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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Nutritional Quality of Organically Grown Food
  • Date: Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:12:06 -0600


Nutritional Quality of Organically Grown Food
by Steve Diver
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas -- ATTRA
Fayetteville, Arkansas
http://www.soilandhealth.org/06clipfile/Nutritional%20Quality%20of%20Organically-Grown%20Food.html

Farmers often ask ATTRA for data on the nutritional quality of organic food
(grains, fruits, vegetables) in comparison to conventionally raised food.
This publication summarizes some of the facts and viewpoints surrounding this
issue, and provides resources for further reading.

“Healthy soils equals healthy food equals healthy people” is a fundamental
tenet of many ecological farming systems. Yet, the nutritional quality of
food grown by organic and conventional methods is the subject of much
controversy.

Organic advocates claim organically grown foods are nutritionally superior
because such foods contain higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and amino
acids. On the other hand, the mainstream scientific community disputes these
claims, arguing instead that nutritional differences do not exist. “Plants
can’t tell the difference between organic and chemical fertilizers” is an oft
quoted statement in support of this latter viewpoint.

An examination of the literature revealed that quite a few studies have been
published on this topic. A selection of references is listed in the further
reading sections below. In short, the data on nutritional quality of organic
produce in comparison to conventional produce are inconclusive. Some
research reports point to statistical differences, while other studies do not.

Dr. Joan Gussow, Professor Emeritus of Nutrition and Education at Columbia
Teachers College, conducted an extensive review of this topic. In an
assessment of the varied scientific research conducted to date, she concludes:

Lacking such careful studies, there is enough cumulative evidence to
indicate—to those who wish to be convinced—that organic foods have a variety
of qualities that should over the long term make them more
healthful—including lower levels of pesticide residue, lower levels of
nitrate-nitrogen, greater density, better flavor if they are properly
handled, etc. But the available studies are conflicting enough to convince
anyone who isn’t a fan of organic, that any differences that can be
demonstrated are not worth writing home about, and are certainly not a reason
to promote organic food (1).

At the end of her article “Is Organic Food More Nutritious?” she prods the
organic industry to move beyond harping on a few nutritional differences when
organic production provides so many other benefits worth promoting:
conserves natural resources, solves rather than creates environmental
problems, and reduces the pollution of air, water, soil, and food.

A panel of food safety and nutrition experts associated with the Institute of
Food Technologists came to the following conclusion in a study titled
“Organically Grown Foods:”

A justification for the purchase of organically grown food cannot be made
on the basis of any superiority in nutrition, taste, or freedom from
pesticides. Advantages have been identified, however, with the practice of
organic farming. Advantages cited include agronomic and environmental
benefits. The future of the organically grown foods market more
appropriately depends on the viability of the organic farming system as an
alternative agricultural practice which offers effective solutions to the
detrimental effects on the environment and nonsustaining aspects of
conventional farming practices (2).

Greg and Pat Williams, editors of the HortIdeas newsletter, came to the
following conclusion back in 1987, when they reviewed yet another
inconclusive research study. They wrote:

Again, these results are in accord with other “organic vs. conventional”
vegetable trials that we have seen, and that have prompted us to argue for an
“organic” approach to gardening on the basis of environmental considerations
rather than some dubious “miraculous” nutritional properties of the “organic”
produce. [But we’re always open to new information on the
fertilizer/nutrition connection.] (3).

Ten years later, in 1997, they reviewed 12 more research papers on this topic
in an article titled “Organic vs. Conventional Growing Methods, Revisited”
(4). Most of the studies were “about the same” with respect to nutritional
factors and yield.

In Components, the technical newsletter from UC Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education Program (UC-SAREP) at the University of California,
Gail Feenstra reviewed a European study on vitamin and mineral content of
carrot and celeriac grown under mineral or organic fertilization. Though the
researchers reported significant nutritional differences between organic and
commercial fertilizer treatments, Feenstra raised a number of questions
regarding experimental protocol. One of her questions deals with the concept
of early-stage organic transition versus long-term organic conversion, “This
time factor could affect the soil quality and potentially, the nutritional
quality of the vegetables.” Further, she concludes:

Finally, despite the interest this type of study attracts, it is
important to bear in mind that the differences between organic and
conventional produce must be considered within a broad context. Although
consistent differences in specific nutrients may eventually be found, their
contribution to overall health is questionable, given North Americans’ and
Europeans’ access to food. Choosing organically grown produce for its
contribution to the long-term health of the soil and our capacity to produce
food sustainably may ultimately be more important than its contribution to
individual nutritional health (5).

