COMMENTARY readers in the New York area are welcomed to participate in an impassioned live debate next Tuesday (April 13) in Manhattan. The topic of contention will be whether organic food is just marketing hype. Arguing that indeed it is will be Dennis Avery, director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Food Issues; Blake Hurst, writer and farmer; and John Krebs, former chairman of the Food Standards Agency in the UK. Defending the merits of organic food will be Charles Benbrook, chief scientist at The Organic Center; Urvashi Rangan, director of technical policy for the Consumers Union; and Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue magazine food critic.

For more information about the live event, visit its organizers’ website.