A New Report Says Organic Food Is Basically a Rip-off

Purchasing organic produce makes consumers feel healthy and fancy and Goop-y, of course, but a new Quartz story serves as a reminder that it's not worth the extra money. (On average, organic food is 47 percent more expensive.) To start, the wordorganic doesn't indicate that the farming practices are better for the environment: Natural pesticides and fertilizers can still be harmful, and since major corporations have entered the organic-farming scene, "the lower yields combined with the use of heavy machinery means it actually releases more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than conventional farming."

Plus: Studies have long shown that the actual nutritional benefits of organic produce are minimal, if they exist at all — and some researchers have found higher antioxidant and phosphorous levels in organic products. All this doesn't discount the value of buying local, seasonal produce — it's just that "organic" labeling doesn't carry much significance, beyond that it sounds nice.

Source