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Tom Douglas argues a recent study on the benefits of organic neglects something more important: Mother Earth. (AP file photo)

Why organic study misses the mark

BY Josh Kerns  on September 6, 2012 @ 12:08 pm (Updated: 7:14 am - 10/10/12 )

A recent study finding minimal health benefits from eating organic continues to draw criticism, as many argue it misses the mark.

The study found that organic foods did not offer significantly more nutritional benefits or added food safety when compared with conventionally grown crops. But noted chef and Seattle Kitchen show co-host Tom Douglas argues we should be looking at the impact of conventional agriculture on the earth in addition to nutrition facts.

"You go by cornfields and the stalks are not even three inches apart and they're six feet tall. Can you imagine what that's taking out of the earth?" says Douglas, co-host of Seattle Kitchen.

Tom says that, with the earth facing so many challenges, the benefits of eating organic extend far beyond the table.

"Right now we have honeybees in distress, we've got rivers that are polluted, dead zones in the sea and the ocean, and Hood Canal with lots of lack of oxygen," he says.

Tom, as well as many others, argues that many of these problems are the result of conventional farming practices, such as farm runoff.

"If you can afford it, yeah I'd like to see it because to me it's just about taking on Mother Earth and treating her kindly," says Tom.

Co-host Thierry Rautureau agrees. "It's an A to Z story, not an A to B. It's what happens the whole rest of the story."

He argues the focus should be on sustainable agriculture.

"You take something out, you put something back in, that's the process of the earth. It's not a very complicated story that we have made very complicated," says Thierry.

Listen to the full conversation on the Seattle Kitchen Show:

Find more Seattle Kitchen here and listen to Theirry Rautureau and Tom Douglas Saturdays at 2 p.m.- 4 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m.- noon on 97.3 KIRO FM.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (24)


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  • Moondoggie wrote...
    Kill the Trees!!!
    September 9, 2012 6:28 am
    Since organic farming takes much more land to grow the same amount of food as you would need using modern growing techniques, Mr. Douglas is thus advocating the cutting down of more rainforests. If I’m wrong and Mr. Douglas is only advocating that millions of people be allowed to starve, then I will stand corrected.
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  • SMarti018 wrote...
    Moondoggie.
    September 9, 2012 7:23 am
    your not getting it... Nowhere does it say that less food will be produced using organic techniques. growing local, buying local is more efficient and cost effective. Using greenhouses to produce food year around it this area... Nobody is implying we will need to cut down rain forests in order to grow more local food.
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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    It misses the mark...
    September 9, 2012 7:02 am
    because you have been so indoctrinated into thinking that anything with a "green leaf" sticker on it is instantly good for you and you don't want to admit you are wrong.

    You folks are typically the ones that sneer at religious folks for being "anti-science" but when study after study after study after study shows that there is no inherent benefit to "organic" food, you dismiss it out of hand. If we really went "all organic" like you folks seem to want, we would be turning back the clock some 200 years or more on agricultural progress.

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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    "Taking on Mother Earth and treating her kindly..."
    September 9, 2012 7:05 am
    is just perfect evidence that you folks have a very warpred sense of reality. These are the same kind of dopes that saddle up to "air bars" and think that some herbal plant from an exotic country must be good for you because it is not from "here," yet then tell us that "local" food is better.

    Tom, you are an over-educated idiot.

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  • maplefish wrote...
    @Contry Dog
    September 9, 2012 9:28 am
    Touche'!
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  • Matt Lattanzi wrote...
    Organic means...
    September 9, 2012 7:26 am
    more dirt and bugs.
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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    So SMarti thinks
    September 9, 2012 7:30 am
    that organic and "local" is so much more efficient?! Honestly?

    So for the past 200 years we have becoming less efficient at producing food and still capable of feeding more people.

    SMarti must have been trained with one of them advanced degrees at a smarty university to believe that.

    There is not a single "organic" crop that matches the yields of so-called "non-organic" crops. And that is just talking about producion per acre -- let's not get into the inefficiencies of "organic" fertilizer or herbicides/pesticides.

