| 1 | | There are two reliable ways | | | | extraordinary prices – is nothing |
| | of telling if you have won | | | | more than a tax on gullibility. |
| | an argument. The first is if | | 7 | | Such gullibility can have |
| | your disputants switch | | | | dangerous effects on your health (as |
| | from discussion of the | | | | well as your bank balance). A few |
| | facts to accusations about motives; | | | | years ago my wife decided we should |
| | the second, more obviously, is if they | | | | have an entirely organic vegetable |
| | descend to mere abuse. | | | | garden. To this end she refused all |
| 2 | | Alan Dangour, a nutritionist at | | | | man-made fertilisers and ordered a |
| | the London School of Hygiene and | | | | truckload of pigeon droppings. What |
| | Tropical Medicine, should therefore | | | | could be more natural? Neither was |
| | feel he has had an encouragingly | | | | there anything unnatural in the |
| | uncomfortable week. He is the author | | | | germs I inhaled through the spores of |
| | of a meta-study in the American | | | | our organic manure, thereby |
| | Journal of Clinical Nutrition that | | | | contracting psittacosis. This |
| | concluded, from 50 years of scientific | | | | developed into “atypical” pneumonia, |
| | evidence, that so-called “organic” | | | | which was of course resistant to all |
| | food was no healthier than | | | | standard antibiotics. |
| | conventionally farmed products. He | | 8 | | [id:83553]. If chemicals and |
| | revealed that he had received “hate | | | | pesticides in foods are as dangerous |
| | mail” and was “taken aback” by the | | | | for humans as the Soil Association |
| | “abusive” language used. | | | | claims, we should expect |
| 3 | | Ben Goldacre, an NHS doctor and | | | | conventional farmers, who handle the |
| | author of the acclaimed book Bad | | | | stuff in industrial quantities, to be |
| | Science, has had a similar week. In | | | | dropping dead before the rest of us |
| | his newspaper column he had taken | | | | with all sorts of chemical-induced |
| | apart the Soil Association’s criticisms | | | | cancers. |
| | of Dangour’s paper - which was | | 9 | | The most exhaustive analysis of |
| | funded by Britain’s Food Standards | | | | this matter was published in 2004, in |
| | Agency - notably his claim that the | | | | a paper by Professor Anthony |
| | health benefits of organic food “could | | | | Trewavas of Edinburgh University. |
| | not be measured by the evidence | | | | His paper revealed that “of 12 |
| | identified in the FSA paper”. | | | | separate investigations on farmers |
| 4 | | When I called him, he remarked: | | | | involving in total about 300,000 |
| | “In my experience the [comments of | | | | people, 11 found that farmers had |
| | the] organic food, anti-vaccine and | | | | overall cancer rates very substantially |
| | homeopathy movements are | | | | lower than the general public”. |
| | unusually hateful and generally | | 10 | | Trewavas concludes that “the |
| | revolve around bizarre allegations | | | | reasons why farming is so healthy are |
| | that you covertly represent some | | | | not known, but these data indicate |
| | financial or corporate interest. I do | | | | not only a null result for the |
| | not; but I do think it reveals | | | | hypothesis relating pesticide |
| |  | | | | exposure to cancer, but a consistent |
| | | | | result for the alternative, that |
| | | | | pesticide exposure may protect |
| | | | | against cancer”. I realise that |
| | | | | publicising Professor Trewavas’s |
| | | | | paper might itself cause medical |
| | | | | problems, as Soil Association |
| | | | | executives choke with rage. But I |
| | | | | think this a risk offset by the [id:xxx] |
| | | | | the public as a whole. |
| | | 11 | | The provocative professor also |
| | something about their own motives | | | | points out that in the period since |
| | that they can only conceive of a | | | | 1950 - as pesticides and industrial |
| | person holding a position as a result | | | | farming took an increasing role in |
| | of financial self-interest.” | | | | food production - “stomach cancer |
| 5 | | His linking of the organic | | | | rates have declined by 60% in |
| | movement with homeopathy is | | | | western countries”. This is generally |
| | telling. They are cults masquerading | | | | ascribed to the fact that fruit and |
| | as science. The organic movement, | | | | vegetable consumption has doubled |
| | philosophically, is based on an | | | | in that period - but why did this |
| | inchoate faith in nature, seeing any | | | | change in diet occur? Because |
| | human interference with nature as in | | | | modern agriculture, aided by air |
| | some way bad and destructive of the | | | | freight, has been able to get such |
| | roots” of creation. | | | | products to consumers at evercheaper |
| 6 | | No one should have been in the | | | | prices all year round. |
| | least surprised by Dangour’s results. | | 12 | | This just demonstrates the |
| | The more rational among the organic | | | | common-sense point that diet, rather |
| | movement long ago stopped claiming | | | | than whether food is produced |
| | as scientific fact that their products | | | | “organically” or not, is the key to |
| | are better for humans. The Canadian | | | | healthy eating. A high-fat diet is as |
| | Organic Growers, reacting less | | | | bad for you when the food has an |
| | hysterically than the Soil Association, | | | | “organic” sticker on it as when it |
| | responded to Dangour’s survey by | | | | doesn’t. |
| | saying that it “didn’t make health | | 13 | | The general public, however, has |
| | claims based on the nutrition of | | | | already begun to call the organic |
| | organic food”. This is the | | | | bluff, perhaps one reason Whole |
| | scientifically responsible attitude; but | | | | Foods’ sales have suffered over three |
| | it is also a deadly blow to the | | | | consecutive quarters in the United |
| | marketing of organic foods, which | | | | States and Prince Charles’s Duchy |
| | depends on yummy mummies | | | | Originals has seen its profits slump. |
| | continuing to believe that if Cecilia | | | | That noise you heard last week was |
| | and Frederick are fed only organic | | | | the organic balloon bursting. |
| | foods, then the little darlings will | | | | |
| | grow up healthier and stronger. It is | | | | Dominic Lawson in The Sunday |
| | in this sense that the organic | | | | Times, 2009 |
| | business – ordinary food at | | |
