BOULDER, COLO. — In a statement recently released by The Organic Center, it strongly refutes what it calls "misleading nutritional claims" made by the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency study on the health value of organic foods.

"Dr. Alan Dangour and his U.K. colleagues claim the nutritional benefits of organic food are 'not important.' Left unchallenged, the U.K. team's study and Dr. Dangour's remarks could erode consumer confidence in the inherent nutritional and health benefits of organic food," the statement said. "Among the multiple missteps in the F.S.A.'s analysis are a failure to properly assess differences in the levels of key polyphenols and antioxidants and not using stringent guidelines to determine whether the studies are scientifically valid."

In The Organic Center’s March 2008 study covering many of the same studies comparing nutrient levels in organic and conventional foods, O.C. said it confirmed organic foods were, on average, 25% higher across 11 key nutrients compared to conventional foods.

"Significant new science released since early 2008, which was the cut-off date for studies included in both the F.S.A.'s and our study, provide additional strong support for the conclusion that organic foods offer nutritional and public health benefits," the statement said. "We call upon government bodies, academic institutions, business leaders and consumers to join us in contesting this incomplete and flawed analysis of the benefits of organic food and farming."