The truth about organic food - according to science | Tim Spector

What does "organic" food mean? And how do you know if something's organic?

Of course, foods tell you if they're organic in massive letters on the packaging. And they cost way more. But what makes food organic? Is eating organic better for your health? And are the benefits worth the expense?

Luckily, Professor Tim Spector is here today with answers. Tim is one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists, a scientific co-founder of ZOE, and the author of the bestselling book Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well.

Stick around until the end, and you'll also find out the answer to a question we get often: Does Tim eat organic?

Timecodes:
00:00 - Intro
00:21- Quickfire round
01:21 - What is organic food?
01:52 - Pesticides vs insecticides
06:56 - Diseases
09:15 - Herbicide risks
14:51 - Nutrient comparison
18:06 - Natural chemical defenses
19:05 - Does Tim Eat Organic Food?
20:44 - Foods high in chemicals
24:08 - Organic and cost
24:47 - Washing food
29:14 - Summary and Outro

Books:

Studies mentioned:

[ambition]

0:07: 🥦 Organic food has lower levels of pesticides and herbicides, and is less destructive to the environment.
5:23: ⚠ There is cause for concern about pesticides in food based on studies in rats and mice, as well as some human studies showing potential risks of weight gain and certain cancers.
10:37: 🍎 Long-term exposure to certain chemicals from pesticides may slightly increase the risk of certain cancers, but the overall health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks.
17:25: 🌱 Organic food has more nutrients and polyphenols compared to conventionally grown food due to the absence of pesticides and the presence of natural defense chemicals.
21:24: 🥦 Tim generally eats organic food, with 75% of his plant-based diet being organic, due to concerns about chemicals and the microbiome.
26:08: 🍓 The speaker discusses the risks of pesticides and herbicides in food and provides tips for reducing exposure.
35:11: 🍎 The discussion highlights the importance of transparency in food labeling and the need for more research on the microbiome and long-term effects.
Recap by Tammy AI

[stephx]

I’m an insider and I see the laboratory results of imported foods and let me advise you, if you can afford organic foods, do buy these over their non-organic counterparts primarily for your own health and also for our environment. The amount of sampled foods is low (5-30% of every product that’s on the list) so a lot of foods slip in that are contaminated without ever getting checked at all. It’s an uphill battle that the authorities can’t win, foodproducers should limit the use but they have economic incentives and therefor will always use the maximum allowed amount (and often overdo it) of a specific pesticide and combine it with other pesticides for a cocktail. For example your oranges can contain as much as 15 different chemicals. The total amount of pesticides used is terrifying and there’s plenty of times food gets rejected/destroyed when imported into the EU because it’s over the maximum residual amounts, again that’s only 5-30% that gets checked so 95-70% passes through without being looked at.
What’s even worse is that these pesticides never get tested on humans (unethical) for longterm effects, they only get tested on animals in the short-term. But instead they’re testing it on the consumers.. unethical?

[lisaglaze]

One reason I buy organic bananas for example is not for me particularly as we peel them but for the workers on the plantations and their environment who are subjected to the horrific chemicals used in non organic production. I am lucky, I can afford the few pence extra and do my bit.

[itsema]

I started growing my own organic vegetables four years ago in my back garden (small footprint). One thing I very quickly realised is that managing pests and weeds in an organic way is very easy when you are working on a small scale but it is quite challenging to upscale. I can very easily handle bugs and slugs from 40 plants but I can't do this for a field. We need to realise that if we want organic food to feed a population and not just a small percentage of individuals who can afford the premium price, it is very likely that the population itself will need to be involved in the growing.

[carol]

I'm a pensioner, and I do buy organic where possible. I don't smoke or drink and I have no money left at the end of the month. But I believe, especially in todays climate, that if I get ill and go into hospital I won't survive because I have lost all faith in the NHS. So if organic is keeping me healthier then it's worth all my money each month.

[ithacacomments]

I have been ridiculed for buying organic foods.
I believe in supporting organic growers.
I believe I am what I eat.
I would rather eat less ....and be able to buy quality foods.

[enidcronin]

I am on a budget being a pensioner and to buy organic would be usually beyond my pension. However if you can get to a supermarket at the end of the trading day they often have organic fruit and veg for great prices. I buy organic cucumbers for 40p. Organic celery 50p all sorts of fruit and veg get reduced. You can't be fussy as it is what will be binned at the end of the day but I find it lasts for days. Just check with your local supermarket when the reductions are done great value for money.

[jimmyjames]

Having had Non-Hodgkin lymphoma I now try to eat predominantly organic and i've found the following organic foods are reasonably priced, porridge oats. berries, potatoes, spinach, black beans, broccoli and liver. I also buy organic eggs from a local farmer.
Due to budgeting it means when I do my food shop I have to visit three different shops but it is worth the effort and two good examples are organic black beans in Sainsbury's cost £1 per box & organic porridge oats in Aldi are £1.79.
I do often wonder that I could be wasting my time but it helps me mentally to know i'm trying to be as healthy as I can🥊

[georgeckalogridis]

