TWO STUDIES ~Here they are:
(Click and you shall receive)

The REAL Rutgers Research
Variation in Mineral Composition of Vegetables
By Firman E. Baer, Stephen J. Toth, & Arthur L. Prince 1949

Doctor's Data Inc. Study
Organic Foods vs Supermarket Foods: Element Levels
By Bob L. Smith 1993

For those of you who did not arrive here via OEFFA News, these are two studies that appear to the be the sources for an inaccurate article on the superior value of organic foods that has been around for many years but has recently been heavily circulated on the web, and appeared in the Winter 2000 issue of OEFFA News.

The impressive numbers used in this article to "prove" the superior value of organic produce match those found in a1949 study done by Rutgers on the mineral composition of vegetables grown in different parts of the United States. While there was some attention paid to fertilization practices, the study had nothing to do with organic agriculture or produce. The approach sited in the article (the purchase and comparison of organic and commercial produce as found in the market place) matches the approach used in the study done by Doctor's Data Inc., this study, however, did not report specific mineral content of the vegetables.

While the superior value article was a misrepresentation of these pieces of research and should be disregarded, the original research continues to be good reading for anyone interested in the topic. For more information please check out the follow-up article that appeared in the Spring 2000 issue of the OEFFA News.