David Leonard, an agro-nutritionist from Arizona, says that eating habits
play a larger role in health than the organic vs. conventional food
production paradigm. His views—excerpts from a post on the Sustainable
Agriculture Network’s Internet discussion group— are summarized below (6):

I think that organic agriculture may miss an ideal opportunity to
maximize its potential impact on American’s health and sustainable wellness
unless it broadens its mission beyond environmental friendliness and the
production of nutritious food (whether or not that food is actually
nutritionally superior). The agriculture-nutrition-wellness connection
involves more than farming, especially these days when nutritious food
leaving the farm gate is less likely than ever to translate into healthy
eating. Some reasons:

1. Modern food processing adds fat (usually unhealthy hydrogenated oils),
sugar, and salt to many products and often markedly reduces the fiber
content and vitamin/mineral content of cereal grains.

2. It’s harder than ever to know how to select healthy foods, given the
mind-boggling array of supermarket food choices and the proliferation of
low-fat, fake-fat, artificially sweetened, or vitamin-fortified
“techno-foods.”

3. The public is understandably confused about nutrition. Just look at
any bookstore’s collection of diet books to get a consensus opinion on how to
eat well.

4. We’ve become a food-obsessed society and now eat over 200 calories a
day more than in 1978. About 45% of the typical U.S. family’s food budget is
now spent at restaurants (usually fast food) vs. 25% in 1950.

5. America’s major nutritional legacy (and, indeed our federal dietary
guidelines until the 1992 introduction of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid) stems
from traditional Anglo-Germanic eating patterns favoring a high-fat,
low-fiber diet where meat and dairy products play a central role. Numerous
diet/disease studies worldwide have correlated this eating style with a much
higher rate of chronic degenerative diseases (heart disease, cancer,
osteoporosis, diabetes, etc.) than in the case of plant-centered diets.

One study that’s often mentioned in the organic vs. conventional debate is
the Firman E. Bear report. This report DID NOT look at the nutritional
differences between organic and conventionally raised produce, though the
popular press has incorrectly portrayed it in this manner for many years.
The study, published in a 1948 edition of Proceedings of the Soil Science
Society of America (7), examined the mineral composition of vegetables grown
in different regions and on different soil types. Part of the more recent
confusion may stem from the way the results were presented; i.e., organic and
inorganic soil types rather than organic and conventional production methods.

Dr. Bear and his colleagues found that vegetables grown on heavy soils in the
Ohio Valley had a greater mineral content than produce grown on sandy Coastal
Plain soils near the East Coast. Interestingly, fertilizer rates on farms in
the coastal-plain states were much higher in contrast to fertilizer rates
used on farms in east north-central states. Clover sods and manures were
more prevalent in the east north-central region. These results are important
in themselves because they show that soil type (and quite likely differences
in clay mineralogy, soil organic matter, and biological soil activity) affect
the mineral composition of foods grown on them. In general, they found that
trace element and mineral content increases from south to north, and from
east to west. Overall, mineral composition is affected by geography,
climate, and fertilizing practices.

A full-text version of the infamous "Firman Bear Report" can be found online
at the Rutgers University website:

Variation in Mineral Composition of Vegetables
Firman E. Bear, Stephen J. Toth, and Arthur L. Prince
http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/pubs/bearreport/

Reprinted from Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 1948,
Volume 13. pp. 380-4, The Soil Science Society of America,
Madison, Wisconsin, 1949.

There are many environmental and cultural factors that influence the
nutritional composition of produce, and these may ultimately play a greater
role in food quality than simple organic versus conventional logic.

Environmental conditions likely to affect food quality include geographical
area, soil type, soil moisture, soil health (humus content, fertility,
microbial activity, etc.), weather and climatic conditions (temperature,
rainfall, flooding, drought), and pollution.

Cultural practices likely to affect food quality include humus management
techniques such as green manuring and composting, variety, seed source,
length of growing season, irrigation, fertilization, cultivation, and
postharvest handling (especially temperature and relative humidity).

For a comprehensive review of the topic, see Sharon Hornick’s article
"Factors Affecting the Nutritional Quality of Crops." Her paper was
published in a special issue of The American Journal of Alternative
Agriculture containing the Proceedings of a Conference on the Assessment and
Monitoring of Soil Quality (8).

Having summarized some of the viewpoints underlying the debate as well as
identifying the many factors affecting food quality, let us now turn our
attention to some of the noteworthy ideas, practices, and publications from
the sustainable farming and holistic health movements that address the link
between farming method, soil quality, and food quality in general.

A common thread in alternative agriculture and health literature is declining
food quality in the industrialized food production system. As early as the
1930s, writers saw a link between nutrient-depleted soils and increased
health problems (9-10).

