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Why is organic food so expensive?
When I asked why two tomatoes at my local organic shop were so expensive, the response was 'well, they're organic, that's why.' This type of attitude does a disservice to organic food. