KQED's Forum: Is Organic Food Healthier?

Many shoppers are willing to shell out more money for organic produce because they believe it is healthier -- but a new report casts doubt on that. The Stanford University study challenges whether organic foods are more nutritious than conventional foods grown with pesticides. KQED's Forum discusses the benefits of organic foods and the impact of ingesting trace amounts of pesticides. Do you buy organic? Will this new study change the way you eat?

Original Broadcast: Wed, Sep 5, 2012 -- 10:00 AM

Host: Michael Krasny

Guests:
• Bruce Ames, professor emeritus of biochemistry at UC Berkeley and senior scientist at Children's Hospital of Oakland Research Institute
• Chuck Benbrook, chief science consultant at The Organic Center, an Oregon-based research center
• Crystal Smith-Spangler, physician and researcher at Stanford University's School of Medicine and co-author of the study on organic foods

More info:
• Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?: A Systematic Review (Annals of Internal Medicine)
• Michael Pollan Responds to Organic Food Study (KQED's News Fix)
• Why Organic Food May Not Be Healthier For You (The Salt -NPR)
• Is Organic Food More Nutritious Than Conventional? Probably Not (KQED News)
• Stanford Scientists Cast Doubt on Advantages of Organic Meat and Produce (Kenneth Chang - New York Times)
• Organic Food vs. Conventional Food (Kenneth Chang - Well - New York Times)
• Organic food might not be more nutritious, but you should eat it anyway (Twilight Greenaway - Grist)
• Don't give up on organic food, our experts urge (Jamie Hirsh - Consumer Report)
• 5 Ways the Stanford Study Sells Organics Short (Tom Philpott - Mother Jones)
• More Choice, and More Confusion, in Quest for Healthy Eating (Kim Severson - NYTimes)