Risks present in going organic

Published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer's opinion section, this is a reply to Ma. Ceres P. Doyo's column.

Organic foods have been thought of as beneficial to people and to the planet. Which makes it good news for Ma. Ceres Doyo that the Department of Agriculture has launched a campaign that encourages farmers to use organic fertilizers and produce organic foods. (“Going organic, better late than never,” Inquirer, 11/13/08)

However well-meaning the campaign may be, going organic will prove to be detrimental in the long run. Looking at the marginal cost and benefit of going organic, Bjorn Lomborg, head of the Copenhagen Consensus, a think tank under the auspices of the Copenhagen Business School, has this to say:

“You know how you are told to give your kids organic food because pesticides will give them cancer? Well, it’s technically true that there is a link between the chemicals and illness, but the risk is miniscule in any well-regulated country.

“There is another threat that you haven’t been told much about. One of the best ways to avoid cancer is to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Organic items are 10 or 20 percent more expensive than regular produce, so most of us naturally buy less when we ‘go organic.’

“If you reduce your child’s intake of fruits and vegetables by just 0.03 grams a day (that’s the equivalent of half a grain of rice) when you opt for more expensive organic produce, the total risk of cancer goes up, not down. Omit buying just one apple every 20 years because you have gone organic, and your child is worse off.”

The intention here, in Lomborg’s term, “isn’t to scare people away from organic food,” and if I may add, the government from making policies encouraging farmers to go organic. “But we should hear both sides of any story.”