Question
I realise this question may sound ill informed given the amount of publicity the subject gets, but I'm still really confused about the perceived benefits of organic food. I had a bit of a health scare recently (I'm 47), and I'm trying to take better care of myself, so can you tell me whether organic food really makes a difference to people's health or is it just a new way for supermarkets to part us from our hard-earned money? If I decide to shop 'partly' organic, which food items are the most important to buy? And if I am supposed to be eating organic whenever possible, where are the best places to buy organic food in my area? I live in north Buckinghamshire. Many thanks.
Claire Phipps
The pesticide expert
Clare Butler Ellis
It's hard to dispute the benefits of organic food, both in terms of the environment and health. For example, organic milk's been proven to have 68 per cent more omega-3 fatty acids than normal milk. And there have been several studies linking pesticides to Parkinson's disease. The worst offending foods for pesticides are hard to gauge, as it depends how much of a particular food you eat, but the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK has used government information to create a top 10 list of the worst pesticide foods, and these are the first items I'd buy organically. They are flour, potatoes, bread, apples, pears, grapes, strawberries, speciality green beans, tomatoes and cucumber. Also be wary of celery, which has the highest pesticide count of all vegetables, and citrus fruits, as there is an extremely high level of pesticides in the peel. For more information, go to www.pan-uk.org
· Clare Butler Ellis is the UK programme co-ordinator for PAN UK, a non-profit organisation which aims to eliminate the hazards of pesticides
The science editor
Robin McKie
It is grubby and knobbly and comes in a range of sizes, often with unwelcome guests: stir-fried leeks with baby caterpillars, for example. Organic food may have reduced pesticide levels, but it is certainly not as free of harmful substances as sometimes claimed. Indeed, all sorts of organisms build up in fruit and vegetables when not sprayed. Thus it is wrong to say 'standard' food is safer than organic. With one you get pesticide residues, with the other you get fungal toxin residues. You have to be careful of both.
As to where you should buy your organic produce, there is little doubt that it should be purchased at stores that only sell the local stuff. If not then you may find you have breached another key rule in the green code: you may have bought food flown from another continent which is likely to have contributed significantly to global warming from carbon emissions.
· Robin McKie is the science editor of The Observer
The organic supplier
John Barrow
The most comprehensive organic directory in the UK is written by the Soil Association. If you prefer to go online, you can look up organic suppliers at www.whyorganic.org (a website affiliated to the Soil Association). In north Buckinghamshire, I'd recommend Only Organic (www.onlyorganic.org), a small company with an excellent reputation. It's always best to use a local company which sells local organic produce because of the food miles issue, so be wary of buying organic food from supermarkets, as they often use distribution warehouses a long way from the supermarket itself. Less well known is that, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), 70 per cent of food miles are created by the consumer driving out to buy food. Your best bet is a locally grown, local box scheme with certified organic food and home delivery. John Barrow owns www.organicdelivery.co.uk and is the joint owner of www.infoodwetrust.com and the online food magazine www.organicfood.co.uk
· If you have a health question for our experts, email health@observer.co.uk
