1. Organic food not healthier, says FSA
Level 3 Advanced
1 Warmer
The words that appear most often in the article are bigger than the other words in the word cloud. Try to
predict the content of the article by looking at the word cloud.
2 Key words
Find single words or two-, three- or four-word phrases in the article that have the same or similar meanings
to the phrases and sentences below. The paragraph number and the number of words are given to help
you.
1. positive effects on the body from ingested food _________________________ (para 1, 2 words)
2. things to eat and drink that are grown and farmed in the usual way (not organically)
_________________________ (para 1, 3 words)
3. the money and costs were covered by ... _________________________ (para 1, 2 words)
4. plants and animals on a farm _________________________ (para 2, 3 words)
5. when the positive effects on the body from ingested food are better than those from other sources
_________________________ (para 2, 2 words)
6. the remainders of chemical substances added to soil or sprayed on crops _________________________
(para 5, 4 words)
7. When you accept or use only some things, and not the things that you do not want you are being
_________________________. (para 5, 1 word)
8. Amounts that have not been calculated accurately can be called _________________________.
(para 9, 2 words)
9. when someone or something is tightly controlled or influenced by rules _________________________
(para 11, 4 words)
10. relating to good living conditions for livestock _________________________ (para 12, 2 words)
11. worries about the natural world as well as places in which people live and work _________________________
(para 12, 2 words)
12. Something that you want to eat or drink because it is good for you is _________________________.
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2. Organic food not healthier, says FSA
Level 3 Advanced
Organic food not healthier, says FSA further, saying he found the conclusions
very selective.
Report finds organic food provides no
significant nutritional benefit compared with
6 Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil
conventionally produced food.
Association, said: “We are disappointed in the
Karen McVeigh conclusions the researchers have reached.
29 July, 2009 It doesn’t say organic food is not healthier,
just that, according to the criteria they have
1 Organic food is no healthier and provides no adopted, there’s no proof that it is.”
significant nutritional benefit compared with
conventionally produced food, according to a 7 He criticized the methodology used by the
new, independent study funded by the Food team, which he said meant they didn’t include
Standards Agency. But its conclusions have the importance of some nutritional benefits they
been called into question by experts and found in organic food. He said that this had
organic food campaigners. led them to different conclusions from those
reached by previous studies.
2 The report looked at evidence published over
the past 50 years of the different nutrient levels 8 Carlo Leifert, a professor of ecological
found in crops and livestock from both types agriculture at Newcastle University and the
of farming and also at the health benefits of coordinator of a major EU-funded study which
eating organic food. The findings, published recently found nutrient levels were higher in
in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, organic foods, also said the conclusions of the
contradict previous work that has found study were selective.
organically grown food to be
nutritionally superior. 9 He said: “I’m worried about the conclusions.
The ballpark figures they have come up with
3 Dr Alan Dangour, who led the review by are similar to ours. I don’t understand why the
the London School of Hygiene and Tropical FSA are not saying, ‘Right, there’s something
Medicine, said: “Most studies were based you can do on a farm to improve food.’ They
on the hypothesis that eating organic food are so blocked by not wanting to say positive
is beneficial to health. Looking at all of the things about organic farming.”
studies published in the last 50 years, we
have concluded that there’s no good evidence 10 The appendix of the FSA report shows that
that eating organic food is beneficial to health some nutrients, such as beta-carotene, are as
based on the nutrient content.” much as 53% higher in organic food, but such
differences are not reflected in its conclusions.
