Do I Have to Buy Organic Produce?

Inside: Wondering whether you should buy organic fruits and vegetables for your family? Here are the facts, so you can feel good about your choices.

Ever stood in the aisle of the grocery store looking back and forth between the organic apples and the conventional ones?

You wonder whether you should spend the extra dollar per pound–and weigh worries about pesticides against worries about your budget.

Whether to buy organic food is a fraught topic for many moms.

The issue is often presented in black and white terms—healthy or unhealthy, safe or toxic. But that’s just not the case.

So if you’ve ever stood in the aisles of the grocery store, wondering what to do, here are answers to some of your biggest questions.

What does organic mean? 

The term “organic” on a food means it was grown without any synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or genetic modification. Animals weren’t given growth hormones or antibiotics and were treated humanely. 

Keep in mind that this label only concerns a food’s production, not how healthy it is. In other words, organic cookies are still cookies!

And remember that organic foods aren’t pesticide-free. The USDA allows organic crops to be treated with organic pesticides–substances that are naturally occurring such as soap, hydrogen peroxide, and copper sulfate. And just because a pesticide is “natural” doesn’t mean it’s completely safe.

Is organic produce more nutritious?

There’s not a huge difference. Some studies show benefits, like an analysis that found organic produce was higher in some kinds of antioxidants.

But a review of nearly 250 studies in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine concluded there wasn’t strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious than conventional.

A clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics states:

“Current evidence does not support any meaningful nutritional benefits or deficits from eating organic compared with conventionally grown foods, and there are no well-powered human studies that directly demonstrate health benefits or disease protection as a result of consuming an organic diet.”

Are organic fruits and vegetables safer?

Organic produce is grown without using synthetic pesticides, which are used to protect crops from harmful insects. It’s understandable to consider children’s pesticide exposure, since their bodies are smaller and their systems (including their brains) are still developing.

Here are some of things to consider:

• Pesticide use has dropped: In the last few decades, the rules around pesticides have gotten stricter and their overall use has declined, thanks to government regulations.
• There are safeguards: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decides which pesticides are safe for use and sets allowable limits for each residue, the amount left behind on the food. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regularly tests foods, both fresh and processed, for pesticide residues. Testing can detect even tiny amounts of residues that are far below allowable limits.
• Research isn’t conclusive: The American Academy of Pediatrics’ report says there are no well-designed human studies that show health benefits or disease protection from eating an organic diet and no studies showing an association between pesticide exposure and harmful effects on brain development.

Is organic farming better for the environment? Many of organic farming’s practices do help protect the environment–for instance, using beneficial insects instead of synthetic pesticides that could seep into the ground water.

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Should you follow the Dirty Dozen?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases annual lists of the “dirtiest” and “cleanest” produce, based on pesticide residues. EWG creates their rankings by analyzing data from the USDA, which tests washed, peeled produce to mimic how we typically eat those foods.. 

The “dirty” produce included in the latest list (all conventional fruits and veggies) are strawberries, spinach, kale, grapes, peaches, and potatoes. The EWG suggests choosing organic versions of those. The “clean” ones include carrots, sweet potatoes, asparagus, and avocados.

I used to follow these lists when shopping and even recommended them. But I don’t anymore. 

Here’s why: The rankings are created based on whether the fruits and veggies have residues and how many they have–not whether those residue levels are harmful in the amounts we typically eat. Just because a residue exists doesn’t mean there’s a risk.

None of the pesticide residues on the Dirty Dozen produce are more than what the USDA says is safe. And some are well below the threshold. (You can use this Pesticide Residue Calculator to figure out how many servings you or your kids could consume without adverse effects–spoiler: It’s A LOT, like thousands.) 

In a 2011 study published in the Journal  Of Toxicology, researchers concluded that swapping in the organic forms of the 12 items on the Dirty Dozen list didn’t result in any real reduction of risk and that the methods used to create the Dirty Dozen “lacked credibility”. 

EWG acknowledges that they “do not factor in the pesticide levels deemed acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency” but says it’s because those acceptable levels are inadequate and based on outdated science.

Most importantly, in their report, they also say this: “Everyone should eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whether organic or conventionally grown. The health benefits of such a diet outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.”

Is organic produce more expensive?

Usually, yes. You can find deals, but organic prices are typically higher. That’s because organic food is often more expensive to produce, and there’s a smaller supply of it.

In an experiment, the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF), a non-profit organization that promotes the safety of fruits and vegetables (and represents both organic and conventional farms), compared costs on nine produce items on the Dirty Dozen list. 

Based on the same quantities, package sizes, and produce varieties for the amount a family of four might eat in a 7-10 day period, there was a 48 percent spending increase if they followed the Dirty Dozen list.

Looking at the most popular fruits and veggies, they found the cost would be 34 percent higher by following the lists.

Ever heard someone say they buy organic to avoid “chemicals”? Everything is a chemical–even water! And chemicals that occur naturally in the world (like nicotine and cyanide) can be dangerous too.

What I do about organic food

These are choices that work for our family and align with our budget, allowing us to have a variety of fresh food in our home:

• I buy some organic and some conventional, depending on prices, what looks good, and what varieties I’m craving. I don’t follow the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists when making those decisions.
• I try to buy from small local farms when I can to help support their business, whether the produce (or meat) is organic or not.
• I always wash produce well under running water, whether it’s conventional or organic. That includes scrubbing potatoes and rinsing the outside of melons before I cut through them.  
• I vary the kinds of fruits and veggies I buy to enjoy seasonal produce and get a variety of nutrients and antioxidants. (That also limits exposure to one single pesticide.)

Over the years, I’ve also had the chance to tour a lot of different farms and talk one-on-one with farmers–many of whom grow both organic and conventional food. I have a lot of faith in farmers because they work incredibly hard to grow safe, nutritious food. Calling their crops “dirty” isn’t fair or accurate.

Believe me, I haven’t always felt this confident. I used to agonize a lot more about my purchases–and spend more money than we could afford on groceries. But now I feel good about my choices (read: How I Stopped Stressing Out About Grocery Shopping.) I hope you can too!

What should you do? 

• Do what you feel good about and what’s best for your family. Do not feel pressure to spend beyond your means. Do not feel guilted by a blog post, a photo on Instagram, or the person’s cart behind you at the check-out.
• If you want to choose organic and have room in your budget, go for it! 
• If you want to follow the Dirty Dozen list, that’s okay too! Just be aware of the limitations.
• No matter what, eat lots of fruits and veggies, and don’t stress out. Eating lots of fresh food is good for health–but fear of food is not.

Fear of food may actually be causing some people not to eat enough fruits and vegetables. In one study, when researchers mentioned the “Dirty Dozen” list to shoppers, those shoppers said they were less likely to buy any fresh produce.  

That’s worrisome, considering only about one in 10 adults gets the recommended number of fruits and vegetables. Kids don’t get enough either.

Bottom Line: The most important step to take is to feed your family lots of fruits and vegetables. A diet full of fruits and vegetables (organic or not) is proven to be good for health, helping to lower blood pressure and the risk for heart disease and even some types of cancer.

And certainly don’t avoid buying fruits and vegetables because they’re not organic.

What else you should know