A new study funded by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) concludes that organic food provides no significant nutritional benefits compared to conventionally produced food. The study reviewed past evidence but critics argue the methodology was flawed as it did not fully account for some nutritional benefits found in organic food. While small differences in nutrients were found between organic and conventional foods, the study says they are unlikely to be of public health relevance. However, other studies have found higher antioxidant and vitamin levels in organic crops. Critics are disappointed that the conclusions do not reflect positive aspects of organic farming.

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