Is organic food better for you?
There is mounting evidence at this time to suggest that organically produced foods may be more nutritious. Furthermore, organic foods and fiber are spared the application of toxic and persistent insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers. Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. In the long run, organic farming techniques provide a safer, more sustainable environment for everyone.
Why does organic food sometimes cost more?
Prices for organic foods reflect many of the same costs as conventional items in terms of growing, harvesting, transportation and storage. Organically produced foods must meet stricter regulations governing all of these steps, so the process is often more labor- and management-intensive, and farming tends to be on a smaller scale. There is also mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production—cleanup of polluted water, replacement of eroded soils, costs of health care for farmers and their workers—were factored into the price of food, organic foods would cost the same or, more likely, be cheaper.
Isn't organic food just a fad?
U.S. sales of organic food and beverages have grown from $1 billion in 1990 to an estimated $29.22 billion in 2011, up 9.4 percent from 2010. Organic food and beverages represent 4.2 percent of all U.S. food and beverage sales, up from 4 percent in 2010. Prospects for 2012 and 2013 indicate that organic food will continue to sustain growth levels of 9 percent or higher.