If you made eating healthy a new year's resolution, or perhaps just want to make a change for your health, you may have gone to the grocery store to purchase organic, plant-based foods. One look at the price tag of an organic apple compared to a conventionally grown one might well have been enough to send you out of the store screaming.
It’s no secret that there’s a significant price bump between organic, and foods branded as “healthy” compared to cheap, processed foods. Is it really worth it to put money down on more expensive foods? Are they really more expensive? Let’s take a look.
Healthy isn’t always more expensive
A 2012 research paper from the USDA took a closer look at organic and other healthy foods, found that measuring the price of foods can be tricky. Most of the data we have on prices is based on price per calorie—in which case processed food is almost always cheaper.
When compared by edible weight however, organic fruits and vegetables actually come out ahead, while price per portion leaves them more in the middle of the pack. This means if your diet was previously heavily meat focused and you start swapping out more vegetables for meat, you’ll save money per portion.
An organic broccoli crown however, is still going to cost more than a conventionally grown broccoli, so if you’re an average person, it’s still going to cost you more. The question remains, is more expensive organic food worth it?
Considering the long term risks
The price you pay at the supermarket may not be the only expense you need to put toward your health. If your health is poor, you could rack up huge medical bills that can be directly traced back to food choices. Obesity for example, is linked to several chronic illnesses including heart disease and diabetes.
A study published in December of 2019 measured the American diet costing a total of 50 billion in medical expenses every year. That’s a huge amount of money being spent on prescriptions, doctor visits, and hospital stays that could have been avoided through healthier eating.
Pesticides on fruits and vegetables, and antibiotics in cattle and other animals, are part of why conventionally grown foods are so much cheaper. That cheap price at the grocery store comes at a price however. Stressed animals that are rushed through growth tend to grow sick, and need medication in order to recover. Antibiotics can also often be used to rush the growth process.
While they may not taste any different, this can lead to gut unhealthy gut bacteria and cancer from pesticides that don’t quite wash off the foods.
Environmental Impacts
Pesticides and intensive agriculture techniques also leave a hefty toll on our environment. Pesticides and fertilizers often runoff into rivers, poisoning the fish and other wildlife that live there. Huge amounts of animal waste which aren’t properly disposed of can lead to dangerous methane gasses being released into the air.
Reduced biodiversity and struggling fisheries are the first signs that intensive agriculture is causing problems, and it may get worse as greenhouse gases build in our atmosphere.
Support Local Farming
If the cost of organic food at the supermarket turns your stomach, subscribing to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group may be a good option. In some cases, CSAs are cheaper than supermarket food, and if not are usually comparable. They also have the benefit of being local, organic, and support local families—not big corporations.
Long term, there’s no question that processed foods are more expensive than healthy, organic, plant-based foods. If you find the initial costs difficult to bear however, keep a sharp eye out for community based foods near you. A garden of your own or a farmer’s market can often help cut the prices on these healthy, but sometimes expensive, foods.