Summary
Demand for organic meat is partially driven by consumer perceptions that organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods. However, there have been no systematic reviews comparing specifically the nutrient content of organic and conventionally produced meat. In this study, we report results of a meta-analysis based on sixty-seven published studies comparing the composition of organic and non-organic meat products. For many nutritionally relevant compounds (e.g. minerals, antioxidants and most individual fatty acids (FA)), the evidence base was too weak for meaningful meta-analyses. However, significant differences in FA profiles were detected when data from all livestock species were pooled. Concentrations of SFA and MUFA were similar or slightly lower, respectively, in organic compared with conventional meat. Larger differences were detected for total PUFA and n-3 PUFA, which were an estimated 23 (95 % CI 11, 35) % and 47 (95 % CI 10, 84) % higher in organic meat, respectively. However, for these and many other composition parameters, for which meta-analyses found significant differences, heterogeneity was high, and this could be explained by differences between animal species/meat types. Evidence from controlled experimental studies indicates that the high grazing/forage-based diets prescribed under organic farming standards may be the main reason for differences in FA profiles. Further studies are required to enable meta-analyses for a wider range of parameters (e.g. antioxidant, vitamin and mineral concentrations) and to improve both precision and consistency of results for FA profiles for all species. Potential impacts of composition differences on human health are discussed.
Outcomes reported
Source report: Diets & Regenerative Agriculture: Can Regenerative Agriculture support food security and diet goals? (2025); Diets & Regenerative Agriculture (2025); Can regenerative agriculture deliver nutritious food and a just food system? (TABLE/Agile, 2025) File: Diets and Regenerative Agriculture.pdf; Reckoning with Regeneration full report December 2025.pdf Ref#: Diets and Regenerative Agriculture.pdf #43 Original: Średnicka-Tober, D., Barański, M., Seal, C., Sanderson, R., Benbrook, C., Steinshamn, H., Gromadzka-Ostrowska, J., Rembiałkowska, E., Skwarło-Sońta, K., Eyre, M., Cozzi, G., Krogh Larsen, M., Jordon, T., Niggli, U., Sakowski, T., Calder, P. C., Burdge, G. C., Sotiraki, S., Stefanakis, A., … Leifert, C. (2016b). Composition differences between organic and conventional meat: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Nutrition, 115(6), 994- 1011. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114515005073; Finch, Tom, et al. "Bird conservation and the land sharing-sparing continuum in farmland dominated landscapes of lowland England." Conservation Biology, vol. 33, no. 5, 2019, pp. 987-1229, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114515005073; Średnicka-Tober, D., et al. "Composition differences between organic and conventional meat: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis." British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 115, no. 6, pp. 994- 1011, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114515005073.RegenerativeAgriculturePage62
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