Since organic products have been grown without the intense use of chemical substances, their conventionally grown counterparts tend to be laden with pesticides. (For information on pesticide levels for types of produce, please go to www.foodnews.org .)

You greatly reduce the risk of exposure to the agent believed to cause mad cow disease and minimize exposure to other potential toxins in nonorganic feed. You also avoid the results of production methods that use daily supplemental hormones and antibiotics, which have been linked to increased antibacterial resistance in humans.