Organic food may not be more nutritious: CTV

CTV News Staff

Many Canadians are turning to organic foods because they are grown with fewer synthetic fertilizers and no chemical pesticides. But are they really better for you?

An unscientific review by CTV and The Globe and Mail suggests they may not be any more nutritious than conventionally grown produce.

As part of the review, CTV bought 20 samples of organic food and had them tested at the University of Guelph food lab. The results were then compared to food analysis of conventional fruits and vegetables published by Health Canada.

The results showed some differences. For example, organic spinach had 122 per cent more iron than conventional spinach, while organic potatoes had 267 per cent more than their conventional counterparts.

However, conventional produce was superior in Niacin -- one of the B vitamins needed for healthy skin.

"From a nutritional point of view, I know this is disappointing for organic growers to hear this, and probably to the consumer who has been led to believe the food is nutritionally superior," says Phil Warman.

Warman, an agricultural researcher, has come up with similar results on his test farm in Halifax.

"In terms of nutritional content there was virtually no difference," Warman says.

But nutritionist Virginia Worthington warns that you shouldn't make conclusions on any one study.

"When you look at it over a number of studies, you can see trends, which is what I did. And I think there's a hint that it is more nutritious, that organic is more nutritious," Worthington says.

Whether organic food is more nutritious or not, the organic market is exploding. According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian organic retail sales is expected to rise from $0.7 billion in 1997 to $3.1 billion in 2005. That equals an average growth of 20 per cent annually.

An Ipsos Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll shows just how much preferences have changed over the last decade.

Today, 15 per cent of Canadians say they are eating more organic food. That's compared to nine per cent in a similar poll 10 years ago.

The poll also shows women (17%) eat more organic food than men (12%) and that the biggest consumers of organic food are in Alberta and Quebec. The lowest sales were in Atlantic Canada.

Reflecting that popularity was the recent opening of the first organic superstore in Toronto. Whole Foods Market has 130 stores in the United States and already has plans to open a second Canadian store in Vancouver.

But whether organic food is more nutritious or not that conventional grown produce, Len Piche, a nutrition professor from the University of Western Ontario, says the results of the CTV review are good news for everyone.

"It's good news because Canadians at large can choose either organic or non-organic and get the same amount of nutrients."

Some statistics about organic food in Canada:

* There are about 2,500 organic farmers in Canada;
* According to a 1999 Statistics Canada report, approximately 4.9 per cent of the fruit and vegetable farms in Canada consider themselves to be organic producers;
* Nearly all of Canada's organic products are exported. Exports are mostly bulk grain and oilseed products;
* The United States is the largest market for many Canadian organic foods, followed by the European Union and Japan;
* The provinces of Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia are the main exporters of organic food.

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