I've been in Organics for over thirty years, as a farmer, wholesaler, processor and regulator.
I will take issue with one statement that Organic produce degrades faster than conventional, leading to higher cost. Organic produce does not degrade faster, it does hold up quite well due to the thicker structure of the cell walls. Conventional produce has thinner cell walls due to the synthetic nitrogen used, Organic produce does grow somewhat slower, but not to any real detriment to production.
One of the main culprits to higher cost of Organic produce is basic economics. It cost more to ship one pallet of produce than a full truck, more to ship one truck rather than a fleet of trucks, more to ship a feet of trucks than rail cars
Organic food represents about 5% of the total food supply, it simply lacks economies of scale. You can see that clearly where a large produce company has both conventional and Organic farms, the cost differential is negligible between their Organic and Non-organic brands, since all produce ships at the same rate.
Are there any links to the meta-analyst on the effects of conventional and Organics produce on the human microbiome ?
TKS for a great interview

[Onoma]

I was working on organic farms before the government decided they would start defining what " Organic " means. We had small tri-state organizations that would come out to certify you. Trust me, it was WAY different back then. That said, even back then, you could be as environmentally conscious as you wanted, but you could never stop the guy next to you from spraying his crops, nor could you stop his chemicals from ending up on your property

[purposefully.verbose]

I have an entirely sustainable 13, 000 sq ft garden, and grow most of the vegetables my family eats in a year.
it takes time, space, and effort - but if you've seen the garbage being sold at the grocery, then you'll understand it's worth the effort.
I know everything that goes in and on my plants... even organic has loopholes, and your best bet is to feed yourself.

[JenBerczely]

Here in New Zealand the fastest growing sector is 'spray free' food. More and more people here are growing their own and farmers markets are in most towns. By growing smaller quantities, growers can avoid using sprays and herbicides unlike monocrops grown by huge corporations. In order to get Organic status, growers have to spend a lot of money so many don't bother and just don't use these harmful chemicals. Trust is a big part of this of course. I'm in the process of reading Tim's book, Spoon Fed which confirms so much of what is going on in the food industry. Thanks Tim for seeing clearly.

[lambsquartersfarm]

Important to note, that the smaller growers won't apply for organic labelling, simply because it is both costly and time consuming. Getting to know the grower, asking questions directly about their farming practices, and the ultimate test: can you visit the farm on a random day and have a walk in the rows of fruit and veg? If yes, you've got a good grower because they have nothing to hide (just be sure to load up on a nice purchase for taking up their time! :-). There are some practices and chemicals that are allowed under Organic certification that many growers NOT labelled organic would never think of doing. One example is hydroponics under plastic greenhouses (which create off-gassing and phthalate leeching), this is certified organic, and I might suggest are how some of those tomatoes are grown, Tim.

[littlevoice_]

It is not certified organic, BUT homegrown fruit and vegetables are an affordable way to reduce pesticide and herbicide exposure.

Lettuces, spinach, tomatoes, and beans are surprisingly easy to grow in a small area. You can even grow salads in pots on your windowsill or balcony if you don’t have a garden 😊

[Spangletiger]

I think that the reason that organic food contains more minerals than non-organic is down to the use of compost, rotted animal manures and, green manures which are incorporated into the soil. By increasing the organic matter in the soil, it is able to retain moisture and provide more favourable conditions for the micro organisms that aid the breaking down of rock material present in soil, to release the minerals that it contains. Having a better regulated moisture content also helps this process and also helps plants roots to absorb the minerals.

[Chriswsm]

I just checked my favourite organic oat supplier and they say this on their website "At Flahavan’s we go over and above the IGAS code of practice, to ensure only the best-quality oats bear our name. We specifically prohibit the use of Glyphosate spraying at any stage of the growing of oats by our farmers."
So they don't use the herbicide during the growing but there's no mention about harvesting practise. This is caused for concern. They could definitely be clearer about this.

[Froglet]

Thank you both of you for such an interesting talk and to everyone who's commented.

I started eating mostly organic on my eczema/allergy recovery journey, in my mid 20s.

I had no idea that my skin health was affected by my gut health/diet and what I put on my skin. It made me more environmentally aware too. Also, packaging, I noticed how much plastic was used to cover/store food.

I lived in a Buddhist centre for a couple of years and met such an array of people who were all trying to live more consciously. I don't have much money, but, I do prioritise my food choices and what I buy before most other things.

I bought some kefir grains and make my own kefir (it tastes totally different to supermarket kefir.)

My eczema cleared up, I lost weight (I'd been trying to!) When my eczema was at its worst, I was in hospital being covered with bandages/using a lot of steroidal cream. Life was miserable!

I decided there and then I needed to radically change the way I ate and lived, so I did and I've been eczema free for many years now, on the whole. I can taste the difference between organic and non organic.

I did a little experiment once with cauliflowers. I took one organic and one non organic cauliflower and after a few days the organic one starred changing and showing some brown patches. After a month, the non organic one was Exactly the same as it was when I bought it.

Just do what you can to eat well, use less plastic (If we didn't buy it in the first place it wouldn't need recycling), I know it's probably easier said than done...but it's your one precious life and our one precious planet.

[AlsanPine]

now we need to research the effect of soil quality on organic food. i have worked to over 30yrs to develop the soil in my orchard/garden and i have certainly noticed the taste and robustness of my produce and it would make sense if the nutrition would also be elevated. there has been no chemicals on my land since i purchased it in the early 80's. as i produce most of what i eat and what i buy is always organic, i should have minimal chemicals in my system.

[robertwilkes]

Shout out to Riverford Organics. They are an employee owned company. Excellent quality.

[toriemmap]

I find all of this so overwhelming. We have hugely reduced our upf and also preservatives but the cost of organic is just not within reach for our family. This is very upsetting as a parent who genuinely wants the best diet and nutrition for my children. I really wish the government would be more proactive in making healthy foods accessible for all