WALK down the shopping aisle of any large food chain and you'll notice an explosion in the number of organic products for sale.

You will also notice the large price tags that accompany them – up to three times conventional counterparts.

With conventionally grown food prices going up, can the organic community justify their costs or do we have to give up our daily flat white to afford this produce?

Those who have adopted the organic way of eating believe the benefits it brings to their health and the environment are worth the cost. But does this benefit really exist or are we merely the victims of trendiness?

We have been led to believe eating organic food will improve our health, and increase our longevity – so, surely, if we are going to pay double the amount for an organic product, shouldn't our health improve by the equivalent amount?

Tests on conventionally grown and organic foods show very little difference in nutritional value. All food grown conventionally provides us with all the nutrients we require as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

No study has linked Australian-produced fresh food with cancer or heart disease. However, we are continually told conventional farming methods will produce unsafe foods.

What we do know is that a diet high in saturated fat, high in salt and processed food will lead to ill health, increase the risk of cancer and decrease life expectancy. Despite this, we continue to guzzle litres of soft drinks, our fast food industry is booming and biscuits, cakes and chocolate have become everyday food items.

Yet we embrace the organic products as the saviour of our health problems as the industry undergoes unprecedented expansion.

We buy organic foods in the hope and anticipation that these alone will provide us with a life free of illness and an increased chance of longevity.

This is not the magic tablet to guarantee better health. Decreasing our portion sizes, cutting down on fat and getting off the couch would do more for our health and wellbeing. It would do all of this and reduce our health costs. Surely this is more appealing to families in these current economic times?

As consumers, we hate the words pesticide and genetically modified. They conjure up images of something unnatural or artificial.

It is important to realise that all foods – including organic foods – contain some chemical residues. The levels will be lower in organic foods.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand assures us that conventionally grown foods fall within acceptable health standards and we should not be concerned. We could reduce our risk, if there was concern, by washing and peeling our fruit and vegetables.

Maybe organic foods do have some benefits over genetically modified foods, but there are no studies that conclude organic foods are superior to conventional foods. Costs do not match the so-called benefits, which are really yet to be scientifically proven.

People choosing organic foods believe they are better for the environment because it's local produce straight from the farm. However, as consumer demand rises, so does the risk of a disconnection from food production – and one hell of a carbon footprint.

If organic farmers sell produce to the large food chains – that demand large volumes and standardised produce – they will deny consumers seasonal and other variations in produce that organic farming has traditionally embraced. We run the risk of organic food moving away from its farming roots.

If the organic community wants consumers to embrace their products, they need to be affordable; not a self-proclaimed panacea to the ills of a modern, indulgent society.

Source: Courier Mail