Organic vs Conventional

Why buy organic produce when conventional is often cheaper? There are many reasons! Here's a quick guide to why.

It Can Be More Nutritious
One reason for this is because organic farming practices, such as rotating crops, not "mono-cropping", and soil that contains more nutrients often make produce itself more nutritious.

It Can Taste Better
For the reasons above. Of course, taste is subjective and the flavor also depends on many other factors such as growing location, conditions, and season.

It's Better for the Environment
For the reasons above as well as organic crops use less water and there is no pesticide contamination/residue/runoff. As a hobby beekeeper, this is a very important issue.

It Won't Harm (or Kill) You
This is probably the most important reason to eat organic produce. The chemicals in pesticides and herbicides are indeed very scary. One popular (for farms and household) herbicide, Roundup, can "alter endocrine mediated biochemical pathways, leading to obesity, heart problems, circulation problems, and diabetes". Not to mention the fact that it has been linked to cancer. That's reason enough to avoid conventionally grown produce.

You can easily tell if produce is organic by the sticker/tag on it--the number is called the PLU code. If it begins with a 9, it's organic. If it begins with an 8, it's genetically modified. If it begins with any other number it is conventional but not genetically modified.

Keep in mind that just because something's organic, it doesn't mean it's good for you. Organic cookies and chips aren't exactly health foods.

The labels Natural, Green, Free Range, etc, do not mean it's organic. If you're in the states, make sure it says USDA Organic. If outside the states, refer to your country's organic labeling guidelines.

Also see my post on how to save money on organic produce. It doesn't have to be expensive!

References: Report: Organic Farming for Health and Prosperity (PDF), Mayo Clinic, Rodale, Produce Marketing Association

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