Organic Baby Food?

The kid is now six months old, and we started solids a few weeks ago. We have now progressed to carrots, and sweet potato etc is coming up fast. The big question is – Organic or not?
Children are more susceptible to ill effects of pesticides and other contaminants. The scientific finding are mixed at best though. A study by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in 2002 found that 7.7% of conventional prepared baby food contained traces of pesticide, while 6% of those labeled “organic” had detectable levels of pesticides. (See the study) Of the 412 samples analyzed, one regular sample and one organic sample had levels of pesticides that exceeded maximum residue level (MRL) allowed by the federal governement and the USFDA.

Perhaps most surprising is that supposedly organic products had pesticide residues in them. On the other hand Consumer Reports cites a study in Washington state that showed that the levels of pesticides in children’s urine decreased significantly when they were switched to an organic diet.

My health concerns about baby food are not limited to pesticides however. I am more concerned about the presence of growth hormones and high levels of antibiotics used in raising beef, poultry and pork. (Modern poultry and pork farming are especially revolting). Organic meats avoid this problem.

For the moment I think that I will use organic meats and eggs, and I will continue to think about the fruits and veggies.

I haven’t forgotten the price issue – organic produce and meats often cost significantly more than regular foods.

What do you do?