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If you're among the growing number of Canadians who buy organic foods, you've probably noticed it's easier to find a wider variety of products - and they're not confined to health-food stores.

With sales increasing at a rate of 20 per cent a year, mainstream grocery stores - even Wal-Mart - are offering organic products.

Soon it will be even easier to spot organic groceries on store shelves. As part of the government's newly revised Organic Products Regulations, passed in December, 2006, a voluntary "Canada Organic" logo is being phased in over the next two years.

The new logo will identify foods that meet national criteria for organic agriculture and contain at least 95 per cent organic ingredients. The logo is intended to protect you against false organic claims. (The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will ensure that products carrying the logo meet the new organic regulations.)

Simply stated, organic produce and grains cannot be grown with synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, food additives or sewage sludge, and can't be genetically modified or irradiated. Organic animals produced for meat, poultry, eggs and dairy cannot be treated with growth hormones or antibiotics and must be given organic feed and access to sufficient space and the outdoors.

(In Canada, growth hormones are given only to conventionally raised beef cattle. Conventionally raised veal calves, chicken, hogs and dairy cows are not given growth hormones.)

The term "organic" is not synonymous with "natural." There's no regulated definition as to what constitutes a natural food. In general, good manufacturers use the term "natural" to describe a food that's been minimally processed and is free of synthetic additives.

Recognizing the Canada Organic logo on a carton of milk or box of breakfast cereal may make it easier to swallow the higher price tag (organic foods cost up to 50 per cent more than conventional versions), but it's not a guarantee that organic foods are better for your health. Whether eating organic helps ward off cancer or even boost your nutrient intake is under debate.

Certain organic crops have been shown to have higher amounts of vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus than their conventional counterparts. But most experts feel the slight increase is not enough to make a discernible difference to health. Preliminary research also suggests that some organic produce contains higher levels of polyphenols, natural compounds thought to have anti-cancer properties in humans.

Many people choose organic as a way of limiting exposure to pesticide residues. The concern is that consuming many different pesticide residues from conventionally grown produce may increase the risk of cancer.

Studies conducted in the United States have determined that organic foods contain fewer and generally lower levels of pesticide residues than conventionally grown foods. (Most of the residues in organic foods are the result of environmental contamination by past pesticide use on the farm or by sprays blown from nearby non-organic farms.) Research has also revealed that adults and children who consume organic foods have lower levels of pesticides in their bodies.

Yet the potential health risks from consuming pesticide residues from foods have not been established. In 1997, a review from the National Cancer Institute of Canada concluded that pesticide residues from fruit and vegetables did not pose any increased risk of cancer. In fact, hundreds and hundreds of studies show that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables reduces, rather than increases, the risk of many cancers.

But not everyone needs proof that organic foods are healthier to justify buying them. When it comes to synthetic chemical residues in foods - pesticides, hormones or antibiotics - many people feel it's better to be safe than sorry. It's taken on faith that consuming fewer chemical residues translates into a lower health risk. Some people don't want to wait around to find out whether long-term exposure to pesticide residues does, in fact, increase cancer risk.

That's especially true for many women and parents of young children. Some scientists and watchdog groups worry that pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants and young children may be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticide residues, especially during critical periods of development.

If you want fewer pesticides in your body - and in the environment - organic foods are a better choice. There's little argument that organic farming is better for the environment. And in my opinion, that's the underlying point of organic agriculture - to produce foods in a way that encourages soil and water conservation, and reduces pollution. Organic farms don't release synthetic chemicals into the environment (some of which harm wildlife), they use less energy and they produce less waste.

There are some cases when organic may not be the best choice from an environmental perspective - particularly when the food comes from far away.

The concept of buying local is simply to purchase food grown or raised as close to your home as possible. As the distance food travels from the farm to your fork increases, so does the use of fossil fuels for transport, releasing pollutants into the atmosphere. Buying local food also usually means you're getting food at its prime; it will be fresher and taste better.

It's not always possible to buy organic food that's locally grown. If you're faced with a choice between a bag of organic spinach grown in California or non-organic locally grown spinach, you'll need to make a decision. And that decision will depend on what's most important to you.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV's Canada AM every Wednesday. Visit her website at lesliebeck.com.

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Best practices

Whether you shop for organic foods or not, take steps to ensure you handle your food safely:

Wash all produce - both conventional and organic - with running water (not soap) to reduce the amount of pesticide residues, bacteria and dirt. Peel fruits and vegetables; remove and discard outer leaves of lettuce, leafy greens and cabbage. Scrub thick-skinned produce such as potatoes, carrots and parsnips.

Remove visible fat from meat, and skin from poultry and fish, before cooking since some pesticides are stored in animal fat.

Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day to minimize your exposure to a particular pesticide residue.

If you're considering adding a few organic foods to your shopping cart, focus on foods that your family eats the most, such as fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy. Organic foods can also be purchased from food box/delivery programs, farmers' markets, food co-ops or directly from a farm.