Thank you for the shout-out! As a scientist, I feel that an emphasis on science communication is more critical now than ever in this time of celebrity health “experts”, “fake news”, and in general, a strong anti-science movement.

FYI, I may tweak my article: Three Myths About Organic Food to clarify that my intent is not to be “anti-organic” but rather to have a science-based discussion of the health aspect of the this decision when it comes to fruits and veggies.

I think that choosing organic has some parallels to choosing to exclude meat or dairy. Many people make this choice because it feels like the “right” thing to do environmentally and otherwise, then find themselves telling everyone it’s the healthiest choice. The reality is that it may or may not be a health win depending on which specific choices you make from the plant-based cornucopia and what you were eating otherwise.

Just as I discourage vegans from promising that plant-based diets are “cure-all”, I think the organic movement is best served by focusing on benefits that are rooted in facts (such as the founding ethos). I do currently buy organic milk only because my superficial research tells me this is better from a humane perspective, but want to dig deeper here. I make the same decision about organic eggs. I do not, however, factor organic into my produce choices, but my analysis is based on lack of evidence for better personal health outcomes based on the different pesticides used.

I would love to better understand the farmer’s perspective, and what goes into the decision of whether or not to follow organic practices. It seems that many people assume that it’s an oversimplification to think that all organic farmers only care about health of customers and environment and not about profit, and that the reverse is true of non-organic farmers. I would guess that many non-organic farmers would disagree!

This topic definitely warrants a separate discussion.