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A lot has been said about the higher nutritional content of organic foods. There have not been enough studies carried out to categorically prove this point, but growing in healthy soils can only result in healthy crops. Even a monkey knows that, according to what’s happening in Denmark.

Monkeys at Copenhagen Zoo are going "ape" over organic bananas and other fruits, rejecting conventional fruits left in their cages! This might be telling us something about what it is that our bodies instinctively know to be good for us. According to zoo keepers :"If we give them organic and conventional bananas, they systematically choose the organic bananas, which they eat with skin on. But they peel the conventional bananas before eating them. Their choice is not at all random".

A recent American study found that organic crops of corn, strawberries, and marionberries contained significantly higer levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown crops.They were found to have 58%, 50%, and 19% more antioxidants than sprayed crops. The findings indicate that the use of pesticides and herbicides hampers the plant’s production of powerful antioxidants called phenolics.

Mineral content of organic foods (from Journal of Applied Nutrition 45 (1993) 35-39)
Calcium 63% higher
Iodine 73% higher
Iron 59% higher
Magnesium 138% higher
Potassium 125% higher
Selenium 90% higher

Mineral content in mg/kg (from a study commissioned by the Organic Retailers and Growers Association of Australia, as cited in Pesticides and You, Vol 20, no. 1, spring 2000)

Organic oranges appear to be 30% higher in Vit C than conventional oranges despite being smaller in size (Science Daily Magazine, June2, 2002)

In another study reported in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry organic corn, blackberries and strawberries have been found to have more cancer fighting antioxidants called phenolics, or flavinoids, than conventionally grown crops.

Conventional produce also tends to contain more water than organic produce, which contains more dry matter (on average, 20% more) for a given total weight . Thus, the higher cost of fresh organic produce is partly offset by purchasers of conventional produce paying for the extra weight of water and getting only 83% of nutrients.