A study conducted in 2000 by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health interviewed more than 700 food shoppers in 10 major retail stores in Boston, Massachusetts. The goal was to identify differences, if any, between buyers of organically-grown and conventionally-grown produce.

It turns out that the organic buyers were involved in a number of health-promoting and environmentally-friendly behaviors. They were less trusting of federal food safety agencies. And they perceived organic foods as being safer.

Although organic foods are no tastier or nutritious than conventional food, it seems logical to assume that organic foods are safer than conventionally-grown foods because they contain smaller amounts of pesticides. However, studies since the 1970s have shown only tiny amounts of pesticides in both regular and organic foods.

An FDA report from 1999 found that about 60 percent of conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables had no detectable pesticides and only 1.2 percent of the products tested had levels that violated EPA standards.

Another study, in 1998 by Consumer Reports, found that traces of synthetic pesticides were found in 77 percent of conventional foods and 25 percent of organic foods, but only one sample in each category exceeded the federal limit.

The FDA believes that these amounts are no threat to health, and a researcher from Pennsylvania State University has stated that the risk from pesticide residues, if any, is miniscule, are not worth worrying about, and don't warrant paying higher prices. And a professor of food science at Rutgers University says that the amount of pesticides in conventional foods is too small to be a health threat. The profile of organic food buyers observed in the Boston study, however, suggests that they would dismiss out of hand any safety statements made by government sources or researchers who have carefully studied the issue.

Some purchasers of organic foods believe that these foods improve their feelings of well-being. For example, a newspaper article I read recently quoted an organic food buyer as follows: "I feel like it's healthier. I feel like I have more energy, and my skin is clearer when I eat it." Pardon my disbelief; it's hard to swallow that an organic food could impart greater energy or clearer skin.

More power to people who purchase organic foods. Even if organic foods contain only minimally lower levels of pesticides than conventional foods, who knows whether a slightly greater intake of pesticides over a period of many years may prove harmful? Certainly, other than a few more pennies in cost, there's no harm is going organic. However, I truly believe that people should spend more time worrying about a balanced diet, not overeating, and choosing the right foods rather than whether or not the foods they buy are organic.