Food quality assessment in organic vs. conventional agricultural produce: Findings and issues

Organic food is increasingly attracting the interest of consumers, as it is perceived to be healthier than food produced by conventional agriculture, and to be more sustainable for the environment. This paper provides a review on the quality of organic produce in terms of its nutritional value, the presence of pesticide residues, heavy metals, mycotoxins and bacterial contamination, and the issue of antibiotics. The use of Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is addressed. Hydroponic techniques are also discussed. Compared to conventional produce, organic produce is richer in some useful compounds. Nevertheless, heterogeneous findings have been reported. Studies concord in finding organic food much less contaminated by pesticides, and with residues of much lower toxicity compared to those found in conventional foods. As for heavy metals, mycotoxins and bacterial contamination, there are no significant differences in organic produce compared to conventional produce (with the exception of Cd, found to be lower in organic produce, which is a positive finding). More effective and detailed guidelines should be devised for the design and reporting of both primary studies and meta-analyses. Pesticide residues should be assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The issue of multiple residues should also be addressed. Of course, organic produce cannot be assumed, a priori, to be safe. Sound monitoring needs to be constantly performed. It is concluded that organic agriculture can provide important benefits to human health and to the environment, and promote a more compassionate treatment of animals. It is hoped that agricultural policies will pay more attention to organic, agroecological and low-input agricultural practices, and invest in research and innovation.