Something that\’s occured to me over this report on organic foods. As Peter Melchett tells us:
In addition, we now know that many chemicals that a plant produces to help it fight off insects and diseases are the same chemicals that nutritionists reckon are essential for good human health. Spraying a non-organic crop with chemicals to protect it from insects and disease means the plant doesn\’t need to activate its own self-defence mechanisms, and the chemicals which would naturally be present in the plant, and from which human health actually benefits, are not there.
Right, OK, that\’s what leads to the increase in flavinoids which we\’re all now told make us healthier. But as is said, these flavinoids are in fact the plants producing their own pesticides.
So the argument in favour of organic is now that it contains more pesticides than conventionally farmed produce?
Looks like we need to genetically modify plants to produce increased levels of flaviniods.