Consumers have spent years paying over the odds for organic foods based on the erroneous belief – promulgated by stakeholders with a vested interest – that they are healthier and safer than their conventional counterparts, claims a controversial new report.

While consumers buy organic for lots of reasons, consumer research shows that sustainability and animal welfare concerns are not key purchase drivers, claim the authors of The Organic Marketing Report, posted on the Academics Review website.

Instead the erroneous belief that organic foods are healthier, coupled with “perceived [and the authors argue, unfounded] safety concerns tied to pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and GMOs” are the “critical components driving sales,” they argue.

Read the full, original article: The organic food industry has been engaged in a ‘multi-decade public disinformation campaign’, claims report