4 He said that while small differences in nutrient
content were found between organic and 11 The farming of organic food, which is now
conventionally produced food, they were worth £2bn in the UK alone, is governed
“unlikely to be of any public health relevance”. by strict regulations that set it apart from
conventional farming. Crops are not treated
5 Organic food campaigners criticized the with artificial chemical fertilizers or pesticides,
study for failing to consider fertilizer and and antibiotics and drugs are not used routinely
pesticide residues in food. They expressed on livestock.
disappointment at the “limited” nature of the
study, saying that it did not provide a clear 12 Gill Fine, the FSA director of consumer
answer on whether eating organic food has choice, defended the study. She said: “We
health benefits. A leading food academic went are neither anti nor pro organic food. We
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3. Organic food not healthier, says FSA
Level 3 Advanced
recognize there are many reasons why people said: “If they are buying organic on the basis
choose to eat organic, such as animal welfare that it is healthier, then that is not the case.”
or environmental concerns. We specifically
checked claims that organic food is better 15 The EU study coordinated by Carlo Leifert,
for you.” which ended in May this year, involved 31
research and university institutes. It found that
13 She continued: “This study does not mean levels of nutritionally desirable compounds,
people should not eat organic food. What it such as antioxidants and vitamins, were higher
shows is that there is little, if any, nutritional in organic crops, while levels of nutritionally
difference between organic and conventionally undesirable compounds such as toxic
produced food and there is no evidence of chemicals, mycotoxins and metals such as
additional health benefits from eating cadmium and nickel, were lower in
organic food.” organic crops.
14 When asked whether consumers had been © Guardian News & Media 2009
misled over the benefits of organic food, she First published in The Guardian, 29/07/09
3 Comprehension check
Choose the correct answer according to the information in the article.
1. A new study concludes that ... 4. Organic food campaigners are ...
a. ... we should not waste our money on organic a. ... shocked.
food. b. ... disappointed.
b. ... organic food is not very much better for our c. ... selective.
health than non-organic food. 5. The methodology used in the study has been
criticized because ...
c. ... organic food is significantly better for our
health. a. ... it didn’t include the importance of some
nutritional benefits found in organic food.
2. The study was carried out by ...
b. ... it didn’t take animal welfare or environmental
a. ... Newcastle University. concerns into consideration.
b. ... the Soil Association. c. ... it didn’t take consumer preferences into
c. ... the London School of Hygiene and Tropical consideration.
Medicine. 6. Another study funded by the EU found that ...
3. The study was funded by ... a. ... there is no evidence of additional health
benefits from eating organic food.
a. ... the Foods Standard Agency.
b. ... antioxidants and vitamins were higher in
b. ... the EU. organic crops.
c. ... the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. c. ... organic foods are not treated with artificial.
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4. Organic food not healthier, says FSA
Level 3 Advanced
5 Language: Negative forms
1. What words, expressions and prefixes are used to make negative statements? Underline as many
different ways of making negative words, expressions or sentences as you can find in the article.
2. Explain the meaning of these sentences in your own words:
• “There’s no good evidence that eating organic food is beneficial to health based on the nutrient content.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
• “I don’t understand why the FSA are not saying, ‘Right, there’s something you can do on a farm to
improve food.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
• “This study does not mean people should not eat organic food.”
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
6 Discussion
Decide which of the following statements most reflect your own opinion, and then complete the following
sentence in your own words. Discuss your decisions in groups or as a class.
Organic food is the only sensible choice.
Organic food is all about making money.
It’s wrong to believe that nature is always best.
Cheap food damages the environment.
In my opinion organic food is _________________________________________________________.
7 Webquest
Look at one of the following websites and summarize the information you find there for the rest of the
class. What is the main message the website is trying to put across?
http://www.organicfoodinfo.net/
http://www.organic.org/
http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/farmingfood/organicfood/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/food_matters/organicfood.shtml
http://www.organicfoodee.com/
http://www.orgfoodfed.com/
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5. Organic food not healthier, says FSA
Level 3 Advanced
KEY
2 Key words
1. nutritional benefit
2. conventionally produced food
3. funded by
4. crops and livestock
5. nutritionally superior
6. fertilizer and pesticide residues
7. selective
8. ballpark figures
9. governed by strict regulations
10. animal welfare
11. environmental concerns
12. nutritionally desirable
3 Comprehension check
1. b
2. c
3. a
4. b
5. a
6. b
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