With organic food products making the news frequently these days there are a lot of questions asked by people as to what the advantages and disadvantages of these products are. Are they as healthy and toxin free as they are made out to be? Are they affordable for the average customer? Are they nutritious? As with everything else, there are various advantages and disadvantages to organic food.

It is believed on the basis of research conducted by various scientists that organic food has superior nutritional value to food grown through normal methods. Food grown through the regular methods tends to have large quantities of pesticides and fertilizers in them. This restricts their ability to produce enough quantities of phytochemicals. One of the problems of not having enough phytochemicals in food is that the consumer is at a much greater risk of contracting various diseases. However, since organic food items do not have negative influences like pesticides in them, they are able to produce phytochemicals freely. These properties subsequently work to the welfare of the consumer as he is able to eat healthy food.

The second question that many people have in their minds is whether growing organic food is good for the environment. On this account as well, these kinds of food products score over their conventional counterparts. One of the major benefits is that this type of farming uses considerably less energy than that used by conventional farming. It helps in developing a richer variety of soil since it limits the quantities of pollution in the groundwater. It has been found that organic farming plays an important role in reducing erosion.

Of course, consumers always have a question with regard to the cost. This is where the conventional food products score over the organic varieties. Organic food products do cost a lot. Many consumers from low income homes might find these products too expensive to buy. That is why they are primarily sold in upper middle class or rich areas, where consumers have the deep pockets to buy such items. In fact, organic food producers in India tended to earn most of their income from selling to customers in Europe and North America. It is only through the growth of the upper middle class in India are these producers now starting to find a local market for their products. But if you can afford it, buy it.