The alarming fact is that foods -- fruits and vegetables and grains --
now being raised on million acres of land that no longer contains enough of
certain needed minerals, are starving us, no matter how much of them we eat.
-- U.S. Senate Document 264, 1936

The Acres,U.S.A articles “Exhausted Soil Produces Exhausted People,” by Sam
Hood (June 1993, p. 30 & 39) and “The Argument for 'Expensive Urine'“ by Joel
Wallach (November 1993, p. 24) provide examples from the alternative press
that depleted soils result in increased health problems (11). In addition,
Hood suggests that soil fungi play a vital role in plant nutrition, that the
fungi actively stimulate synthesis of amino acids, proteins, and other plant
nutritive factors in addition to their well-known symbiotic benefits such as
assimilation of water and nutrients, especially phosphorus.

While it is common knowledge that soil microorganisms influence plant
nutrition by virtue of their role in decomposition and mineralization of
organic matter, the view that microorganisms stimulate plant metabolism and
enhance plant nutrition is certainly more holistic in nature than the
quantitative-mechanical view that soil microbes merely breakdown organic
matter and release mineral ions into the soil solution. In this, there is an
interesting correlation to research associated with bioponics.

Bioponics is a new kind of hydroponic plant production system. The term
bioponics means "life working," which differs from hydroponics which means
"water working." Dr. Luther Thomas has published a series of articles on the
emerging technology of bioponics in The Growing Edge magazine.

Thomas is a marine biologist who discovered bioponics while working with
sea plants. He found that a number of sea plants would not grow in
artificial sea water. They only grew when he inoculated the solution with a
few drops of sea water. Thomas figured out that the missing ingredient was
not a nutrient or trace element; it was the living element, or the
microorganisms present in the ocean, that enabled the plants to grow normally.

In bioponics, marine algae adapted to fresh water conditions are
introduced into a hydroponic medium. The microbes help stabilize pH and fix
nitrogen. These microbes also produce enzymes which stimulate plant
biochemical processes. Plant traits subsequently affected include such
things as flavor and appearance of vegetables. Metabolites produced by the
microbes -- such as gibberellins, auxins, and vitamins -- enhance plant
growth.

From: Hydroponic Vegetable Production
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, 1995

A few of the alternative health books that address demineralization of soils
and declining health include Rare Earths: Forbidden Cures (17) by Dr. Joel
Wallach and Empty Harvest (18) by Dr. Bernard Jensen. An audio tape by
Wallach, Dead Doctors Don’t Lie, discusses the importance of minerals,
vitamins, and other nutrients in reversing disease and ensuring good health
and longevity, accompanied with the promotion of “colloidal minerals” as
dietary supplements (19).

…all animals get their food directly or indirectly from plants, and all
plants get their food from the soil. Therefore, mineral-deficient soil may be
one of the greatest original sources of disease in the world today. According
to D. W. Cavanaugh, M.D., of Cornell University, "There is only one major
disease and that is malnutrition. All ailments and afflictions to which we
may fall heir are directly traceable to this major disease." Simply stated,
food crops grown on depleted soil produce malnourished bodies, and disease
preys on malnourished bodies.
– Empty Harvest, 1990.

The Healing Power of Minerals, Special Nutrients and Trace Elements (20) by
Paul Bergner includes USDA figures that show a decline in mineral and vitamin
content of several fruits and vegetables between 1914, 1963, and 1992. Table
1 is a summary of mineral decreases in fruits and vegetables over a 30-year
period, adapted from Bergner’s book.

Table 1. Average changes in the mineral content of some fruits and
vegetables†, 1963-1992

Mineral Average % Change

Calcium -29.82
Iron -32.00
Magnesium -21.08
Phosphorus -11.09
Potassium -6.48

† Fruits and vegetables measured: oranges, apples, bananas, carrots,
potatoes, corn, tomatoes, celery, romaine lettuce, broccoli, iceberg lettuce,
collard greens, and chard



Paul Bergner's The Healing Power of Minerals, Special Nutrients and Trace
Elements from Prima Publishing is one of the better popular press health
books on the importance and function of minerals in food. Bergner is the
clinic director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies, and
editor of Clinical Nutrition Update and Medical Herbalism newsletters. The
list price is $15 through:

Prima Publishing
P.O. Box 1260BK
Rocklin, CA 95677
916-632-4400
http://www.primapublishing.com/

In England, Anne Marie-Mayer compared food composition over a 50-year period
using data from the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF).
Her study (21), “Historical Changes in the Mineral Content of Fruits and
Vegetables” was presented at the Agricultural Production and Nutrition
conference held at Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy on
March 19-21, 1997. Table 2, adapted from Marie-Mayer’s paper, summarizes the
average ratio of nutrient content and dry matter of 20 vegetables and 20
fruits. A ratio of 0.81 for Ca, for example, means that over an
approximately 50-year period the average content of calcium in vegetables has
declined to 81% of the original level.

