Is Organic Produce Really Worth More Money?

Organic produce is worth more money especially if you grow your own vegetables because then you can eat some, off set higher costs, and possibly even sell the rest to a farmers market, or a natural food distribution chain. If one isn't so entrepreneurial then that means more home grown vegetables for you and/or more gifts for friends and neighbors. Organic food really isn't much more expensive if its 'done' right. In other words, there are ways to make the increased cost of organic food lower. These methods include the following:

*Shop at organic farmers markets; their prices aren't necessarily more expensive.
*Grow a garden
*Purchase bulk organic food if where this option is available.
*Utilize coupons, store specials and retailers that charge lower prices for organic.

The Benefits of Eating Organic:

But that's not all, by eating and buying organic there are several benefits one can incur and these benefits are worth any extra money. Below are a few of these benefits that are worth a little more at the grocery store.

*The more incentive farmers have to grow organic, the cheaper it will become.
*100% Organic food is healthier because it is pesticide and herbicide free.
*Organically fed animals are not tainted with steroids and growth hormones that cause irregular growth in children.
*Eating organic may extend one's life due to the lower toxicity levels the human body deals with.
*Food grown organically tastes better and has improved texture.

Naysayers may be Misinformed:

Despite the convincing arguments organic food advocates and others come up with to support the extra cost of organic, some still remain skeptical. Why? Because there are people who live to 100 who have eaten non-organic of course. There are also smokers who have lived to surpass 100 but these people are in the minority and may have a genetic strength or resistance not everyone else has. It is simply not worth the gamble to hope for the best and not be pro-active about one's health. The negative affects of not eating organic are real as illustrated below.

-Non-organic food negatively affects the environment when pesticides run off into rivers and streams.
-Ecosystems are negatively impacted by the tainted water supply i.e. fish toxicity rises and so does that of the animals that eat the tainted fish.
-By continuing to eat non-organic, the price of organic will more likely remain higher and the environment will continue to be negatively impacted.
-More people may die younger and age faster.

Still others may say organic food without preservatives doesn't last as long. That is simply not the case. Potatoes can be stored in cool places for long periods of time, carrots, peas and tomato sauce can be frozen for weeks if not months. Herbs can be dried and fruit isn't supposed to be kept around forever anyway.

Public Awareness of Organic food:

It has only been relatively recently that a large amount of the public has even become aware of the great difference between organic and non-organic food. This has been due to the commercialization and distribution of food in the last century. With the convenience of supermarkets and distribution chains, consumers may have had little reason to question their food's growth as this was the business of the farmers, distributors and sellers. Consumers may simply not have thought about what they were eating so long as it looked and tasted adequately real. Times have changed and the facts are out there; the time of organic knowledge has arrived and with that a small premium at times.

As with all premium products, a little extra cost may be worth it as the above has demonstrated. Organic food has benefits and not eating organic has disadvantages. The extra costs that some organic retailers charge can be offset with shopping strategies and garden utilization. What's more some of the arguments against eating organic may be based in fallacious logic such as the case of the 100 year old non-organic food eater and the shelf life of organic food. Organic produce is worth the extra cost when there actually is an extra cost.