Longevity optimization expert Bryan Johnson recently made surprising statements about organic produce. During a conversation on TBPN, Johnson revealed his perspective on organic foods that stands in direct opposition to what most health-conscious consumers believe.
When asked whether he automatically assumes organic products won’t harm him, Johnson’s response was unequivocal: “I assume it’s worse than not. No, I’m serious.”
This baseline assumption stems from his rigorous testing protocols, which have revealed unexpected findings about organic versus conventional produce.
Johnson explained his reasoning: “Organic only looks at, you know, a certain subset of concerns. It’s not all concerns. And then it’s a very limited screening protocol. So, it’s really a marketing tactic.”
His team’s extensive testing has consistently shown that organic products often underperform their conventional counterparts. “When we test organic, it typically performs worse than non-organic on many variables,” he stated flatly.
The Blueprint founder went further, dismissing the organic label’s value entirely: “So no, I think it’s worthless as a marketing protocol.” This assessment comes from someone who measures approximately 250 to 300 variables that could potentially harm the body, applying the same rigorous standards across all foods regardless of their marketing claims.
Johnson’s distrust extends beyond organic labels to the entire food system. “I don’t trust anyone, like literally I don’t trust marketing. I don’t trust brands,” he said, adding that this skepticism includes technicians and practitioners.
The contamination problem, according to Johnson, pervades all fresh foods. “People freak out over what they can measure, we’ve been testing fresh foods and packaged foods and like concerns are throughout,” he explained.
Even plant-based proteins, often highlighted for high concern levels, may not be worse than untested fresh produce like carrots, which “can have the same if not more concerns.”
When asked where he sources produce, Johnson admitted there’s no safe haven: “There’s no safe place. Sadly, like you know people identify plant-based proteins have high levels because they isolate that, because you can test it. But if you eat a carrot, it can have the same if not more.” He sources from farmers markets and Whole Foods, but testing consistently reveals contamination across all sources.
Johnson acknowledged that even controlled growing environments offer no escape. “Someone will try to get an escape route and say like, well I I have a cow in a pasture, irrigated, whatever like they can escape the concerns within the environment. So it’s just very hard to create an isolated non-concern environment.”