Table 2. Average ratio of mineral content and dry matter (new/old) for
vegetables and 20 fruits†

Ca Mg Fe Cu Na
K P D.M.
Vegetable ratio 0.81† 0.65† 0.78 0.19† 0.57† 0.86
0.94

Fruit ratio 1.00 0.89† 0.68† 0.64† 0.90
0.80† 0.99

† The symbol † indicates a statistical difference

Two agriculture books that provide an introduction to the concept of
nutrient-depleted foods, as well as fertility programs to remineralize soils,
are reviewed below.

Nourishment Home Grown (22) by Dr. A.F. Beddoe follows the notion that a
decline in American health is due to demineralized soil conditions. Beddoe
promotes fertilizer practices based on the theories of the late Dr. Carey
Reams to raise foods with a higher nutrient density. One of Carey Reams
contributions to alternative agriculture was the Biological Theory of
Ionization, which says that “All disease is the result of a mineral
deficiency or loss of mineral energy, whether plant, animal, or human.”
Beddoe's book is available through Pike Lab Supplies in Strong, Maine for
about $20.00. Contact:

Pike Lab Supplies
RR 2, Box 710
Strong, ME 04983
207-684-5131
207-684-5133 Fax
Contact: Bob Pike
info@pikeagri.com
http://www.pikeagri.com/

Super Nutrition Gardening (23) by Dr. William S. Peavy and Warren Peary lists
numerous references to scientific and USDA literature that support the
relation of food nutrition to the condition of soils. Following sections on
food nutrition, the remainder of the book focuses on organic gardening
techniques. In particular, the authors outline of a seven-step program for
restoring soil fertility. Peavy and Peary's book is available for about
$14.95 through:

Avery Publishing Group
120 Old Broadway
Garden City Park, NY 11040

Remineralize the Earth—RE, Inc.— is a non-profit organization that promotes
the regeneration of soils and forests with finely ground gravel dust as an
economically and ecologically sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers
and pesticides. In the 1980s and 90s, RE, Inc. published a quarterly
journal, Remineralize the Earth. Back issues are an excellent way to learn
about farming practices associated with rock dusts, scientific research, and
resource listings of supplies and publications. Though it discontinued its
print journal, RE, Inc maintains a website with articles from past journal
issues, research reports, and an electronic forum on soil remineralization.
RE, Inc. plans to develop an online magazine, a monthly digital newsletter,
and a research database.

Joanne Campe, the editor, has compiled extensive resource packets containing
research and practitioner-based information on the use of rock dusts in
agriculture and forestry. Packets include:

* Soil Remineralization: Agriculture, 146 pages. $17.00
* Soil Remineralization: Forestry and Sewage Treatment, 82 pages.
$12.00
* Complete Set for both Agriculture & Forestry/Sewage Sludge. $25.00

For further information, contact:

Remineralize the Earth
152 South Street
Northampton, MA 01060-4021
413-586-4429
Contact: Joanne Campe
Email: ReminEarth@aol.com
http://www.remineralize-the-earth.org/

In addition to standard methods of analysis—such as comparative taste tests
or quantitative analysis of mineral content—some researchers have examined
food quality by observing the effects of feeding biologically- versus
conventionally-grown feeds on animals (24-26).

The refractometer, a precision optical instrument commonly used in the
produce industry, is gaining wider usage among organic farmers and crop
advisors. It measures soluble solids and sugars in sap squeezed from fruits
or vegetables, and reports the results on a scale known as Brix°. A higher
Brix reading usually correlates to better taste, and in some instances,
higher mineral content. Alternative farmers and crop advisors are monitoring
crops with refractometers to understand how soil amendments and practices
such as humates, rock dusts, and foliar feeding affect Brix readings.

Darkfield microscopy, a specialized illumination technique used in light
microscopy, is gaining increased usage by holistic health practitioners in
the study of nutritional supplements and dietary changes and how they affect
live blood samples from patients. By studying changes in cellular structure
and blood flora, technicians can discern patterns which are associated with
healthy blood and those recognized as indicators of disease or poor nutrition.

When asked if darkfield microscopy can be used to detect links between soil
health and food quality, one laboratory worker (26) said, “For a clear
division between organic and commercially grown fruits and vegetable this
technique [darkfield microscopy] is very, very revealing.” Further
information— articles, photos, training materials— on the darkfield technqiue
can be found at the Nu-Life Sciences (see Dr. Michael Coyle) web site in
California (27) and at the Center for Somatidian Orthobiogy (see Dr. Gaston
Naessens) web site in Quebec, Canada (28).

