Photo credit: Suzie's Farm

A new report released by the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) explores differences in the quality and sustainability of organic and conventional food. The authors review evidence covering the differences in taste, health, and environmental impacts of production and processing to comprehensively assess differences in the quality of organic and conventional food. Findings suggest that overall, organic produce has fewer pesticide residues and heavy metals, and that many organic food products are higher in antioxidants and healthy fatty acids. Organic foods generally have fewer additives, and lifecycle analyses of organic foods have indicated that organic products have a smaller impact on the environment than conventional products.