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Is Organic Really Better? Healthy Food or Trendy Scam?

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2 HN users recommended this explainer2 months2019–2025 score 2
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

Cited as a sourced overview of what organic means and how it compares on pesticides and nutrition.

A Kurzgesagt explainer asking whether organic food is really healthier or better for the environment. It defines what organic means and looks at pesticide use, nutrition and environmental impact, with sources.

“Kurzgesagt has a pretty great video[0] about organic food, and goes a little bit into what the definition of "organic" means.” (HN, 2019)

2 recommendations · 3 citations · Explainers

5 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@jedimastert Nov 2019 Recommends
on HN thread Glyphosate in Organic Hydroponic Food Production
Read more
Kurzgesagt has a pretty great video[0] about organic food, and goes a little bit into what the definition of "organic" means. Digging through his citations[1] (which is awesome, btw), as far as American legal definitions and pesticides and the whatnot are concerned, the relevant law[2] says that pest and disease problems can be controlled using "non-synthetic controls, such as...repellents", meaning that pesticides can be used, as long as they're also "organic" (which, he notes later in the video, there are slightly less, but still non-zero traces of, and not necessarily safer[3]) That being said, there really shouldn't be a worry about traces of "chemicals" on organic OR non-organic produce, as the FDA has very strict guide lines and testing procedures that produce sellers go through[4] before sending out produce that almost everyone is well under. [0]: [this video] [1]: [link] [2]: [link] [3]: [link] [4]: [link]
Explains what organic means and pesticide use, with cited sources.

Citations, criticism and jokes

@hypertele-Xii May 2021 Cites it
on HN thread Green gold: Avocado farming on the rise in Africa
The research is mixed and inconclusive. A 2019 meta-analysis by Kurzgesagt [1] claims that organic food is slightly more nutritious with increased levels of antioxidants. [1] [this video] In my personal experience, I can taste the frigging poison in non-organic produce, and processed food just makes me more hungry.
Meta-analysis suggests organic food slightly more nutritious.
@neuralkoi Dec 2025 Cites it
on HN thread Chemical Hygiene
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I can do all of this and be hit by a bus tomorrow. I'm not saying don't do it, but there's already so many assumptions made. It's also playing whack-a-mole. For example, organic might not exactly [0] be what you think it is [1]. What's more important is that you actually do eat enough fruits and vegetables. Reverse osmosis membranes are made of plastic [2] and might themselves be introducing tons of microplastics to the water [3]. Our parents got leaded gasoline. We get microplastics. The bandwidth to focus on these kind details usually comes with certain financial security. There's simply too many variables. Your average joe who can't use "Locale" to source their food. (An interesting experiment is to grab the text body of this blog post and ask AI to estimate the author's net worth and yearly salary.) “A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” -- John A Shedd [0] [link] [1] [this video] [2] [link] [3] [link]
Organic may not be what you think.

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