1. Drink Clean Milk. Choose Organic!

In 2019, The Organic Center collaborated on a study showing that choosing organic is an easy way to avoid pesticide, antibiotic, and synthetic growth hormone residues in milk. Samples of conventional and organic milk from retail stores across the country were tested. A majority of the conventional milk samples tested positive for residues of antibiotics and pesticides, while organic milk showed no such contaminants. Furthermore, residues of growth hormones in conventional milk were 20 times higher than in organic.

2. Foster Biodiversity. Wake Up with Organic Coffee!

It is well known that organic farming practices increase biodiversity. A new study shows this is especially true for coffee. Both above and below ground insect populations were compared in conventional versus organic coffee farms in Brazil, the world’s second-largest coffee producing country. The study showed the diversity of soil insects, earthworms, and above ground insects was much greater on organic coffee farms

3. Support Farmer Livelihoods. Buy Organic!

A 2019 study published in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems found that organic farms in Washington state and California provide greater employment opportunities with more job stability when compared to county averages.

4. Feed Your Kids Organic… Even Before They’re Born!

A six-month diet intervention study published in the journal Environment International in 2019 found that eating organic can greatly reduce pesticide exposure during pregnancy. The study showed markedly less exposure to neurotoxic pyrethroid pesticides in an organic diet. Prenatal exposure to pyrethroids has been linked to behavior and developmental issues in children.

5. “Beef” Up Your Nutrition. Look for The Organic Label!

Choosing organic when you’re shopping for beef may be a good way to boost the nutrition in your meals, according to a 2019 study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. The study found more healthy antioxidants and fatty acids in organic beef—the organic beef was especially beneficial when it came to heart-healthy alpha-linolenic acid, with 170% higher levels than conventional beef.

6. Support Healthy Soil for Healthier Plants. Choose Organic!

A study published in 2019 showed that organic farming promotes beneficial soil fungi that leads to healthier crops with increased plant growth, vigor, and yield. While synthetic chemicals used in conventional farming reduce the amount and diversity of these microbes, the study, published in Nature: Scientific Reports, showed that organic farming boosts beneficial fungal communities in multiple crops. In turn, those fungi increase crop growth, health and overall yield.

7. Ensure Your Food Safety. Eat Organic Produce!

Several studies in 2019 suggest that organic systems are better at suppressing foodborne pathogens like E.coli. Research published in the journal Biological Control found that one way organic farms suppress pathogens is by supporting biodiversity that directly prevents pathogens. Researchers surveyed beetle communities on conventional and organic farms, and found that only organic farms fostered the right beetle species that directly suppresses E. coli. Another study in Frontiers in Microbiology looked at bacteria on food once it got to the grocery store and found that organic fruit may harbor fewer bacterial diseases than their conventional counterparts.

8. Keep Being Bee Friendly with Organic!

Every year more evidence points to the multitude of benefits organic farming provides pollinator communities. 2019 was no different, with a study showing that organic farming provides honeybees critical food sources in agricultural regions.

9. Ditch the Pesticides That Are Hiding in Your Body, In Less Than A Week! Eat Organic!

A 2019 study published in Environmental Research showed that switching from a conventional to an organic diet for less than a week reduced levels of pesticides in both children and adults. The study tested for a broad range of pesticides, including neonicotinoids.