buying habits -- the rise of the local-food movement, increased awareness about foods' carbon footprint (the amount of greenhouse gasses released when producing and transporting goods) -- may leave you wondering where organic foods fit into a better-for-the-environment equation.

10 reasons to choose organic

When you step into a shop it’s easy to feel bewildered by the sheer number of ethical, healthy, green and animal friendly options available. The great thing about organic is – it ticks every box. Simple. When you consider all the different benefits organic offers, it all adds up to genuine good value. So, why choose organic?