…I’m still not aware of any studies showing better health outcomes for organic consumers. Maybe they’re yet to be conducted. Maybe Philpott’s circumstantial cases around nitrates and pesticides will prove true. But maybe not. As of now, they don’t show up in any observational or experimental data we have. From a public health perspective, I’m much more concerned with whether people consume fruits and vegetables than whether they consume organic fruits and vegetables.

That said, the evidence that organics are good for the environment, and the soil in particular, is very compelling. And the first part of Philpott’s post is a very elegant explanation of why.