Responding to Which? Gardening following their small scale trial to compare taste and nutrient content of three organic and non-organic crops - potatoes, calabrese and tomatoes – Dr Margi Lennartsson, Head of Programmes at Garden Organic said:
"I think it's important to note that these were small scale trials that whilst looking at the nutrient content and taste didn’t take into account the higher levels of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides that non-organic produce might be exposed to. People that grow organic produce state that avoiding harmful chemicals is one of their main motivations for using organic methods and any trial that looks at the health benefits of organic food, ought to also consider this.”
“From a gardener’s perspective it is good to see that the organic vegetables in the trial yielded at least the same amount or higher than the non-organic and that they were considered the same, or better in terms of quality, which for such a small scale trial is very promising. This also suggests that with far fewer artificial, expensive and environmentally harmful inputs an organic gardener can expect good results.”
“What is most disappointing is that for the sake of this experiment that a previously organically managed allotment has been treated with glyphosate, artificial fertilisers and metaldehyde slug pellets, along with the maximum dose of insecticide for garden use. Considering the majority of Which? Connect members cited wildlife in the garden and benefits to the wider environment as the main reason why they garden and grow organically then a trial measuring the environmental impact of the organic versus non-organic approach would have perhaps been more appropriate.”
“As our membership of over 30,000 organic gardeners can testify it is quite possible to successfully produce flavoursome, home grown organic produce without using pesticides and artificial fertilisers.”
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Garden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA).
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