Organic food: medical and social aspect.

The article presents current information on trends in the consumption of organic food products in the world, information from foreign studies on their impact on public health. The market for these food products has grown significantly since the late 20th century and today represents a multi-billion dollar industry with distinct production, processing, distribution and retail systems. The relevance of studying the prevalence of consumption of organic food products among the population of various countries is increasing due to the increase in the modern world of demand and motivation among social groups of the population, especially among adherents of a healthy lifestyle. The purpose of the study is to review and analyze modern scientific foreign literature on the development of the organic food market from the standpoint of health conservation and medical and social perspectives. As a result of the review, it was revealed that the understanding currently clearly manifested in various social circles of the need to improve the level of quality of health of the individual and the population as a whole, the demand for the production of safe, micronutrient-rich, healthy food products, especially products of plant origin, actualize the expansion of production organic food products. In many countries around the world, there is an increase in consumer demand for organic food products; their regular consumers are people, mainly women, who care about their health, are physically active, have a higher level of education and income, and live mainly in high-income countries. The certain high cost of organic food products, depending on labor-intensive production methods and certification costs, often leads to unequal access to organic food products. The positive impact of organic foods on health status and the risk of developing chronic diseases is associated with a higher content of biologically active compounds and a lower content of substances harmful to health. Overall, large intervention and population-based studies are needed on the health effects of organic foods, comparing the quality, safety, bioactive compounds, nutritional and phytochemical value of foods in conventional and organic production systems using new research methods.