Happy New Year! One of my favorite media phenomena opened 2008 - stories with long legs. In the middle of last summer, the press widely covered UC Davis assistant professor Alyson Mitchell's research comparing organic with conventional tomatoes, as was reported in this blog on July 9. The San Francisco Chronicle tackled the topic on November 28, and their article was picked up today in the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch.
The Chron story said hardly a week goes by without a headline about research that shows organic tomatoes, corn or other fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients, especially vitamin C and other antioxidants. Mitchell's research comparing organic and conventional tomatoes showed the organic fruit contained 79 percent more of one antioxidant, and 97 percent more of another. Nevertheless, Mitchell cautioned that "organic" doesn't always mean "more nutritious."
"Where the tomatoes were grown, what kind of tomatoes they are, how ripe they were when they were picked, if they were kept cool or not, and how long they've been in the store all affect nutrient levels," the article says.
My prediction for the New Year . . . the media will continue to cover organic agriculture, even though the term appeared on a list of words that have been "banished," according to Lake Superior State University. Based on the comments on the page, the term may not be overused as much as under-understood.