An alternative approach to measuring food quality is the use of novel methods
of qualitative analysis. These methods are reviewed by Lampkin in Organic
Farming (29). These include (a) image-forming techniques such as certain
types of copper-chloride crystallization and chromatography, (b)
physical-chemical techniques such as counting photon emissions from samples
of food and measuring electrical conductivity and other electro-chemical
properties of food, and (c) microbiological and biochemical techniques.

Regarding the photon emission method, Lampkin writes:

Of particular interest is the technique of counting photon emissions.
Every living organism emits biophotons or low-level luminescence (light with
a wavelength between 200 and 800 nanometers). This light energy is thought
to be stored in the DNA during photosynthesis and is transmitted continuously
by the cell. It is thought that the higher the level of light energy a cell
emits, the greater its vitality and the potential for the transfer of that
energy to the individual which consumes it. Significant differences have
been found in favour of organically produced food (Figures 15.6 and 15.7),
but differences also occur with respect to location, freshness and stage of
maturity (ripeness) (p. 571-572).

Of these methods, the copper crystallization and paper chromatography
techniques seem to be gaining wider recognition. For example, see Knorr and
Vogtmann’s article titled “Quality and Quality Determination of Ecologically
Grown Foods” in Sustainable Food Systems (30), or consult Dietrich Knorr’s
paper on chromatography in Biological Agriculture and Horticulture (31).

According to literature from the Elm Farm Research Centre in England (32),
"the employment of these novel methods is an attempt to identify a
characteristic of food other than the currently measurable components such as
nutrients, vitamins, and residues. This characteristic, which could be
called ‘vitality’, is thought by some to be important to the health of all
living organisms and can be passed on through the food chain."

The concept of “vital energy” doesn’t have much history in Western science.
In the Orient, however, where it is known variously as “prana” or “chi”,
bioenergetic healing systems are centuries old. The concept is integral to
naturopathic health traditions such as ayurveda, yoga, tantra, acupuncture,
QiGong, and tai chi.

Likewise, bioenergy is an important feature of several alternative farming
systems. Three examples follow:

Farmers and crop advisors who follow the fertility management guidelines
established by Dr. Carey Reams use electronic scanners, or radionic
instruments, to measure the "general vitality" of soil, plant, and animal
samples. In turn, radionic instruments are used to formulate feed and
fertilizer programs with the intention of enhancing the vitality readings and
health of farm animals or crops. For more information on Reams or radionics,
request the ATTRA publications titled Albrecht/Reams Biological Fertility
Systems and Radionics in Agriculture.

The second alternative farming system, biodynamic agriculture, is unique in
that it purports to increase cosmic and terrestrial forces in nature through
the use of biodynamic preparations and herbal sprays which, in turn, enrich
the farm, its products, and its inhabitants with life energy. Products
marketed under Demeter® label — the certified biodynamic label first used in
1928 — are promoted as an enlivened, high quality food source within this
context.

Founded by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s, biodynamic
farming was formed under the premise that a decline in feed and food quality
on German farms paralleled the introduction of commercial fertilizers. Humus
management practices such as forage-based crop rotations, integration of
crops and livestock, green manuring, composting, cover cropping, and
microbial inoculation play an especially important role on biodynamic farms.

For an overview on this topic, see ATTRA's:

Biodynamic Farming & Compost Preparation
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/biodynamic.html

A unique contribution of the biodynamic movement has been the development and
popularization of two qualitative tests: paper chromatography and sensitive
crystallization.

Chromatography Applied to Quality Testing is 44-page booklet by Dr.
Ehrenfried Pfeiffer on the paper chromatography method. Pfeiffer made
extensive use of the chroma test in his research at the Pfeiffer Foundation
in Spring Valley, New York. Included are laboratory standards for preparation
and extractions of samples. The book contains color plates and descriptive
entries for chroma tests performed on different samples of soil, compost, and
grain. It lists for $8 through Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association
(BDFGA) in San Francisco, California .

Sensitive Crystallization: A Demonstration of Formative Forces in the Blood
is a 59-page booklet by Dr. Ehrenfried Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer developed the
sensitive crystallization technique in the early 1930s. In 1939 he was
awarded an honorary M.D. from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia in
recognition of his research on the early diagnosis of cancer using this
method. The sensitive crystallization technique can also be used in the
analysis of plants, produce, grain, and fodder. It lists for $16 through
BFDGA. Contact:

Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Inc
Building 1002B, Thoreau Center, The Presidio
P.O. Box 29135
San Francisco, CA 94129-0135
415-561-7797
415-561-7796 Fax
biodynamic@aol.com
http://www.biodynamics.com/

The third alternative farming system with a special focus on food quality is
Nature Farming. In both organizations that promote Nature Farming — Kyusei
Nature Farming and MOA Nature Farming — the production of healthy nutritious
foods is a central goal. Healthy foods grown on healthy soils are understood
to play an underlying role in human health; and further, such foods contain
an important life force separate from its mineral or chemical constituents.
In the Kyusei Nature Farming branch, Effective Microorganisms® are used to
inoculate composts, green manures, irrigation water, and other organic soil
amendments to manipulate the microbial soil environment and enhance soil
health and food quality.

