Organic foods are food stuffs that are produced under natural conditions that retain the biodiversity of the environment. This system of farming avoids the use of agricultural components such as fertilizers, drugs, pesticides, genetically modified organisms, preservatives and additives for preservation. Organic agriculture utilizes organic fertilizers and biological ways of controlling pests.
Compared to the cost of conventional foods, organic foods are slightly more expensive compared to conventional foodstuffs. In this article, Kerri Matsumoto explores the cost of organic foods as compared to ordinary food by visiting two grocery stores: Rainbow Market, a private food store selling organic food and Safeway that deals with conventional food stuffs. In coming up with a conclusion, the author compared the cost of preparing stir fry for a family of four by using ingredients from the two stores. This essay will examine the reasons of why organic foods are expensive compared to their counterparts in support of the writer’s argument.
The cost of organic vegetables required to prepare stir fry is $ 3.97 while the cost of ordinary vegetables required for the same meal is $2.37 at Safeway (Matsumoto 195). Assuming that the family consumed stir fry for a whole year, the cost of organic stir fry will be $1,499 and that of ordinary stir-fry will cost $ 865. The difference will be $ 584.
Matsumoto also proceeded to determine the cost of adding to the stir fry chicken derived from organic farms and those from factory bred chicken. The breast of chicken derived from chicken fed on organic food was $ 6.99 while that of chicken produced from factory farms was $ 3.58 for each pound. The cost for organic chicken for a whole year will be $ 5,103 while that of factory bred chicken will be $ 2,631 (Matsumoto 195). By combining the cost of vegetables and chicken, the author is able to derive the difference in cost that a family of four will consume if they take organic food as compared to ordinary or conventional food.
In the study, the author is able to reveal that the cost of feeding a family organic stir fry for a complete year will be $ 6,552 as compared to $ 3,478 for ordinary stir fry. The net difference is $ 3,074. Since this study focused only on dinner, the cost will be far much higher if a family resorts to consuming organic meals (Matsumoto 195). Generally the cost of organic food is higher compared to ordinary food stuffs, but the author was not prepared for the marked difference. The cost of organic food in other groceries may be cheaper, but the case of Rainbow shows that organic food is expensive.
Current trends show that people are becoming conscious about the foods they consume, but one is left to wonder if the high cost can be justified. The current recession may make a family to consider spending the extra $3,074 on other things.
Compared to ordinary food stuffs, organic foods have the following advantages: they are devoid of synthetic additives that go into the production common food stuffs. These synthetic components include chemically produced fertilizers, pesticides, animal drugs, and hormones. Production of organic food does not use genetic engineering techniques that can result into genetic poisoning (Sandbeck 47).
These substances are incorporated into plants and animals which are consequently transferred to humans during consumption. The human body is a system under equilibrium, and the ingestion of these chemicals offsets this delicate balance. The chemicals that go into production of these foods have been linked to a variety of diseases (Dimitri et al, 210). They include cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity and some abnormalities in babies. Organic foods are also useful in the diets of infants because their immune systems are not well developed to handle the chemicals that are associated with conventional food.
Another advantage of organic agriculture is that it does not lead to environmental pollution. Organic agriculture makes use of organic fertilizer like manure and crop coverings. These do not alter the natural habitat because they decompose. The use of biological methods of pest control ensures that harmful chemicals are not used (Dimitri, et al, 254). The use of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides such as DDT damage the environment in the long run.
Some of the reasons why organic food is expensive are the lack of sufficient incentives from the government to support this sector. Conventional agriculture receives sufficient support from the government since the conception of the New Deal. Organic farmers need these subsidies to encourage them invest in the sector so that the supply will equal demand and drive the cost of these foods down.
Despite the existence of organic agriculture for more than half a century, information about it is still scant. Studies on the subject are minimal with most economists at pain to predict when pricing will come down. Lack of federal subsidies drives farmers to invest in consumer education alone in order to push the market. The rise in demand is dependent on the customers because they are the ones with the responsibility of searching for information before conducting purchases. These factors contribute to the high price of organic foods.
Simple economic principles dictate that when demand exceeds supply, the prices will increase. The current supply of organic foods does not meet the demand. This is because the organic sector contributes only two percent of the food supply (Dimitri et al, 254). Coupled with the ten percent of consumers of organic foods, it results into a temporary imbalance which will keep the prices up. The organic food industry is estimated to be worth $10.8 billion, but that is still a fraction of the conventional food industry.
Another factor that makes the prices of organic foods up is the issue of economies of scale. Organic farms are still small in size and most of them are under family management. Conventional farmers use mechanization hence reducing their cost of production, but organic farmers face high operating costs because they utilize human labor. In terms of marketing they depend on farmer’s channels which are small. These high costs are transferred to the customer making organic foods expensive.
The cost of organic comprises not only the cost of the food itself, but also other components that are absent in conventional foodstuffs. Maintenance that result from sticking to animal welfare, costs for environmental improvement and safety (this is to avoid future costs that may result from pollution). Other factors include safeguarding farmers against health risks that result from improper use of pesticides and other medical costs that may occur in the future, and costs related to rural development devoted to creating more farm employment opportunities and ensuring reasonable and stable income for farmers (Sandbeck 45).
Works cited
Dimitri, Carolyn and Oberholtzer, Lydia. Marketing U. S. Organic Foods: Recent Trends from
Farms to Consumers. New York: DIANE Publishing. 2010. Print
Matsumoto, K. How much does it cost to go organic? Retrieved on 3rd April, 2012 from
Sandbeck, Ellen. Organic housekeeping: in which the Nontoxic Avenger shows you how to
improve your health and that of your family while you save time, money, and, perhaps
s your sanity. New York: Simon and Schuster. 2006. Print
