Is Organic Food Worth the Price?

As you enter into Trader Joes, you are welcomed with their distinct smell of a combination of food, as you walk further in you can’t help but fill your cart with those vibrant and irresistible vegetables. You then find yourself asking if organic food is worth the high price consumers are willing to pay?

Many of us can relate to our parents raising us up with the infamous words of, “eat your veggies.” We have been brought up in a society where vegetables are so important and they become a regimen in our daily diet. However, do you ever hear parents say, “children, eat your organic veggies?” Is organic food a necessity in a diet, or is it just as beneficial as regular vegetables?

Many may question themselves as they purchase that milk that is double the price of non-organic. Being that expensive pesticides aren’t used on organic food you would think that would lower the cost of production, that’s what I thought anyways until Chico State University’s nutritionist, Jennifer Dye, said, “higher prices are due to more expensive farming practices.  Organic farmers have more spoilage because they do not treat their produce with anything.”

 An article from Todays Health supports Dyes opinion, “growing the food is more labor-intensive. And even though organic food is a growing industry, it doesn't have the economies of scale or government subsidies available to conventional growers,” (TodayHealth.com; Joy Bauer).

Organic means that it has been free of pesticides and other chemicals, it’s the specific process that the food goes through. Not only is organic food pesticide free, but also it is grown in metal-free soil. Soil typically contains metal that can be harmful to our bodies. Organic farmers test their soil making sure it is free of all metals for the past seven years.

  A man by the name of Sven Lowenz, who works for a local whole foods store, S&S, says, “Organic food has a higher percentage of vitamins due to the farming process.” Lowenz believes that the specific time of day the crops are harvested plays a key role in the vitamin content. For instance the earlier you pick tomatoes the more vitamins they contain. Organic farmers monitor this more than others.

 Contrary to Lowenz beliefs, Dye says, “All the research I have seen shows that organic and conventionally farmed foods are comparable when it comes to nutrient content.  But research is on going in this area.”

Lowenz reported that two main foods that are important to buy organic are strawberries and apples. They typically contain the most pesticides when buying non-organic.

Purchasing fruits and vegetables organic is worth the high price being that you are consuming zero pesticides opposed to a lot.

Dye has weighed out both the positives and negatives when discussing organic food, “When it comes to organics, people automatically think that organic food will always be better for you but that is not true.”

 For example, “If a person fries organic sweet potato in organic oil, it still is very high in fat and over time this could contribute to a decline in their health.”

As long as people take the necessary precautions when consuming organic food, then it is beneficial towards your health.

Organic produce contains more vitamins and minerals that are crucial to a healthy lifestyle. Although organic food is higher in price, it has benefits that outweigh the expensive cost.  Therefore, if you can afford to purchase organic, then that’s the advice I give you.