For an overview on this topic, see:

Nature Farming and Effective Microorganisms
http://ncatark.uark.edu/~steved/Nature-Farm-EM.html

Food quality is defined more broadly by the Soil Association in England. It
adopted standards developed at the University of Kassel and the Elm Farm
Research Centre, two European research institutes actively conducting organic
farming systems research. Six criteria — Sensual, Authenticity, Functional,
Nutritional, Biological, and Ethical — make up this new holistic approach.

Six Aspects of Food Quality:

Sensual: how good it feels to eat. Taste, smell, texture, look, feel; that
wonderful blend of sensations when you bite into a freshly picked apple.

Authenticity: the food which consumers expect. Food which has not been
synthesized or adulterated in production, processing or storage. Bread where
the browness is real, not an added ingredient to white bread.

Functional: how appropriate food is to its specific purpose. For example,
the way different varieties of potatoes are more or less suitable for
boiling, baking, roasting or frying.

Nutritional: how it contributes to a balanced diet. Recognizing individual
food’s value by the vitamins, protein or trace elements present.

Biological: how it interacts with the body’s functioning. Allergic
reactions to additives, the effects of agri-chemical residues; beneficial
role of live yoghurt on the gut flora, etc.

Ethical: environmental, social and political values. How food production
treats animals, the environment, and the people producing the food.

Resources:

Agricultural Production and Nutrition is the proceedings of an international
conference organized by the Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and
Policy, held March 1997. The 214-page book contains twenty-one papers.
Enclosed for your information is an announcement regarding the proceedings,
which contains a list of paper titles. It is available for $18 with
pre-payment or $21 if billed (checks payable to “Trustees of Tufts College”)
from:

Agriculture and Nutrition Conference
School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Tufts University
Medford, MA 02155

Food Quality: Concepts & Methodology is the proceedings of an international
colloquium organized by the Elm Farm Research Centre and the University of
Kassel. It is a 64-page book published in 1992. It is available for 10
pounds in English currency (about $20.00). Contact:

Elm Farm Research Centre
Hamstead Marshall
Near Newbury
Berkshire RG20 OHR, Great Britain
Tel: 01488 658298
Fax: 01488 658503
education@efrc.com
http://www.efrc.com/

Especially See:

EFRC Education Pack: Food Quality
http://www.efrc.com/education/student2.htm

Resource packet with printed material containing EFRC information
sheets and briefing notes.

"Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens" -- Consumer's Perceptions on
Organic Food Quality?
By Lawrence Woodward and Angelika Meier-Ploeger
Presented at the IFOAM Conference, Mar Del Plata, Argentina, November 1998
http://www.efrc.com/research/rorawok.doc

8-page article available as document download

The Ecological Agriculture Project at MacDonald College of McGill University
in Canada has published several informative reports and bibliographies on
this topic. Titles include:

* Soil Conditions and Food Quality
* Soil Fertility and the Nutritional Quality of Food
* Comparison of Food Quality of Organically Versus Conventionally
Grown Plant Foods
* Agriculture, Ecology, and Overconsumption
* Soil, Food, Health and Values
* Nutritional Characteristics of Organic,Freshly Stone-Ground Sourdough
& Conventional Breads

To order these reports, or to view them online, contact:

Ecological Agriculture Project
Box 191, MacDonald College
21,111 Lakeshore
Ste-Anne De Bellevue, Quebec
Canada H9X 1CO
http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/

Organically Produced Foods: Nutritive Content is a 21-page bibliography
compiled by Mary Gold at the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center,
National Agricultural Library. It consists of about 216 literature citations
that specifically focus on the nutritive value of organically produced foods,
including vitamin and mineral content, as well as related chemical
constituents. It is located on the web at:

Organically Produced Foods: Nutritive Content
Special Reference Briefs Series no. SRB 2000-03
Compiled by: Mary V. Gold
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, National Agricultural
Library
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/AFSIC_pubs/srb0003.htm

