Is Organic Food Really Worth It?

The organic food industry is a booming business. U.S. organic sales surged in 2020, jumping by 12.4% to $61.9 billion. With consumers being more health conscious than ever, they’re willing to pay more for what they perceive as better. But, what exactly does “organic” mean?

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The Truth About Buying Organic Food

[jicalzad]

i don't know many people who think organic foods are more nutritious. I think most people, myself included, are more concerned about the potential risks of in non-organic foods.

[johnjohnson]

Buy your local farms. I’m a farmer and have always grown fully organic. No pesticides, , , I have low yields but what I grow is heirloom and fertilized by fish emulsion and chicken manure. No fake chemicals, my farm is biodiverse and has healthy natural soil. My only problem is I’m the last of seven generation of farmers in Sacramento Ca. and now my farm is surrounded by lennar homes…

[CHMichael]

Once upon a time all food was organic.

[chrisandcrys]

We need to start holding people accountable for our food in America! Most of our health problems will be fixed if our food has higher standards like other countries. The only way to be safe here is to grow your own

[IReapZz]

The USDA standards and US food standards in general are an absolute joke compared to Europe’s

[mpinline]

It's not about nutrition, it's about content of pesticides and herbicides and other chemicals. I'd rather pick up the organic apple over the non-organic one, if available, to reduce the chemical intake which over a lifetime can cause all kinds of cancers and pain. So yes, organic it's worth it in the long run. Not to even mention the difference in taste.

[hopespringseternal]

I buy almost all organic food. But for someone starting out and concerned with price differences between organic and non organic, my advice would be to, at the very least, buy organic coffee (if you drink coffee) and organic potatoes. These two are at the top of the list in pesticide usage.

[christiecrawford]

ONE THING I KNOW FOR SURE?! Organic apples will SMELL like apples. Conventional, almost every single time-- do not have a smell. (This is when I pick them up and smell them uncut in the store). This is one fruit that I will always buy organic. However, when I move up north, I'll be planting trees asap. And picking fresh when I can elsewhere. Can't wait! :)

[js.goldklang]

More than organic, we need to transition to regenerative farming practices and eat more foods from perennial sources such as trees in diverse cropping systems and STOP TILLING THE SOIL. This video claims pesticide residues on grocery store foods are too low to pose a risk to human health, but what about the health of soils where many of the nutrients we need come from. As soil life dies we grow less and less nutritious foods and in effect mine the soil as the life that holds it together isn't there to prevent erosion. More people need to get involved with where their food is coming from so we can strengthen local food security and decentralize from the monocultures of corn/soy. Let's plant food trees like chestnuts (in temperate areas) in our communities and lining the streets so we can rely less and less on food grown across the country/world.

[huzbum]

"Organic food costs 24 cents more on average..." 24 cents more per what? per grape? per pound? Maybe a percentage would be a better comparison?

[Rehealise]

Unfortunately the organic label has been diluted over time and abused by many farmers only for the increased income. It takes a mindset shift to actually be a organic farmer working with nature and the corporate organic farms often miss that. Keep an out for Regenerative Organic certified produce and the new bionutrient meter for a more transparent view into what you are eating/supporting/voting for.

-third generation regenerative land manager

[TheAvsouto]

For me, buying organic fruits and vegetables are just a way to support local small farmers. Since they are the ones who most sell this itens.

[TheDerangedBlood]

I like my vitamins free of cancer causing pesticides. I'd be curious to know who is funding this "news" story.

[cheshirecat]

All I know is, organic bananas cost a few cents (about 8) more a pound, taste better and last longer on the counter...carrots tend to taste sweeter.

[varjunind]

I buy organic mainly to avoid non-GMO and Monsanto

[lindamcneil]

People concerned about the ecology and climate change should really look hard at the synthetic fertilizers. These fertilizers put nitrous oxide in our atmosphere. Nitrous oxide is far worse than carbon dioxide or methane. Organic and regenerative farming is really an essential step.

[CoinOpTV]

This report feels incomplete without discussing the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen

[Dannad-cmhb]

Why don’t they talk about how organic raised animals have a better life and not freedom than conventional animals. They mentioned briefly, but many people don’t know about this and may believe that it’s just organic feed.

[Nextburjalarab]

The narrator sounds like she was doing this late at night while trying not to wake up her partner lying on the bed in the same room

[alanaweaver]

When you are growing the vegetables yourself yes but we know the food sold as organic isn’t truly organic.