Consumers may choose to buy organic fruit, vegetables and meat because they believe them to be more nutritious than other food. However, the balance of current scientific evidence does not support this view. A 12-month systematic review commissioned by the FSA in 2009, based on 50 years' worth of collected evidence concluded that there is no good evidence that consumption of organic food is beneficial to health in relation to nutrient content.
Other studies have found no proof that organic food offers greater nutritional values, more consumer safety or any distinguishable difference in taste. A review of nutrition claims showed that organic food proponents are unreliable information sources which harm consumers and that consumers are wasting their money if they buy organic food believing that it contains better nutrients. Minor differences in ascorbic acid, protein concentration and several micronutrients have been identified between organic and conventional foods, but it doesn't appear that these have any impact on human health.
There is no proof that organic food is more nutritious or safer, and most studies that have compared the taste and organoleptic quality of organic and conventional foods report no consistent or significant differences between organic and conventional produce. Therefore, claiming that all organic food tastes different from all conventional food would not be correct.
Among the well-designed studies with respect to fruits and vegetables that have found differences, the vast majority favour organic produce. As with vegetable produce, there is evidence that some organic fruit is drier than conventionally grown fruit. Unless this factor is taken into account a higher content of a nutrient might be explained by a higher dry-matter (lower moisture) content.
A slightly drier fruit may also have a more intense flavor due to the higher concentration of nutrients, and as a result may be preferred by the consumer. There is evidence that some organically grown fruits has a higher resistance to deterioration and better keeping quality, attributed to a lower moisture content.
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