No offence. But... No.
Pesticides do not "allow for healthier" crops. Organic plants do not have "stresses". These veggies and fruits grew for literally thousands of years without man helping alleviate their "stresses".
1) Pesticides allow for a plant to grow without bugs munching away at them. A plant with all it's leaves intact will grow faster than a plant with a bunch of holes in it's leaves because it has more surface for light to photosynthesize, allowing more energy to come in to produce bigger crops.
2) Plants have stress, and they've had it for literally MILLIONS of years. Ever put a house plant outside in the winter? How about not watering it? How about watering it too much? How about letting bugs eat it? Allowing too much sun on it? Not enough sun? Those are all stresses. Scientists are trying to make genetically modified crops to be resistant to those things so we use less fertilizer, less pesticides and plants that can cope with the climate change we're experiencing.
I agree with the last line. But the problem is that fruits and Veggies shouldn't stay "fresh" for as long as they do. Which gives them a poorer taste (in my opinion) and definitely not comparable to those I grow myself.
Some fruits and vegetables cannot simply be grown and delivered to my local grocery store the next day. We live in a world where if I want an avocado in the middle of a Canadian winter, I can go and pick it up at the grocery store. I have nothing against locally grown food or backyard farmers (my parents grow their own vegetables in their backyard), and it's obviously not comparable to grocery store vegetables, but not every crop can be grown in your backyard.
As for studies. I can google any study you put up and find an opposite opinion. Because studies don't prove anything. Science can be subjective depending on how you approach it. That link doesn't tell me anything about the case study at all.
All it says was that nutrition is on a par. Where are the figures? How did they come to that conclusion?
What were the case studies? How did they approach it? Where is the method statement?
It also says there was less exposure to pesticides with organic, but other food was within safe limits. What are these "safe limits"? What are the pesticides?
To be honest doctors, even those at stanford, know very little about nutrition.
http://www.foodbase.org.uk//admintools/reportdocuments/497-1-883_organicreviewappendices.pdf
"7.0 CONCLUSION
No evidence of a difference in content of nutrients and other substances between
organically and conventionally produced crops and livestock products was detected for the
majority of nutrients assessed in this review suggesting that organically and conventionally
produced crops and livestock products are broadly comparable in their nutrient content.
The differences detected in content of nutrients and other substances between organically
and conventionally produced crops and livestock products are biologically plausible and
most likely relate to differences in crop or animal management, and soil quality. There is
no good evidence that increased dietary intake of the nutrients identified in this review
which are present in larger amounts in organically than in conventionally produced crops
and livestock products, would be of benefit to individuals consuming a normal varied diet,
and it is therefore unlikely that these differences in nutrient content are relevant to
consumer health. "
I can't "Stress" this enough, I have nothing against growing your own food or buying it locally, I have no hidden agenda where I love the fuck out of pesticides (seeing as organic farmers use "organic" pesticides as well), I'm just a fan of simple facts, not dogma. Remember, the organic food industry is a BILLION dollar industry who won't lie down when their sacred cow is slain, because if organic food isn't actually more nutritious, why else are people paying more for organic food other than the "I'm better because poor people can't afford my groceries" attitude?