Organic Food: Worth The Cost?

Posted by Claire | Thursday April 12, 2007

I'll tell you why I need an hour to shop for groceries, but my husband gets the job done in 15 minutes.

I am an obsessive label reader and food sniffer. I reach way back in the milk cooler to grab the jug with the latest date stamp. I read up on nutrition and watch the experts on the Today Show. I attempt to follow the Food Pyramid guidelines for every meal, even when my family looks on dubiously as I proudly open the lid of my latest concoction.

So buying organic food should be a no-brainer, right? Not necessarily.

According to many experts including the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, there are some foods you should definitely buy organic but others you could get away with the non-organic variety.

After 4 years of testing and more than 40,000 samples, their analyses showed some surprising results.

Introducing the "Dirty Dozen" conventionally produced fruits and veggies - starting with the worst: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. Eating from this group will expose you to 15 different pesticides each day on average, but buying organic varieties instead will reduce your total pesticide consumption by nearly 90%.

Surprised? Read on.

The study identified another dozen conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that consistently tested low for pesticide residue (starting with the best): onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mango, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and papaya. Purchasing organic varieties of these products is still better, but the benefit is much lower compared to the Dirty Dozen substitutes.

The nonprofit Consumers Union, publisher of the Consumer Reports, recommends organic substitution for meats, poultry, eggs, and dairy as often as possible. Less important are processed and packaged foods such as breads, cereals, canned and dried goods because they lose much of their nutrition during preparation whether the ingredients are organic or not. Lastly, do not place much trust in an organic sticker on seafood. The US Department of Agriculture has not completed certification standards for these products, and misleading labelling is common.

We all know how important food quality is to our health. Choose organic foods when appropriate, and find out if farmers in your area sell your other favorites directly to the customer. You may find the quality and freshness worth the extra effort.