Why is organic food so expensive if it's good for you?

You might think organic food would cost less than conventional food since the production is spared the cost of the chemicals, synthetic pesticides, and ... read more

Retail sales of organic food rose from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $21.1 billion in 2008, according to the USDA, and 58 percent of Americans claim they prefer to eat organic over non-organic food. However, organic farmland only accounts for 0.9 percent of total worldwide farmland, and organic farms tend to produce less than conventional farms. read more

Now, organic foods are generally at least slightly more expensive than non-organic foods. The reason for this is that there is a higher rejection rate in the food. For example, let’s consider apples. Organic apples will have a higher likelihood of having spots, worms, or mold, as they haven’t been treated the same as non-organic apples. read more

Organic food is more labor intensive since the farmers do not use pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or drugs. Organic certification is expensive and organic feed for animals can cost twice as much. read more