The Soil Association complained that the FSA had failed to acknowledge the effect of pesticides and studies that showed compounds in organic crops to be more nutritionally desirable.
FSA chief executive Tim Smith responded that the use of pesticides ‘does not pose an unacceptable risk to human health and helps to ensure a plentiful supply of food all year round', and was therefore excluded from the report. He also added that the message to be drawn from the report ‘is not that people should avoid organic food, but that they should eat a healthy balanced diet'.
However, the FSA's conclusions have been interpreted by some observers as likely to damage the organic market.
See next week's Marketing (12 August) for an analysis of the organic food sector.
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