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TheOrganic Foods Are organically grown foods the best food choices? The advantagesclaimed for such foods over conventionally grown and marketedfood products are now being debated. Advocates oforganic foods -- a term whose meaning varies greatly -- frequently proclaimthat such products are safer and more nutritious than others. The growing interest of consumers in the safety andnutritional quality of the typical North American diet is a welcomedevelopment. However, much of this interest has been sparked by sweeping claims that the food supply is unsafe or inadequate in meeting nutritionalneeds. Although most of these claims are not supported byscientific evidence, the preponderance of written material advancing suchclaims makes it difficult for the general public to separate fact fromfiction. As a result, claims that eating a diet consisting entirely oforganically grown foods prevents or cure disease or provides other benefits tohealth have become widely publicized and form the basis for folklore. Almost daily the public is besieged by claims forno-aging diets, new vitamins and other wonder foods. There arenumerous unsubstantiated reports that natural vitamins are superior tosynthetic ones, that fertilized eggs are nutritionally superior tounfertilized eggs, that untreated grains are better than fumigated grainsand the like.One thing that most organically grown food products seem to havein common is that they cost more than conventionally grown foods. Butin many cases consumers are misled if they believe organic foods can maintain health and provide better nutritional quality than conventionallygrown foods. So there is real cause for concern if consumers particularlythose with limited incomes, distrust the regular food supply and buy onlyexpensive organic foods instead. | 
