Abstract
The market for organic products is growing rapidly, probably attributable to the general customer perception that they are healthier foods, with a better nutritional profile than conventional ones. Despite this, the available studies show limited differences in the nutrient profile of organically and conventionally primary food products. Apart from this literature, no studies have focused on the nutrition profile of commercially prepacked foods. Thus, the aim of the present survey was to compare the nutritional quality intended as nutrition facts of organic and conventional prepacked foods sold in Italy. A total of 569 pairs of prepacked products (organic and their conventional counterparts) were selected from nine food categories sold by online retailers. By comparing organic and conventional products in the “pasta, rice and other cereals” category, the former were lower in energy, protein, and higher in saturates compared to the latter. Organic “jams, chocolate spreads and honey” products were lower in energy, carbohydrates, sugars and higher in protein than their regular counterparts. No differences were found for energy, macronutrients and salt for other categories. Therefore, based on the mandatory information printed on their packaging, prepacked organic products are not of a superior nutritional quality than conventional ones, with just a few exceptions. Consequently, the present study suggests that organic certification cannot be considered an indication of better overall nutritional quality. Further studies examining the nutritional quality of organic foods, taking into account the ingredients used, might better explain the results obtained.
Highlights
Organic production has become increasingly important worldwide, as a potential alternative to conventional intensive agriculture, due to great concerns about the environment, food safety, and human health [1,2,3]
As stated in Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 [7], organic products can be defined as food products deriving from “organic production”, which means the use of the production method compliant with the rules established in the European Regulation, at all stages of production, preparation and distribution
The number of items with an Nutrition Claim (NC) was relatively similar for all categories of organic and their conventional counterparts, except for “pasta, rice and other cereals”, which had a greater number of products with claims for organic products (n = 60) than for non-organic ones (n = 7)
Summary
Organic production has become increasingly important worldwide, as a potential alternative to conventional intensive agriculture, due to great concerns about the environment, food safety, and human health [1,2,3]. The increase in production and consumption of organic foods is one of the major market trends of recent years [5]. Following the U.S, in 2017, the European organic food market was the second largest in the world in terms of sales with most of the organic food retailers mainly located in Germany, France and Italy [5]. A recent survey performed in Italy confirmed that the value of sales of the organic foods follows a positive trend [6]. As stated in Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 [7], organic products can be defined as food products deriving from “organic production”, which means the use of the production method compliant with the rules established in the European Regulation, at all stages of production, preparation and distribution. Organic production must be based on the appropriate design and management of biological processes based on ecological systems using natural resources while restricting the use of external inputs [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