BrixTalk@egroups.com is an electronic forum that focuses on food quality,
using refractometers to ascertain Brix as an indicator of taste. Here it may
be useful to restate that Brix is the scale that measures soluble solids and
sugars in sap squeezed from fruits and vegetables. BrixTalk promotes the use
of hand held refractometers by farmers and gardeners and consumers to
ascertain on-the-spot Brix readings as an indicator of good tasting fruits
and vegetables. An underlying assumption is that produce measuring high Brix
will also have higher levels of minerals and amino acids. BrixTalk draws
heavily on the fertility management philosophy of Dr. Carey Reams and modern
day crop advisors like Dr. Dan Skow and Dr. Arden Anderson. Carey Reams
advocated soil- and foliar-applied fertilization schemes to increase the
energy in the soil, to increase pest resistance, and to increase soluble
solids in foods that result in a high Brix reading. To subscribe, go to:
<http://www.egroups.com/invite/BrixTalk>

Web Links at Worldsite Crossroads, Home of BrixTalk
http://www.crossroads.ws/

Using a Refractometer to Test the Quality of Fruits & Vegetables
By Rex Harrill
http://www.crossroads.ws/brixbook/BBook.htm

Using a Refractometer to Test the Quality of Fruits & Vegetables is a
42-page online booklet by Rex Harrill that provides a historical glimpse into
Dr. Carey Reams research on Brix=Quality, charts that are used as indicators
of Poor, Average, Good, and Excellent quality, instrumentation, etc.

Brix=Quality: Don't Believe What You've Been Told About Food!
http://www.crossroads.ws/brix/index.htm

Senate Document 264
Text of Dr. Charles Northern's testimony on mineral depletion of foods
http://www.crossroads.ws/brix/index-page5.html

How to Grow Superb Biological Produce Above & Beyond Ordinary Chemical
OR Organic Agriculture
http://www.crossroads.ws/CRActive/PikeAg.htm


Organic Produce in the Broader Context of Ecological Farming:

Here, it may be helpful to make a rather important distinction between
ecological farming systems and organic agriculture in general, and certified
organic production in particular.

Organic agriculture may be viewed in much the same way as sustainable
agriculture; i.e., a large umbrella under which many different methods of
production, products, and philosophies exist. The goal — permanent culture,
deep organics, farming systems designed to take advantage of inherent
ecosystem integrity, farms which exist on current and non-polluting
resources, etc. — may be viewed as a continuum that encompasses a broad
spectrum of agricultural concepts and practices that strive towards
ecological health rather than one pre-determined production system set in
stone for all time.

On the other hand, certified organic production is somewhat arbitrary. It is
a market-based arrangement in which farmers certify to consumers that their
farm products have followed an approved set of guidelines set forth by an
organic certification agency. Such guidelines assume the production of
pesticide-free or otherwise healthy products because they are based on a list
of approved versus restricted fertilizers and pest control products.

However, the classification of these products — whether they are of
“natural” or “synthetic” origin — is arbitrary. That is, a farmer may be
certified if he or she meets the specified guidelines. The assumption is
that an organic farm will by necessity follow good husbandry practices such
as humus management and mineral supplementation that result in good quality
foods, but that is not always or necessarily the situation, especially on
early-transition organic farms.

In summary, it should be clear that certification of an organic farm alone
will not result in an automatic difference in nutritional composition of
foods. Rather, as Sharon Hornick’s article pointed out, there are many
factors that influence food quality.

Secondly, in a discussion of “organic versus conventional” production as it
relates to food nutrition, one should not lose sight of the many farms and
alternative farming systems that follow the principles of organic
agriculture, but do not follow certified organic production practices per se.
Some of these farms — for example those following the Reams fertility
management system — make selective use of commercial fertilizers with a goal
of mineral-dense nutritious foods. There are many instances where these
ecologically-oriented farms produce foods of superior nutritional quality
than their certified organic counterparts.

Finally, there is good reason to understand how organic agricultural
practices in general are right on track towards providing the necessary soil
conditions that promote foods with good, and sometimes even superior,
nutritional qualities. It should be clear from the novel qualitative tests
and concepts outlined herein, that alternative agriculture has made
significant contributions to non-traditional concepts and practices relating
to soil health and food quality


References:

1) Gussow, Joan Dye. 1996. Is organic food more nutritious? OFRF
Information Bulletin. Fall, Number 3. p. 1 and 10.

2) Newesome, Rosetta. 1990. Organically grown foods. Food Technology.
December. p. 123-130.

3) Williams, Greg and Pat (ed.) 1987. “Organic” vs conventionally
fertilized tomatoes. HortIdeas. April. p. 40-41.

4) Williams, Greg and Pat (ed.) 1997. Organic vs. conventional growing
methods, revisited. HortIdeas. May. p. 49-50.

