fwd..Organic food is healthier and safer, four-year EU investigation shows

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Lauren Chandler <lrnchandler wrote: Organic food is healthier and safer, four-year EU investigation showsBy Emily DuganPublished: 29 October 2007http://environment. independent. co.uk/green_ living/article31 06906.eceA £12m EU-funded investigation into the difference between organic andordinary farming has shown that organic foods have far more nutritionalvalue.Up to

40 per cent more antioxidants, which scientists believe can cut therisk of heart disease and cancer, could be found in organic fruit andvegetables than in those conventionally farmed.In the four-year Quality Low Input Food project, the biggest of its kindto date, a farm in north-east England grew conventional produce alongsideorganic varieties. Cattle were also farmed on the 725-acre plot, where ithas been discovered that organic milk contains 60 per cent moreantioxidants and desirable fatty acids than ordinary milk.Professor Carlo Leifert, co-ordinator of the study said: "We have shownthere are more of certain less nutritionally desirable compounds and lessof the baddies in organic foods, or improved amounts of the fatty acidsyou want and less of those you don't want".The study, whose overall findings will be published next year, is thefirst systematic comparison of farming techniques. Led by

NewcastleUniversity, 33 academic centres across Europe are analysing theinformation.For the past seven years the organic food lobby has been tryingunsuccessfully to persuade the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to acknowledgethe benefits of organic food. The FSA says the "balance of currentscientific evidence" does not support the view that organic food is saferor healthier.The Soil Association, the UK's leading campaigning and certifyingorganisation on organic farming, said: "It is time the FSA caught up withthe available science and adjusted its statements to reflect thatscience."The FSA said: "We will be getting a consultancy to carry out a systematicreview of the evidence, which will include this latest study."The report's key findings* Organic milk contains higher amounts of vitamin E, according to the EUstudy. The antioxidant contributes to a healthy circulatory system* Potatoes,

kiwi fruit and carrots were among the organic produce found tobe higher in vitamin C than their chemically-farmed counterparts. Thevitamin has been credited with boosting the immune system and helping tokeep cancer and heart disease at bay* Higher levels of minerals and antioxidants were found in organically-farmed lettuce, spinach and cabbage Reach out and touch someone with your Love & Gratitude.. ~Ashok

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