Wild Birds Opt for Conventional Food Over Organic, Study Shows

[The Straight Story]

Wild Birds Opt for Conventional Food Over Organic, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (May 18, 2010) — The nutritional benefits of organic food have been called into question by new research which shows wild garden birds prefer conventional seed to that which has been organically- grown.

A three-year study by Newcastle University has found that wild birds are not swayed by the organic label, but instead prefer the more protein-rich, conventional food that will help them to survive the winter.

Published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, lead researcher Dr Ailsa McKenzie said the findings were likely to be of "considerable interest to the general public in the debate over the relative merits of consuming organic food."

"Our results suggest that the current dogma that organic food is preferred to conventional food may not always be true," explains Dr McKenzie, based in the School of Biology at Newcastle University.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100518230515.htm

[Vinnie From Indy]

1. What a thoroughly idiotic conclusion

I find this line mildly amusing:

"The nutritional benefits of organic food have been called into question by new research which shows wild garden birds prefer conventional seed to that which has been organically- grown."

The fact is that food is either nutritional or it is not. The measure of nutrition should be a simple analysis and it has absolutely nothing to do with the preference of wild birds.

In addition, one could easily put nicotine or crack cocaine or any other highly addictive substance in food with hardly any nutritional value and animals would "prefer" it over any other food if they were susceptible to the addictive substance.

In short, preference for food has absolutely nothing to do with the nutrional value nor with the long term health of those consuming it. For example, if wild birds like processed, conventional food over organic food and eat it 100% of the time when offered a choice are they any healthier if they die years earlier than they would from eating organic food?

Lastly, the notion that humans should base their food choices on the preference of an animal with a brain the size of pea is quite funny.

[xchrom]

2. Doesn't mean it's good for them over the long term. Nt

[Love Bug]

3. Whenever I see stuff like this I ask, "Who paid for the research?"

Dollars to donuts says it was Monsanto or some like company.

[SPedigrees]

4. and Monsanto is grasping at straws with this idiocy. nt