5) Feenstra, Gail. 1992. Vitamin and mineral contents of carrot and
celeriac grown under mineral or organic fertilization. Components. Vol.
3, No. 1. p. 9-10. [Review of Leclerc, J., et al. 1991. Biological
Agriculture and Horticulture. Vol. 7. p. 339-348.]

6) David Leonard. December 11, 1996. “Re: Quality of Organic Foods” on the
sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu listserv

7) Bear, Firman E. 1948. Variations in mineral composition of vegetables.
Soil Sci. Soc. Proc. Vol. 13. p. 380-384.

8) Hornick, Sharon B. 1992. Factors affecting the nutritional quality of
crops. Am. J. Alt. Agric. Vol. 7, No. 1-2. p. 63-68.

9) U.S. Senate. 1936. Modern Miracle Men, Article by Rex Beach Relating to
Proper Food Mineral Balances by Charles Northen. 74th Congress, 2nd Session,
Serial Set 10016. U.S. Gov’t Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

10) Price, Weston A. 1938. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Keats
Publishing, New Canaan, CT.

11) Acres USA
P.O. Box 91299
Austin, Texas 78709-1299
512-892-4400
512-892-4448 Fax
info@acresusa.com
http://www.acresusa.com/

12) Thomas, Luther. 1990. Bioponics: the application of organic gardening
to hydroponics. The Growing Edge Spring. p. 40-43.

13) Thomas, Luther. 1991. Bioponics, part two. The Growing Edge. Winter.
p. 37-40, 42-43, 65.

14) Thomas, Luther. 1991. Bioponics, part three. The Growing Edge.
Spring. p. 40-43, 61.

15) Thomas, Luther. 1991. Bioponics, part four. The Growing Edge. Summer.
p. 35-40, 59.

16) Thomas, Luther. 1993. Bioponics, part five: Enzymes for hereditary
potential. The Growing Edge. Winter. p. 36-38, 41.

17) Wallach, Joel D. 1986. Rare Earths: Forbidden Cures. Double Happiness
Publishing, Bonita, CA. 496.

18) Jensen, Bernard, and Mark Anderson. 1990. Empty Harvest: Understanding
the Link Between Our Food, Our Immunity, and Our Planet. Avery Pub. Group,
Garden City Park, N.Y. 188 p.

19) Wallach, Joel D. 1996. Dead Doctors Don't Lie. Direct Marketing
Service, New York. 60 minute cassette.

20) Bergner, Paul. 1997. The Healing Power of Minerals, Special Nutrients,
and Trace Elements. Prima Publishing, Rocklin, CA. 312 p.

21) Mayer, Anne-Marie. 1997. Historical changes in the mineral content of
fruits and vegetables. p. 69-77. In: William Lockeretz (ed.) Agricultural
Production and Nutrition. Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and
Policy, Held March 19-21, Boston, MA.

22) Beddoe, A.F. 1992. Nourishment Home Grown. Agro-Bio Systems, Grass
Valley, CA. 299 p.

23) Peavy, William S., and Warren Peary. 1993. Super Nutrition Gardening.
Avery Publishing Co., Garden City, NY. 236 p.

24) Velimirov, A. et al. 1992. The influence of biologically and
conventionally cultivated food on the fertility of rats. Biological
Agriculture and Horticulture.
Vol. 8. p. 325-337.

25) Plochberger, K. 1989. Feeding experiments. A criterion for quality
estimation of biologically and conventionally produced foods. Agriculture,
Ecosystems and Environment. Vol. 27. p. 419-428.

26) Acharya Viijaksarananda, Microvita Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.
1997. Personal communication

27) Nu-Life Sciences (Dr. Michael Coyle) web site:
http://www.nulifesciences.com

28) Center for Somatidian Orthobiology (Dr. Gaston Naessens) web site
http://www.cose.com/hp01imga.htm

29) Lampkin, Nicolas. 1990. Organic Farming. Farming Press, Ipswich,
United Kingdom. p. 557-573, and 608-610.

30) Knorr, Dietrich, and Hartmut Vogtmann. 1983. Quality and quality
determination of ecologically grown foods. p. 352-381. In: Knorr, Dietrich
(ed.) Sustainable Food Systems. The AVI Publishing Co., Westport, CT.

31) Knorr, Dietrich. 1982. Use of a circular chromatographic method for the
distinction of collard plants grown under different fertilizing conditions.
Biological Agriculture and Horticulture. Vol. 1. p. 29-38.

32) Woodward, Lawrence. 1993. The nutritional quality of organic food. Elm
Farm Research Bulletin. Number 5, January. p. 5-6.






  • [Livingontheland] Nutritional Quality of Organically Grown Food, Tradingpost, 08/16/2009

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