Much of this has been debated before, here and elsewhere. There
are a very large number of factors that have to be taken into
account, not all of which are measurable in a strict sense. A
few points worth considering, some of which have already been
noted in this discussion, listed here in no particular order: -
Is it appropriate simply to divide foods into "organic" and
"conventional"? Does this not presume that the various means of
classifying "organic," which vary widely across the US depending
on lots of factors, are themselves highly reliable? But this has
been questioned many times. Think of it this way: if WalMart
(for example) decides that there may be a high profit margin in
the label "organic," they will agitate to be able to use it, and
will want to be able to use it with the minimal cost to
themselves. That's business. But this puts considerable pressure
on the USDA and others to develop a standard for the label
"organic" that is minimally intrusive or constricting for big
retailers -- and thus fo