Organic food might not be all you think it is.

In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, UO journalism professor Peter Laufer dispels “Five Myths about Organic Food,” noting some of the little-known facts about what can and cannot go into foods with the organic label. He looks at such issues as whether organic food is more nutritious, whether it’s better for the environment and whether ingredients could have herbicides or pesticides.

Laufer says spending on organic food has risen to $28 billion a year. But he said people might not always be getting what they think they are because of the way the government defines organic and how food is shipped and imported.

After appearing The Washington Post, Laufer’s article also was picked up by The Oregonian, the Tampa Bay Times and Examiner.com, among others.

Laufer is the author of “Organic: A Journalist’s Quest to Discover the Truth Behind Food Labeling.” He holds the James Wallace Chair in Journalism in the UO School of Journalism and Communication.