England’s chief “third-party organic certifier” (a nonprofit called the Soil Association) has released a new report claiming that organic foods confer health benefits and safety beyond what is offered by conventional produce
. This comes in response to last year’s findings of Sir John Krebs, who leads the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA). He had claimed that Britons were being fooled into thinking that organic foods were healthier. Said Krebs: “They’re not getting value for money, in my opinion and in the opinion of the FSA, if they think they’re buying food with extra nutritional quality or extra safety. We don’t have the evidence to support those claims.”
Still, the Soil Association
insists that organic foods offer more health benefits and fewer dangers, while the Food Standards Agency counters that the organic lobby’s latest tactics haven’t changed anyone’s mind
. One FSA spokesperson told The Independent that the new report “doesn’t make a convincing case.”
