Viewpoint: Organic ingredients don’t make junk food less fattening or more nutritious

organic doritos
Credit: The Marketing Sage

Our increasingly health-conscious society has created more and more of a demand for organic versions of our favorite junk foods ― things like Newman’s Own “Oreos” or Annie’s boxed mac and cheese ― and American consumers are eating it up. But are these products actually healthier for us than their non-organic equivalents?

Studies show that organic crops contain higher levels of antioxidants and certain vitamins and minerals, for one, and organic dairy contains much higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, eating organically means limiting your exposure to chemical pesticides and herbicides….

[Editor’s note: Current research shows no significant nutritional difference between organic and conventional food. Pesticides on food currently pose no threat to human health.]

[O]rganic junk foods are often identical to their conventional counterparts. They tend to be equally high in sugar and low in protein and fiber, which makes a food less satiating and more likely to cause health problems long term.

Organic junk foods also may contain similarly refined sugars and starches. Although the USDA restricts the use of high fructose corn syrup….brown rice syrup ― a highly refined sweetener with an equally high glycemic index ― is often used as a replacement.

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}

Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

Screenshot-2026-06-17-at-12.31.01-PM
Viewpoint: The dangerous influence of ‘woke’ post-modernism in science
Screenshot-2026-06-26-at-10.14.50-AM
Viewpoint: The facts behind the grifter-promoting wellness and anti-aging peptide craze: Don’t waste your money
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-26-2026-01_21_33-PM
How the dubious, Trump-backed, addictive drug kratom could enrich cabinet secretary Markwayne Mullin
Screenshot-2026-06-25-at-11.18.03-AM
Viewpoint: Appreciating a simpler past without swallowing the misleading ‘nature is healthier and safer’ myth
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-26-2026-12_10_16-PM
Europe’s heat wave fueled recycled climate-denial narratives and harassment of climate scientists
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-25-2026-12_23_17-PM
No, Bill Gates did not secretly engineer ticks to promote veganism
ChatGPT-Image-Mar-10-2026-01_39_01-PM
Viewpoint—“Miracle molecule” debunked: Why acemannan supplements don’t work
Screenshot-2026-06-25-at-1.48.40-PM
Glyphosate affirmed as safe: Supreme Court rejects lawsuit claiming Roundup herbicide causes cancer, upholding EPA determination
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-26-2026-11_34_33-AM
Viewpoint: RFK, Jr.’s vaccine subterfuge campaign now flies below the media radar
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-19-2026-04_11_20-PM
Daubert for Dummies—Scientific Reliability in U.S. Courts: Daubert, Rule 702, and Made-for-Litigation Evidence
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-17-2026-10_52_43-AM
Anguished parents, doctors in tears: Utah’s long measles outbreak takes a toll
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-23-2026-01_12_57-PM
After Mel Gibson’s Joe Rogan comments, grifters promoting ivermectin, without evidence, as a hantavirus preventive 
ChatGPT-Image-Jun-23-2026-03_12_23-PM
Is cellular reprogramming junk science? Nearly 20 patients are getting eye injections in the first FDA-cleared cellular trial
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.