Is Organic Farming Produce Worth the Extra Cost at the Counter?

Is the organic farming produce really worth the extra cash at the checkout counter? A regular head of lettuce, pesticides and all, runs about $1.10 to maybe $2.00 around here. Yet check out the organic farming produce and you will find a head of lettuce costs around $2.80 to $3.00. That is a pretty significant price jump considering you are getting less. With less chemical enhancements and less chemically enhanced pesticides and chemically altered plant hormones, you would think that less is more. And for most people, it really is. Why? Because the health risk that goes along with ingesting all of those chemically produced alterations and chemically enhanced growth accelerants can not possibly be healthy for the human body.

There are plenty of scientific facts to help support the average assumption that the more naturally produce is grown the healthier it really is for us. This has become common knowledge and the produce growers have found that their land (by coincidence?) is much healthier as well and can support more product. So what's the catch then? If all of the organic produce is fabulous for you, good for the environment, and is worth the extra coin to bring it home, then what could be the possible down side to all this natural growing?

Marketing. Marketing is going to be the one huge killer of organic farming produce. While "organic" really refers to mostly organic and 100% organic refers to almost completely organic, there are plenty of produce foods that fall under the organic category that are just grown that way, but the companies who harvest them are certainly not above placing the words "organic" on he label and then jacking up the price despite the fact that not one single thing with the exception of the creation of a new label was done to create an organic product. Many food items such as nuts are really basically organic, since they only have to meet the 75% organic criteria in order to carry the label, most packaged and free bin nuts have always been "organic." Since nothing was done to create this organic state, why is it that the company justified charging two to three times the going rate?

Organic farming produce is fabulous family food. Anyone can feel good about a meal when it has been prepared with an extra dash of love and some organic produce. Knowing that the food you are serving isn't heavily laden in any type of chemical enhancement takes away just one more avenue of worry. For most of us who are learning to become savvy shoppers, organic farming produce is actually completely worth the extra cost at the checkout counter.

Many turn to local farms for fresh produce - Ventura County Star

Many turn to local farms for fresh produce Ventura County Star By Anne Kallas John Fonteyn, owner of Rio Gozo Farm in Ojai, gets a tie from his nephew Paolo Del Negro, 2, as they pick vegetables at the farm. Community supported agriculture is a growing trend, allowing people to get fresh produce dropped off to ... and more »

Proposed Rule Would Reduce Limits of Synthetic Methionine in Organic Poultry ... - GardenNews.biz (press release)

Proposed Rule Would Reduce Limits of Synthetic Methionine in Organic Poultry ... GardenNews.biz (press release) WASHINGTON, —The US Department of Agriculture will publish on February 6, 2012 a proposed rule that would continue the allowance of synthetic methionine in organic poultry production but at reduced levels from the current allowable levels. and more »

USDA awards $40 million grants to boost local food supplies - Reuters

USDA awards $40 million grants to boost local food supplies Reuters ... which produces hydroponic greens for restaurants and grocers; Agriberry, a family-owned berry and fresh fruit operation near Mechanicsville, Virginia; and Green Mountain Organic Creamery of North Ferrisburgh, Vt., which markets certified organic, ... Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan Announces Funding To Create Jobs and ...USDA.gov (press release) all 26 news articles »

Make your own baby food: Why your pocketbook and baby will thank you - Washington Times

Washington Times

Make your own baby food: Why your pocketbook and baby will thank you Washington Times Other fresh vegetables cost even less per pound. Variety is important to every diet, and commercial baby foods can offer limited choices. Conventional wisdom is to introduce one food at a time to baby. With only a dozen or so store-bought baby foods ...

US: Sales of organic produce rise as consumer attitudes shift - FreshPlaza

US: Sales of organic produce rise as consumer attitudes shift FreshPlaza Consumer behaviour is slowly changing and this could be to the advantage of organic producers. Organic foods are no longer just the realm of the wealthy and the health conscious. More and more people are turning to organics - there was a 26% rise of ...