Anyone who has cruised around a Japanese supermarket or the basement of a department store has no doubt feasted their eyes on the robust, red and super-shiny apples at about ¥1,000 a pop.
Whatever the price, they're supposed to keep the doctor away — but is it possible that they may be sending us to one instead? Just how healthy are the fruits and vegetables we fill our baskets with each week?
As people in developed countries have become aware of the chemicals used in industrial farming, the demand for food labeled as "organic" has grown. Broadly speaking, this means produce that is grown without the use of pesticides, sludge from sewage, artificial fertilizers or human waste, or animals that are reared without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics.