Demand from food and non-food consumers for organic food and ingredients is steadily increasing. Statistically, it is women who consume more organic food.

Food

Organic food of plant origin has the advantage of having a higher vitamin C and polyphenol content and a rather low nitrate content compared to non-organic food, and only traces or absence of pesticides.

Organic products of animal origin have the advantage of containing unsaturated fatty acids that can provide more health benefits.

The production of organic food should include the elimination of pesticides, the use of natural fertilisers, crop rotation, and the control of diseases and weeds. There are private inspection bodies that, through their own technicians, examine farms and products on the basis of European Regulation 2018/848 on organic production and labelling of organic products (1).

It sounds odd, but the scientific literature does not completely agree on the benefits of consuming organic food compared to consuming non-organic food. However, the studies were conducted on statements and answers of the respondents who may not even be aware of the real composition of the food consumed or may not correspond to the truth. For example, in this study (2) it was concluded that "there was little or no decrease in cancer incidence associated with consumption of organic food, except perhaps for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.", but the question "Do you eat organic food?" was rather vague and it is uncertain whether the respondents were aware of the exact meaning of organic food and the correct amounts of truly organic food intake or compatible with their health condition. 

From the many studies reviewed, I have observed that more warning is given to the nutritional aspect, relegating to the background the neurotoxic and endocrine disrupting aspect of pesticides for which the emphasis is on the safety of the minimum amount set by law.  This reassures the consumer, but while it is important that the quantity of pesticides does not exceed a certain amount set by law, it is also important to warn about the type of pesticides used. Science is evolving rapidly and some chemical compounds permitted today may soon be withdrawn from the market, so, in my opinion, if fertilisation is done naturally and not chemically, health risks should be more limited, if not absent.

Cosmetics

The main problems in cosmetics are their preservation and colouring The cosmetics industries have put an impressive amount of chemical preservatives into creams, lotions, ointments and other personal care products: parabens, formaldehyde releasers, triclosan, organic acids, phenoxyethanol, etc., as well as chemical colouring agents: titanium dioxide, various iron oxides, etc. These chemical agents have produced a number of toxic effects on a large number of consumers. These chemical agents have produced a number of toxic effects on a large number of consumers. Between 2008 and 2014, the European Commission, through the RAPEX rapid alert system, recalled a large number of cosmetic products from 14 European countries (3) that, for the most part, contained quantities of chemical compounds exceeding the norm. The European Regulation No. 1223/2009 of 30/1/2009 (4) regulates the matter.

Natural products such as essential oils, herbal extracts, botanical ingredients act very well with the same functions as chemical compounds in cosmetic products, they only have the disadvantage that they can be included in small quantities due to their penetrating odour or other organoleptic characteristics that make their use more expensive such as pH dependence, volatility, loss of concentration in dilutions, lipophilic aspects.

In the face of a lower incidence of intolerances and allergies, cost is the factor limiting the effective use of organics in food and cosmetics.

For more information:

Organic, studies

References___________________________________________________________________

(1) L_2018150IT.01000101.xml (europa.eu) 

(2) Bradbury KE, Balkwill A, Spencer EA, Roddam AW, Reeves GK, Green J, Key TJ, Beral V, Pirie K; Million Women Study Collaborators. Organic food consumption and the incidence of cancer in a large prospective study of women in the United Kingdom. Br J Cancer. 2014 Apr 29;110(9):2321-6. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2014.148.

(3) Neza, Edlira, and Marisanna Centini. 2016. "Microbiologically Contaminated and Over-Preserved Cosmetic Products According Rapex 2008–2014" Cosmetics 3, no. 1: 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics3010003

(4) EUR-Lex - 32009R1223 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)