Since high doses of pesticides have been shown to cause severe health defects in lab animals, many consumers worry about ingesting these chemicals and buy organic foods to avoid potential health risks. Despite claims that organic foods are better for your health, no clear scientific evidence exists that organically produced foods provide a health or safety advantage. Nutritionally, organically and conventionally grown foods are the same. However, it's important to note that organic foods perish more readily because they usually lack preservatives. However, no U.S. government standards exist for organic products.
Regulation is left up to individual states, which have varying standards.
In 1990, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act, which called for nationwide organic guidelines. A panel of experts, along with the USDA, released proposed standards defining more clearly what can be labeled organic. These standards are being reviewed and revised after much debate from both the conventional and organic farming industries. We'll know when the standards become law. The organic food market is a growing billion dollar industry.