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Kennedy Burr

Prof. Barnes

ENG 1201

25 October 2020

Literature Review

Now more than ever, people have become obsessed with the label on their groceries.

There is a large debate surrounding the topic of organic and non-organic food products. Organic

meaning farming without the use of pesticides and chemicals. A lot of people feel that food

labeled, “organic” is the healthiest option. I live in a rural community where many people argue

that organic food is nothing but a marketing scam used to make money. Are organic foods more

beneficial than non-organic foods? I have sought out to determine whether there really is a

difference in health benefits between the foods, or if the, “organic” label is a marketing tactic for

businesses.

According to the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education website, the idea of

organic farming came about in the 1940s. A man by the name of J.I Rodale, founder of the

Rodale Research Institute, began educating others on non-chemical farming methods. His word

spread and he was the main man for organic tactics. Rodale used ideas from Sir Albert Howard

as inspiration for his own views. Sir Albert Howard was a British scientist who spent his time

learning typical farming methods in India. As time grew on, people began to think about the

environmental effects that farming may have and chose to support organic. This led to a massive

increase in the organic industry. The issue was that there were no standards that determined what

organic food really meant. The people pushed for a criterion to be formed that would solve this
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problem. In 1990, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act which set a national

expectation for organic food. After the USDA and the National Organic Standards board worked

together to form final standards, they were put into action in 2002. This source of information

appears to be a reliable one, it is focused on the topic of organic food and methods as it attempts

to inform readers of how organic farming sprouted in the United States.

When looking for information on the topic of organic vs non-organic food, it can be hard

to find information that corroborate due to the use of opinions and bias. However, many sites can

agree on some key points of information. Multiple sources conclude the fact that organic foods

do have a health benefit over non-organic. Even though not everyone agrees that organic food is

a better option, studies do show that there is a slight difference in health (Watson 1). This site is

a little dated, however, it comes from a good site and appears to be credible. Many sources also

agree that although there have been some studies conducted, there is not substantial evidence to

support or disprove whether organic food is healthier or not. The Mayo Clinic staff states that

“while these studies have shown differences in the food, there is limited information to draw

conclusions about how differences translate into overall health benefits.” Although this website

focuses on multiple topics, it seems to be credible in the information that it provides. These

similarities help to determine what information is credible for use.

The discussion of organic vs nonorganic food is a highly debated one. This leads to many

different opinions and perspectives. Ravindra Bhardwaj claims that, “the eating of organic food

considerably reduces the heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and many other fatal diseases.” However,

Mary Jane Brown states that, “a large observational study of 623,080 women found no difference

in cancer risk between those who never ate organic and those who ate it regularly.” Although

Bhardwaj claims there is a health difference between the two foods, many other sources
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conclude that there is not enough clear evidence to back any statements of health effects. These

sites are both good sources of information. One comes from a very good database while the other

provides information written by a very educated author.

After reviewing multiple different sources, I am beginning to form some possible

answers for my research question. On one hand, there is evidence to support the claim that

organic food is more beneficial than non-organic. However, on another hand there is information

that completely disproves this statement. Moving forward, I need to focus more on trying to find

some studies that show the differences between the two types of production methods. I also want

to dive deeper into the farming methods of each variation, this way it will help to get an

understanding on the background of the health differences.

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Works Cited

Bhardwaj, Ravindra. “A Comparative Analysis of Organic Food Products vs Non Organic Food

Products in India.” Asian Journal of Management, 2017. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.537968657&site=

eds-live. Accessed on 25 October 2020.

Brown, Mary Jane. “What is Organic Food, and is it Better than Non-Organic?” Healthline, 14

May 2020. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-organic-

food#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5. Accessed on 25 October 2020.

“History of Organic Farming in the United States.” SARE, 30 Sept. 2020,

www.sare.org/publications/transitioning-to-organic-production/history-of-organic-farming-

in-the-united-states/. Accessed on 25 October 2020.

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Are Organic Foods Worth the Price?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for

Medical Education and Research, 8 Apr. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-

lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880. Accessed on 25

October 2020.

Watson, Stephanie. “Organic Food No More Nutritious than Conventionally Grown Food.”

Harvard Health Blog, 5 June 2020, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/organic-food-no-more-

nutritious-than-conventionally-grown-food-201209055264. Accessed on 25 October 2020.