Since my baby boy started eating solid foods I’ve wondered, is the cost of eating organic really worth it?

In my quest to be a “good” parent I’ve been trying to feed my son exclusively organic food. When it comes to me and my husband, I’ve generally decided we are not worth the extra cost! We eat regular (a.k.a “conventional”) food for the most part.

My strategy for trying to ensure we don’t ingest a ton of chemicals and pesticides is to wash the shit out of all of our fruit and veggies.

Is this an effective strategy? Not so sure. But, it makes me feel better!

Although my foray into parenthood was the catalyst for this round of organic vs. non-organic debate, it’s a question I’ve pondered in the past.

So, today, I will dive into it and try to answer the question…

Is the Cost of Eating Organic Really Worth it?

Well, many Canadians seem to think so. In fact, The Canada Organic Trade Association found that 66% of Canadians are purchasing some of their grocery items from the organic aisle.

Despite the premium price of organic food the demand for these products has continually increased over the last decade. This is according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, who also predict that the demand for organic will only increase into the foreseeable future.

As of last year (2017), sales of organic food in Canada reached 3.5 billion.

So, obviously some Canadians think the cost of eating organic is really worth it!

WHO is interested in eating organic in Canada?

According to this report by Canada Organic Trade Association

• The profile of the Canadian who is most likely to eat organic is of non-Caucasian ethnicity, lives in a large city, is between the ages of 35-44, university educated, has a family with children under the age of two and resides in British Columbia.

Of the Canadians purchasing organic food items WHAT are the most common items?

According to The Canada Organic trade association cited in this article

• Fruit and veggies
• Meat and poultry
• Dairy

Moving along….

Besides price, what do people consider when comparing organic vs. conventional food?

1. Organic is healthier…?

When I think of the main reason that someone would decide to purchase organic food I think “because it is the “healthier” option.” However, depending on how you define “healthy” this might not be true.

If your definition of “healthy” is equated with the nutritious value of a food product then organic is not necessarily better. According to Mike von Massow, a professor of Food Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph, cited in this Global News article, when it comes to nutrition “there is no difference between organic and traditionally produces products.”

I was a bit surprised by this.

2. Organic has less chemicals…?

I’ve always assumed that organic foods are “better” because they are grown in a more natural environment with no cancer causing pesticides or chemicals.

However, this is also not entirely true.

In the same article Massow claims that some organic food products might actually use more pesticides that conventional food. This is because the the natural versions don’t target as many “pests” as the chemical versions and therefore require multiple rounds.

Massow also mentions that over the past decade there have been more food recalls for organic products then conventional products in Canada.

WHAT?

When it comes to the pesticides the major difference between organic and conventional lies in the origin of said pesticides.

Organic farms use naturally derived versions where as conventional farms use synthetic ones. This article by Scientific American dives a bit deeper into this issue and finds that even many of the natural pesticides being used can have health consequences for consumers.

What I’ve learned so far, in the organic vs. conventional debate none of the answers are black and white….there is a lot of grey area.

3. Organic is better for the environment… ?

Okay, so organic food might not be as healthy or as pesticide free as I thought BUT, one thing it does have going for it, according to the previously cited Global News article , is that it is better for the environment. The reason, because organic farmers use less of the really terrible, synthetic pesticides.

When it comes to coughing up the extra money to buy organic food many people are just skeptical.

What does organic really mean? What is the difference between organic eggs and free range eggs? What’s the difference between “natural” and organic.?What does it mean when a package claims to “contain organic ingredients?”

It’s all very confusing.

I’m not going to get into this here but, if you want to learn more about what is required for a product to be labelled as organic then visit the Government of Canada’s Organic Claims page.

A closer look at the cost of organic vs. conventional products

Let’s get back to the topic at hand…how much more am I going to pay for an organic banana vs. a conventional banana?

A Consumer Reports study compared over 100 organic and conventional products and found that, on average, organic foods were 47% more expensive.

However, when it came to certain products like lettuce, carrots and, a Canadian staple, maple syrup, the organic versions were often cheaper.

So, it’s important to do a bit of comparison shopping at your local grocery stores to see if going organic might actually be the cheaper option in some instances.

Why is organic food usually more expensive than conventional foods?

Many people do not understand why organic food is generally so much more expensive.

