Sometimes we find interest in the passionate backs and forths.
Studies have shown a decline in the nutrition ( vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals/antioxidents etc) in conventional foods over time. Now some English study contradicts this consensus and is causing a furor.
Basically the Organic implication is that soil health affects plant health affects animal and human health.
Basically the Skeptical chemical implication is that nitrogen is nitrogen, food is food, calories are calories: forget the hype.
Of course there is an arguments about this, since these are dueling paradigms. I know from personal experience and from studies I read in Worldwatch that organic food has a greater energy density. When people ask why I have so much energy, its the obvious answer. But somehow personal and belief are not all it takes to win the 'rhetoric war'- a war over the hearts and minds of policy makers, school lunch designers, and unconvinced consumers of corporate organic swagfood. That is why its so critical to have professional, credentialed, funded, and well-versed professional communicators on our side. OUr side's fabulous communication force is a land-based institute out in Pennsylvania founded in the 1930's by a passionate organic campaigner. Rodale! Here is what they have to say about the lame-o spin doctoring.
Read their stuff, and respect their institution. Its a publishing house founded by a man who a realized the importance of purposeful institutions. What purposeful institution will you found?
From Rodale:
Have you read the headlines ... Public health is at stake!
Organic Food is not All That- Chicago Sun Times, 7/30/09
No Added Nutritional Benefit From Organic Food- U.S. News & World Report, 8/1/09
News media from around the world have been misrepresenting the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s recent research review.
‘No Evidence’ Organic Foods More Nutritious- National Business Review, 8/3/09
Organic Food: Just a Superstition- American Daily, 8/2/09
The study reported that organic foods tested in previous work were superior in measurements of beta-carotene, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, protein, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulfur and zinc, all of which are required for complete nutrition.
Mainstream media missed this fact, instead running misleading headlines that confuse the public. At the Rodale Institute, we are working diligently to accurately represent the science surrounding organic food and farming.
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO PROMOTE THE TRUTH ABOUT ORGANICS.
Public health is at stake. Let’s laud the nutritional advantages of organic food, as well as its environmental, social and community benefits that our planet needs for a strong future. Additional funding will increase our capacity to clarify these faulty claims.
Please give a gift to the Rodale Institute today. Your donation will increase the Rodale Institute’s public profile by funding a staffer who will focus on communicating sound science through special reports, web updates, blog postings and press releases.
We, too, can make headlines.
Seize this opportunity to support strong science for healthy soils, healthy people and a healthy planet
Help us promote what the research is telling us about the truth of organics.
Help us speak as loudly as those who spread this disinformation.
