NEWS: FSA Devalue Benefits of Organic Food

The Food Standards Agency have just come out with a report telling consumers that Organically produced food does not offer ay important nutritional benefits over non-organic.

From the FSA website:

The study, which took the form of a ‘systematic review of literature’, was carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
LSHTM’s team of researchers, led by Alan Dangour, reviewed all papers published over the past 50 years that related to the nutrient content and health differences between organic and conventional food.

However, the report seems to entirely ignore the negative impacts of having increased amounts of chemicals in the form of herbicides and pesticides in non-organic foods.

Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association in the UK, said:

"We are disappointed in the conclusions the researchers have reached. “The review rejected almost all of the existing studies of comparisons between organic and non-organic nutritional differences.“This was because these studies did not meet particular criteria fixed by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which carried out the review.“Although the researchers say that the differences between organic and non-organic food are not ’important’, due to the relatively few studies, they report in their analysis that there are higher levels of beneficial nutrients in organic compared to non-organic foods.”
He also expressed the Soil Association’s disappointment that results of a European Union-funded study were not included.“There are limited studies available on the health benefits of organic versus non-organic food,” he added.

"The review identified 162 articles published between January 1958 and February 2008 and found a third met its quality criteria."

So the FSA have given us this recommendation based upon less than 60 articles that have been carried out since 1958? That's not much more than one article per annum?

The EU have been funding a new study on Organic Food which is due to have it's results released in the next few weeks. It appears that this FSA report has been wrapped up nicely before it could be influenced by any new info. A previous EU study carried out in 2007 clearly states the higher nutritional value of Organically produced food, and the coming study is expected to echo this.

In the wake of all the developments globally with crop failure, Monsanto's henchmen getting into positions of influence in the Obama Administration and the FDA... it appears the PR wheels of the FSA are now getting in quick with some propaganda of their own.
I'm sure the Bio-tech giants are rubbing their greedy hands together! The MSM are running away with this story and taking it everywhere without ANY proper analytical thought or balance.. just "parroting" to the people what the FSA have said!!!!

I was happy at least, to see that the BBC Breakfast tv show had someone with some ability to debate intelligently on their coverage of this story this morning. It made me REALLY swear into my coffee though to hear the moronic side-stepping of the FSA idiot who had been selected to be condescending to the masses on live television.
I don't know how she managed to avoid boxing the gormless twerp.

:-(