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  • SMarti018 wrote...
    Country_Dog...
    September 9, 2012 8:17 am
    You think im some hipster who thinks growing food on your roof if the one true answer and thats not what im implying at all. Im in the middle of this argument and agree with Organic farmers arguments that growing more local food while in season in our local areas is a good practice and would help communities as a whole. There is alot of interesting things that go on in local farmers markets that i think is worth a visit every now and then. It also helps my daughter get exited about vegetables and eating healthy in general when she gets to see things growing for herself. I dont recall saying we need to put the modern industrial farmers on the chopping block, I simply stated there is no harm in growing local and eating local when possible... The way that people profile others users on this site is ridiculous sometimes. As soon as i mention anything organic im automatically a liberal hippy with a pony tail and a tie die shirt, and the next day ill reply on a pro-gun post and im labeled a Conservative nut job with a arsenal of weapons in my basement who drives a big truck around with anti-Obama stickers. Come on guys, get over yourself.
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  • Alex Mason wrote...
    Liberal Spewing Vomit.
    September 9, 2012 7:32 am
    You go by cornfields and the stalks are not even three inches apart and they're six feet tall. Can you imagine what that's taking out of the earth?" says Douglas, co-host of Seattle Kitchen. " But the corn that does grow is BURNED for fuel instead of eaten. Ethanol generates higher BTU emissions and drives down the MPG value. Can you "imagine" what that's taking out on the earth?
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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Actually, let us get into those issues...
    September 9, 2012 7:35 am
    I use a supposedly "organic" fungicide that reduces fungus on a wide variety of plants. People tell me, "oh my, how wonderful for Mother Earth and safe for you." The funny thing is that the warning label for this fungicide is longer than the instruction manual for a nuclear power plant. It is essentially liquified copper (which has a beautifully seductive greenish-blue hue to it). It is classified as "organic" but you wouldn't think it is that safe.
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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    As for fertilizer (which is the dumbest organic hoax)...
    September 9, 2012 7:41 am
    there is basically one ingredient your plants need -- nitrogen. You can get nitrogen from "organic" sources like pig poop or from manufactured pellets.

    Pig poop has nitrogen but lots of other useless stuff, including bacteria and viruses (which is why e coli breakouts are often associated with "organic" food). Not only does some unused nitrogen run off into the precious streams even with huge setbacks, but it takes all that other cee-rap (literally) with it.

    Add to this that you have to use a lot more pig poop (by weight and volume) than manufactured pellet nitrogen and we are talking about more trucks having to make more shipments which means more gasoline used (and more fumes pumped into the precious lungs of Mother Earth). You need to think more broadly about the resources used, laddie.

    And the people who grow your "non-organic" food have a very strong incentive to only use the minimal amount of fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, possible to ensure a healthy crop since that stuff costs us money.

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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    And Child Tom (son to Mother Earth)
    September 9, 2012 7:44 am
    yeah, we do know how much stuff those large corn stalks planted closely together take out of the soil. We ain't stupid.

    You see, if farmers only thought about "this year," they would not be able to plant stuff next year and they would go broke. Amazingly, us rural folk are pretty smart about thinking about our own future. I know you college-educated, urban elites think we are all dumb bumpkins, but we are actually really good at figuring out what is good for the land we own.

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  • cdbtx wrote...
    Anyone
    September 9, 2012 7:57 am
    Ever take a close look at the "Organic" chemicals used for "Organic" farms.

    Here are some interesting EIQs: Bt (organic) 13.5

    Acephate (synthetic) 17.9

    Soap (organic) 19.5

    Carbaryl (synthetic) 22.6

    Malathion (synthetic) 23.2

    Rotenone (organic) 33.0

    Sabadilla (organic) 35.6

    100 years ago prior to synthetics the only pesticides were organic - lead based of course

    Everyone's an environmental expert - sometimes to save face, sometimes to generate revenue.

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