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Are grocery organic$ worth the price?
Yes, say consumers who cite quality and taste as factors
By Kate Ramsayer / The Bulletin
Published: August 06. 2009 4:00AM PST
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When it comes to apples, Matthew Barnett, of Bend, likes the taste and naturalness of organic varieties. And he’ll sometimes pick up other produce, chicken or eggs with the organic stamp of approval.
“I pick and choose it depending on the price,” Barnett said. “If the organic’s about twice as much, that’s where I draw the line.”
For Arden Spain, the line’s much lower — cost dictates what she buys, she said.
“I don’t know enough to legitimize the price,” she said of organic produce. “But I do know when my bank (account) is low.”
The taste, freshness and chemical-free nature of organic produce has made converts out of some Central Oregon residents, although conventionally grown produce still makes up the bulk of the market.
And although organic foods usually come with a higher price tag, due mainly to more labor-intensive farming practices, for many it is worth the cost.
Amy Green, of Bend, has been buying organic products for 20 years. “The quality of the produce is far better than conventional,” she said, citing the taste and texture of the fruits and vegetables.
People debate whether organics are more nutritional, she said, but she can often just tell the difference. Conventional green beans, for example, are tough and thick, while their organic counterparts are tender and tastier.
“There’s subtle distinctions,” she said.
MaryJean Bestwick buys organic produce almost exclusively, even if it is a little more expensive, she said.
“I don’t like the pesticides. I like to know that what I’m eating has not been treated,” Bestwick said. “I’d rather put what money I do spend on produce, into organics.”
It’s that lack of pesticides that have kept Ron and Mimi Sievers coming back to farmers markets and organic sellers.
“No pesticides, no herbicides, no nasty stuff,” said Ron Sievers, who added that he buys organic food as much as possible. “It seems like the organic (produce) has a better, fuller flavor.” And it’s fresher, he said, since organic farmers don’t use the preservatives that other growers use.
The cost of organics can be a little higher, Mimi Sievers said, but it’s worth it. And if consumers buy fruits and vegetables in season, that cost difference shrinks, she said.
Moving away from mass-produced food
Stores are hearing similar reasons from their customers.
“Many customers out there, especially the young crowd — 30 or younger — they want organic, they want to eat as natural as they can, and they don’t care what the price is. They don’t even ask,” said Brian Moothart, produce manager at Newport Market. “As long as the quality is there.”
At Nature’s General Store, which sells almost entirely organic produce, when people learn about the chemicals sprayed on bananas in conventional plantations, and then taste the difference between those fruits and organic bananas, many immediately see the value in paying a little more for organics, said Calen Jessee, food and beverage manager with the Bend store.
“Year-round, that’s what we try to educate our customers about,” he said.
Bringing out those flavors and providing chemical-free food can be pricier, though.
The higher price, which can vary depending on the product and the season, can be traced back to several different requirements for the organic stamp of approval.
“The issue is that people have, in America, been accustomed to cheap food,” said Dana Martin, small-farm agent with Oregon State University’s extension service in Redmond.
Conventionally grown food is mass-produced, which lowers the cost, she said — but organic farms, especially smaller local ones, need to get a return on higher farming costs, she said.
“Our small farmers are doing it because they love it, and they’re really interested in providing something healthy,” Martin said. “It’s a labor of love, but they still need to stay in business.”
Oregon takes a leading role
Oregon is one of the top five states when it comes to organic farms, according to 2007 data, the latest, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
And it’s growing. Between 2004 and 2008, organic farmland has almost tripled from 31,092 acres to 114,923 acres, according to the Oregon Organic Coalition.
Those who farm that land face higher production costs because of the methods needed in organic farming.
If pests are plaguing organic farms, growers can only use a few specific sprays that have the OK from the Organic Materials Review Institute, said Jim Fields, owner of the organic Fields Farm in Bend.
They’re more expensive than conventional pesticides, but they’re less toxic to the environment, he said.
“Nothing we use requires us to suit up (in protective clothing) to go spray it,” Fields said. “These are all common sense indicators that tell you this is a safe process for everyone — for the consumer at the end, for the farmers and for the environment.”
If farmers don’t control weeds that creep into crop fields with herbicides, they have to either hire workers to pull the unwanted vegetation or operate tractors to dig them up, said Brent Searle, economist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
“Generally, organic (farming) is higher in labor intensity if you’re doing crops,” he said.
Organic practices also require farmers to rotate crops, said Chuck Benbrook, with the nonprofit research organization The Organic Center.
And while that means organic farmers might have to buy more equipment for different kinds of crops, it also helps keep the soil healthy and prevent the weeds and insects that can have a field day if only a couple crops are grown, year after year.
Benbrook added that organic farming costs can also be a little higher because organically cultivated land sometimes produces fewer fruits and vegetables per acre.
“The essential principle of (organic farming) is not to push the soils to produce more than they’re capable of, or push the plants to produce more than they’re capable,” Benbrook said.
The chemical pesticides and fertilizers that boost conventional crop production aren’t a natural way of farming at all, noted Jessee, with Nature’s, but they can help conventional farmers cut costs.
Not always pricier
Other costs can add up for organic products, including fees for the certification process.
And the organic industry is also still only about 3 percent of the food industry in the United States, Benbrook said.
“Everything takes more time, costs more to move around per unit because the volumes are lower,” he said.
But organic produce isn’t always more expensive than conventional products.
Jessee said broccoli, cauliflower, root vegetables and apples can cost the same, or even less, when they’re in season and farmers are producing a lot.
At Newport Market, Moothart noted that cost often simply depends on availability.
Last week, he ordered a case of organic Packham pears that cost less than a case of conventionally grown Packham pears.
“It’s not always more expensive than conventional,” he said.
Especially with organic produce, if customers look around they can find comparable prices, said Barbara Haumann, with the Organic Trade Association.
“It just depends on a lot of factors,” she said. “Buying when produce is in season is a big help.”
Kate Ramsayer can be reached at 541-617-7811 or kramsayer@bendbulletin.com.
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