Dr Libby: Is Organic Produce Worth It, Or Is It Overhyped?

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By Dr Libby Weaver

Wednesday Mar. 19, 2025

Viva

What are the benefits of your weekly farmer's market haul? Photo / Jerome Warburton

In this special series, guest writer Dr Libby Weaver offers the lowdown on fresh produce.

The debate around organic food is nothing new. Some people swear by it, insisting it’s the gold standard for health and sustainability, while others roll their eyes at the price tag and wonder if it’s

At the heart of this discussion is the impact of how food is grown – not just on the environment, but on our own bodies. Synthetic pesticides and insecticides were first developed in the 1940s – not even 100 years ago – so it’s possibly too soon to know enough about the true potential ramifications of consistent exposure. Yet, what we do know is that inside us, the liver takes on the responsibility to detoxify these substances (which, as manmade chemicals, would be harmful to us if they were allowed to accumulate) so we can eliminate them – a process that we want to occur as efficiently as possible. Detoxification is a natural process that is always occurring. However, the lifestyle choices we make – such as how much alcohol, ultra-processed food and other potentially problematic substances we ingest – influence its efficiency. You could think of this as a nudge to reassess how often you are consuming these things and seek to reduce them in support of your liver.

And there’s another twist: plants have their own natural defence mechanisms. When grown without synthetic pesticides, they produce protective compounds to fend off insects and disease. Interestingly, many of these compounds act as antioxidants in the human body, supporting cellular health and reducing inflammation. So when we intervene with chemical sprays, there are concerns that the plants don’t need to produce as many of these beneficial compounds, ultimately reducing their antioxidant content. Choosing organic means getting produce that not only lacks pesticide residues but is also richer in the natural compounds our bodies thrive on.

The importance of healthy soil

To fully appreciate organic farming, we must also consider the care and effort that goes into it. Organic and biodynamic farmers work tirelessly to nurture the soil, understanding that healthy soil sequesters carbon, produces nutrient-dense food and healthy animals. These methods of farming avoid synthetic fertilisers and pesticides and instead opt for managed grazing, composting, crop rotation and cover cropping to maintain soil fertility and biodiversity.

In conventional farming practices, soils tend to be used over and over again, usually without thorough nutrient replenishment. Synthetic fertilisers tend to contain only three nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This means there are at least 10 missing. Every time a crop of potatoes, for example, is grown, it draws whatever is in the soil into itself, whether those substances are nutrients, heavy metals or persistent pesticide residues. The plant uses the nutrients to grow and then we get the benefits of those nutrients when we eat that food. But if the nutrients aren’t replaced, or there is no crop rotation or grazing animals offering their manure as fertiliser, the soils risk being stripped of their minerals.

I once ran an organic cafe, and every week, a local farmer would deliver fresh greens picked that morning from his biodynamic farm. I regularly took time to chat with him, fascinated by his commitment to working with nature. One day, when I asked how he was, he sighed and told me of a recent invasion of snails in his broccoli patch. If he followed conventional farming methods, the solution would have been a quick spray of pesticides, problem solved in under 30 minutes. But because he farmed biodynamically, he refused to take that route. Instead, he spent two days on his hands and knees, carefully squirting a saltwater solution upward under each frond to loosen the snails’ grip. Rather than discarding them, he collected the snails and fed them to his chickens – keeping them in the food chain, as he so beautifully put it.

This story perfectly illustrates why organic food costs more. It’s not an inflated price – it’s an honest one, reflecting the labour, dedication and broad array of considerations that go into every bite. And as demand for organic food increases, prices will inevitably decrease.

Animal products can be organic too

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It’s not just fruit and vegetables where organic matters. When it comes to animal products, organic meats and eggs offer distinct benefits – both for our health and for the wellbeing of the animals themselves. Additionally, what an animal eats influences the nutritional quality of its meat and eggs. We are fortunate in New Zealand to have easy access to grass-fed lamb and beef with its relatively higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids (compared to grain-fed beef), which support heart and brain health. Plus, grass-fed meats typically contain higher concentrations of some important fat-soluble antioxidants such as vitamins A and E. Similarly, eggs from free-range hens who peck at natural foraging sources outside have higher vitamin D levels than those from caged hens who live inside.

While organic produce offers undeniable benefits, it isn’t always accessible or affordable for everyone. Thankfully, there are still ways to make more mindful choices. Many small farms grow food without synthetic pesticides but don’t carry organic certification due to the costs involved in obtaining this. Farmers’ markets are a great place to look for spray-free options and to ask about farming practices directly. I’ve also heard of clever companies that sell boxes of “ugly” or imperfect organic produce, that weren’t accepted by supermarkets, at lower prices – reducing food waste while making fresh food options more affordable.

It can be helpful to ponder how you could include more organic food into your week. You might find it worthwhile considering how you will eat the food. Take a banana, for example. You’ll peel it before eating so perhaps choosing an organic option is less important as we don’t know how much pesticide penetrates the skin. Whereas compared to an apple, where you’ll eat the skin as well, choosing an organic apple would be wiser. We can’t peel green leafy vegetables so they too might become a priority when it comes to choosing organically-grown or spray-free options.

Can I just wash my produce?

A study published in 2022 looked at the effectiveness of different washing strategies on pesticide removal from conventionally grown produce. The results were not only varied between rinsing methods – five minutes under running water versus boiling water versus salt water or vinegar washing – but were also dependent on the produce itself. The pesticides came away from lettuce far more easily than spinach, for example, information we can’t possibly know unless we keep ourselves abreast of such research – a near-impossible task! So let’s keep the suggestions practical: choose organic produce as often as you can. If those who can currently afford it buy it, that demand will make it cheaper so more people can access it.

Remember, organic farming is about more than just avoiding pesticides – it’s about cultivating nutrient-rich food, supporting environmental sustainability and respecting the intricate balance of our ecosystems. It’s about investing in your health in a way that benefits not just you, but also future generations. That being said, perfection isn’t the goal – progress is. Every small step toward more nutritious food choices counts. Whether that’s swapping conventionally grown spinach for organic, choosing grass-fed meat over grain-fed, or supporting a local farmer who grows spray-free produce, your decisions have a ripple effect. And when we demand better food, we help create a system where real, nourishing food becomes the norm, not the exception.

Dr Libby Weaver PhD is a nutritional biochemist, 13 times bestselling author and international keynote speaker. For more on supporting yourself inside and out visit Drlibby.com