AAP Report Assesses Organic Foods for Children

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published its first report on organic foods, concluding that it’s more important for children to eat a wide variety of healthy produce than to emphasize an organic diet. Joel Forman, et al., “Organic Foods: Health and Environmental Advantages and Disadvantages,” Pediatrics, October 2012. According to AAP, research has “convincingly demonstrated” that organic diets can reduce consumer exposure to pesticides and drug-resistant diseases. “However, no well-powered human studies have directly demonstrated health benefits or disease protection as a result of consuming an organic diet,” states the report, which urges pediatricians to discuss the weight of scientific evidence when approached by families interested in consuming organic foods.

“What’s most important is that children eat a healthy diet rich in fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, whether
those are conventional or organic foods. This type of diet has proven health
benefits,” one of the report authors said in an October 22, 2012, AAP press
release. “Many families have a limited food budget, and we do not want
families to choose to consume smaller amounts of more expensive organic
foods and thus reduce their overall intake of healthy foods like produce.”