Eating organic food is great because it eases our guilt over driving a gas-guzzling vehicle, taking hour-long showers, and wearing fur coats.

For some years now, organic food has been sold as a healthier and more planet-friendly alternative to the frankenfood we eat daily. But a new studyclaims that the $27 billion industry could be a sham.

Long marketed as an all-natural option, that organic label has become a major force in the grocery and restaurant industries. People looking for healthier options, whether its meals with more vitamins or fewer pesticides, have found those in foods with the pricey “organic” label. But new research from Stanford University indicates that organic foods do not offer any more nutrients or vitamins than those of the regular variety.

When it came to the health of organic food eaters, results showed no major differences between theirs and the well-being of non-organic food eaters. Therefore, one of the major selling points for organic food might have been a myth all along.

Organic food providers do have some hope, however, as the study also concluded that organic food contained lower pesticide levels. Organic produce, for one, was found to be 30% less likely to be contaminated by pesticides. Not only is that a sigh of relief for many organic food eaters, but it is better for the environment.

But the good news didn’t last long, as another study found that while “organic farms were less polluting for a given area of land, but were often more polluting per unit of food produced,” as can be read on New Scientist. While some might suggest that a conspiracy to make more money off would-be shoppers might be afoot, the reality might just be a bit scarier: we might have to just change our eating habits.

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