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Review
. 2017 Oct 27;16(1):111.
doi: 10.1186/s12940-017-0315-4.

Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: a comprehensive review

Axel Mie  1   2 , Helle Raun Andersen  3 , Stefan Gunnarsson  4 , Johannes Kahl  5 , Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot  6 , Ewa Rembiałkowska  7 , Gianluca Quaglio  8 , Philippe Grandjean  3   9
Affiliations
Review

Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: a comprehensive review

Axel Mie et al. Environ Health. .

Abstract

This review summarises existing evidence on the impact of organic food on human health. It compares organic vs. conventional food production with respect to parameters important to human health and discusses the potential impact of organic management practices with an emphasis on EU conditions. Organic food consumption may reduce the risk of allergic disease and of overweight and obesity, but the evidence is not conclusive due to likely residual confounding, as consumers of organic food tend to have healthier lifestyles overall. However, animal experiments suggest that identically composed feed from organic or conventional production impacts in different ways on growth and development. In organic agriculture, the use of pesticides is restricted, while residues in conventional fruits and vegetables constitute the main source of human pesticide exposures. Epidemiological studies have reported adverse effects of certain pesticides on children's cognitive development at current levels of exposure, but these data have so far not been applied in formal risk assessments of individual pesticides. Differences in the composition between organic and conventional crops are limited, such as a modestly higher content of phenolic compounds in organic fruit and vegetables, and likely also a lower content of cadmium in organic cereal crops. Organic dairy products, and perhaps also meats, have a higher content of omega-3 fatty acids compared to conventional products. However, these differences are likely of marginal nutritional significance. Of greater concern is the prevalent use of antibiotics in conventional animal production as a key driver of antibiotic resistance in society; antibiotic use is less intensive in organic production. Overall, this review emphasises several documented and likely human health benefits associated with organic food production, and application of such production methods is likely to be beneficial within conventional agriculture, e.g., in integrated pest management.

Keywords: Agricultural crops; Antibiotic resistance; Food safety; Nutrients; Organic food; Pesticide residues.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

All authors approved the manuscript for publication.

Competing interests

The authors have no conflict of interest to report. AM has participated as an expert witness in a court case in Sweden related to pesticide exposure from organic and conventional foods (Patent and Market Courts, case no. PMT11299–16), but did not benefit financially from this effort. PG is an editor of this journal but recused himself from participating in the handling of this manuscript.

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References

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    1. The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and emerging trends. Frick and Bonn: FiBL and IFOAM – organics international; 2017.
    1. Council of the European Union: Council Regulation No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91. In: Off J Eur Union 2007.

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