The organic ‘back to nature’ approach to gardening – doing away with artificial chemicals – will not deliver healthier or more tasty produce, it is claimed.
A controversial new study from Which? Gardening suggests produce grown using modern, artificial, methods may well be better for you.
The claims follow a two year study growing potatoes, broccoli and tomatoes and will alarm producers and consumers who put their faith in natural food.
Organic bodies have rejected the claims, insisting the trial was too small to offer meaningful results. However, they will come as a severe blow to the industry’s reputation.
The non-organic broccoli or calabrese was found to have significantly higher levels of antioxidants than the organically grown samples.
Antioxidants are beneficial chemicals that are said to improve general health and help prevent cancer.
The research found the non-organic potatoes contained more Vitamin C than the organic crop.
While a panel of expert tasters found that the non-organically grown tomatoes had a stronger tomato flavour and were slightly sweeter than the organic samples.
Fruit and vegetables
Some 30per cent of the population regularly buy organic produce with sales put at £1.84 billion a year. At the same time, an increasingly number of families are choosing to grow veg and fruit using organic methods.
During trials at an allotment in the Cotswolds, the ground for the non-organic potatoes and broccoli was sprayed with weedkiller and later the fertiliser Growmore. By contrast the organic plot was dug over and manure added.
The experts also treated the conventional crops with pesticides, such as metaldehyde slug pellets and dithane.
With the tomatoes, one set were grown in organic peat-free grow bags and the other in the non-organic equivalent. They were given either an organic or conventional feed.
The subsequent nutritrition and taste tests demonstrated the conventional crops were at least as good as organic and, in some areas, significantly better. The yields and physical appearance were about the same.
Ceri Thomas, editor of Which? Gardening, said: ‘The surprising results of this small-scale trial call into question a lot of preconceptions about the taste and nutritional value of organic vegetables.
‘However, this trial didn’t look at other benefits of going organic, such as the impact on the environment. Whatever methods you use, any gardener will tell you that home grown fruit and veg beat supermarket fare hands down.’
Emma Hockridge, head of policy at the Soil Association, insisted the findings were not significant and described the Which? research as ‘irresponsible’.
‘This is an unscientific study of an extremely limited sample of vegetables,’ she said.
‘Which? Gardening admit the narrow scope of their research, which does not address the main reason people choose to garden organically – namely that the absence of chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers means it is better for the environment, better for wildlife and safer for all the family, including pets.
‘It is a much wider issue than just taste and health.’
She said: ‘More conclusive research needs to be done comparing organic vs non-organic food in terms of nutrient content but a recent, more comprehensive, European study shows that it is mainly artificial fertilisers that depress beneficial nutrients in fruit and vegetables, so generally all organic food will contain more healthy nutrients.
‘Generations of gardeners have recognised the importance of using organic techniques for the fruit and vegetables they produce for their families.
‘Most gardeners recognise that heavily marketed and expensive artificial fertilisers and chemical pesticides are not beneficial for the planet or their family’s health.’
She added: ‘For legions of gardeners, the thought of spraying chemicals over their home grown produce is unthinkable. More and more research is showing the negative impacts of pesticide use.
‘It is irresponsible that Which? have been using pesticides which have been strongly implicated in the rapid decline in the bee population, along with a range of other pesticides including metaldehyde which is fatal to animals and costs water companies millions of pounds every year in clean up costs.
‘Gardeners across the country are proving that they are able to grow excellent and tasty produce without using pesticides and artificial fertilisers.’
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The sale of organic food has dropped for two years in a row as shoppers opted for cheaper products in the recession.
Cash made by organic products dropped by £100 million in 2010 – with overall sales falling 5.9 per cent from £1.84 billion to £1.73bn.
The research was carried out by the Soil Association which will today outline its findings in the 2011 Organic Market Report.
It is the second year running that sales in the sector have fallen following a 12 per cent drop in 2009, ending a 16 year run of growth.
The Soil Association, which certifies organic products, said that ready meals were down by 36 per cent. The organisation puts this down to people cooking from scratch.
By contrast, baby food bucked the trend as sales continued to rise, increasing by 10.3 per cent, while textiles rose by 7.8 per cent after H&M and Zara started stocking the items.
The harsh economic climate is being blamed for the industry slowdown with fresh fruit and veg falling by 6.3 per cent and dairy by 2.7 per cent. Together, these make up more than half or organic sales.
Shoppers are not the only ones that appear to be turning their backs on organic products – as much as 10 per cent of the land dedicated to production has gone with the number of producers falling from 7,896 to 7,567.
The Organic Trade Board is set to run a £2million advertising campaign later this year to try and promote the food as a tastier alternative that is better for the environment and kinder to animals.
The board’s chairman, Huw Bowles, told the Independent: ‘A couple of years ago, people thought it was the end of the world and nobody would be able to afford organic, but as time has gone on, people have realised that organic is still here and that the reasons to buy organic are still valid.
‘People are probably not buying as frequently and as much as they were two years ago.’
The Soil Association has said that it is confident about the future and it expects sales at supermarkets, which accounts for 72 per cent of all organic sales, to level off this year.
‘The outlook for 2011 is cautiously optimistic,’ the association said. ‘Despite fragile consumer confidence in the wider economy, the report shows positive signs of resilience and recovery for the organic sector overall.’