ABSTRACTThe present study was designed to provide experimental data which would bear on undocumented claims as to the superior flavor of so called “organic” or “natural” foods. Four vegetables (lettuce, green beans, broccoli greens, and carrots) were grown under three conditions: depleted soil (no additional fertilizer or pesticides); commercially fertilized (plus pesticides), and organically fertilized (manure, no pesticides). Fifty consumer subjects evaluated the four vegetables individually in separate sessions, using a 1 to 9 hedonic rating scale. A fifth evaluation of beans, broccoli and carrots was conducted on vegetables grown under just the commercial and organic conditions, but with products correctly and incorrectly labelled commercial or organic. Analysis of variance indicated no significant differences for lettuce or green beans due to growing conditions. There was a significant preference for the commercial and depleted samples of carrots over the organic sample in the separate sessions, but not in the label study. Organic broccoli was preferred to depleted and commercial samples in the separate sessions study, and to commercial in the label study. In the latter study there was a significant difference for type of vegetable (beans and carrots preferred to broccoli) and for label (organic preferred to commercial). The data indicated that the consumer would not be getting a more acceptable product if organically grown vegetables were pu
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