Why are organic produce and organic meat more costly than regular foods?
Fox
News provided a list of reasons for higher cost, when it
should cost less because expensive pesticides and antibiotics, etc
are not used.
Here are the claims:
- Using less or no chemicals, pesticides = more labor. Organic farmers have to hire more workers for tasks like hand-weeding and reduction of pesticide contamination.
- Organic farms tend to produce less than conventional farms. Only about 10% of total farmlands are organic. If there were more organic farms and larger ones (USDA says that 58% of Americans prefer to eat organic rather than organic food) – the cost would be reduced.
- Organic farms use compost and animal manure instead of “inexpensive” chemical fertilizers.
- Organic farmers use a “sophisticated” crop rotation to keep soil healthy and prevent weed growth. Conventional farmers use every acre to grow the most profitable crops, which reduces crop rotation frequency by using nitrogen.
- Organic produce must be separated from conventional produce after being harvested to prevent cross-contamination. Organic crops are also handled and shipped in smaller quantities and organic farms are usually located farther from major cities, which increases shipping costs.
- USDA organic certification is not cheap. Organic farmers mus comply with certain standards, which may require modification of facilities. Employees must be hired to maintain a strict daily record available upon USDA inspection. Organic farms pay an annual inspection/certification fee, which begins at $400 and could be as much as $2,000 per year – depending upon size of operation. This is an example of how government ends up causing price increases to the consumer.
- Conventional farmers use certain chemicals to reduce loss of crops. Organic farms that do not use these have a higher loss. Conventional foods last longer because of chemical preservation.
- When it comes to meat, organic farms & ranches feed costs for cattle & other livestock cost twice as much as conventional farms/ranches.
- Typically organic farms take more time to produce crops because they do not use chemicals or growth hormones that conventional farmers use.
- Government production subsidies – organic receives $7.5 billion versus $15 million for conventional farms in 2008.
If you do not want to pay for higher
organic food market prices, cut out the “middle man” and purchase
organic produce from local farmers market. Local
Harvest website will provide you a list of farmers markets in
your area.
Website “Clean
15” provides a list of types of produce that uses lowest amount
of pesticides.
Onions, sweet corn, pineapples,
avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, cantaloupe
(domestic), kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes,
and mushrooms.
FURTHER READING
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