This article by the Organic Council of Ontario provides several reasons to explain the higher cost of organic food.

Some of these reasons include:

• • Good ol’ supply and demand. The demand for organic food is growing faster then the supply which means, higher costs.

• • Better living conditions for organic livestock

• Higher transportation costs (there are fewer organic farms which often results in further travel)

It’s really a personal choice.

The research I’ve done on this topic has made me feel good about my decision to go organic for my little guy.

The benefits of eating organic are not as straightforward as I originally thought. However, when it comes to my son’s health I’ll do whatever I can to keep the really bad pesticides far, far away.

When it comes to me and my husband I think we will continue to dabble in some organics but, my cheap frugal side still has a hard time paying the hefty prices when it comes to ALL of our groceries.

For those of you who are interested in buying organic, to some degree, here’s a list of strategic cost saving tips that you can apply to start to eat more organic food without breaking the bank.

Strategic Cost Saving Tips for Buying Organic

1. Prioritize your organic purchases

According to this article in the Washington post when it comes to buying organic you should prioritize fruit and vegetables over anything else. Next in line is animal products: poultry, beef and dairy.

When it comes to which fruit and veggies you should prioritize your purchases using the Dirty Dozen (+) and the Clean 15 as easy guides.

Dirty Dozen

Clean 15

This is where you can save some money if you don’t want to pay a premium for all of your products.

2. Buy “store brand” organics.

For examples, I buy the PC Brand Organic baby food at Superstore and it is half as expensive as some of the name brands (Baby gourmet, Heinz etc.) To be certified as “organic” in Canada all of the brands need to abide by the same rules and regulations therefore, there is nothing differentiating the quality of the cheaper and more expensive versions other than the name.

3. Buy in bulk.

The typical rule of buying larger quantities also applies to organic food. The more you buy, the cheaper it usually is. One thing to consider. Because organic foods don’t use the same kind of preservatives as conventional foods they might have a shorter shelf life, so maybe don’t buy too much of one thing unless you have a plan to eat it all up. No point buying bulk to save a few bucks only to waste your money when you have to throw away a ton of spoiled food.

4. Shop the sales.

This one’s pretty obvious, when you see certain organic products go on sale, stock up. Or, if you are into it (I don’t have the desire or patience for this next strategy), check out the flyers for your local stores to see if/when organic products are going to go on sale.

5. Grow your own food.

Do you have a green thumb? Put it to good use and grow your own organic food. This way you know exactly what is going into your food and your mouth! It takes a lot of extra effort but gardening can be fun, relaxing and it gets you out in the warm summer sun! Don’t have a yard for a garden, not an excuse. You live in Alberta and experience winter for 8 months of the year, not an excuse. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can start your very own garden inside.

6. Check out local farmers markets.

I have long been under the impression that farmers markets are crazy expensive…and some are. My sister bought a $5.00 tomato at a farmers market in Edmonton. WTF. She was too caught off guard to put it back and so she paid $5.00 for a single, normal sized tomato. HOWEVER, some of the farmers markets near my home sell produce at a price comparable to the ones you would find in a Safeway or Sobeys. This makes sense becasue when you buy local the food doesn’t have to travel as far to get to your plate so this may help to off set some of the “organic” price.

7. Cut back on your meat intake.

Meat is crazy expensive. Whether it’s organic or not, it will cost you. So go for quality over quantity and consider eating less meat during the week. You can really apply this rule to organic food in general, it’s all about quality over quantity.

8. Cook from scratch.

With organic and conventional food products you pay more for convenience, processing and packaging. So, purchase the raw organic ingredients and whip up a bunch of snacks from scratch.

9. Buy FROZEN organic.

Sometimes products that are frozen or canned are a bit cheaper than the fresh version. I do this a lot for my son. I buy frozen organic peas, broccoli, berries etc. Another benefit is that the frozen and canned versions often keep longer AND you can continue to eat things like berries even when they are out of season! For these reasons it’s a good idea to stock up on frozen organic items when you find them on sale.

Now I want to hear from you!

Do you have any other ideas for how to save on organic food?

Also, what’s your preference? Do you go all organic, part organic or do you stick to the conventional food items?

If you are interested in saving money be sure to check out these articles:

How to Throw a Mountain Wedding for Under $10,000

Why I Will Never Buy a New Car

References

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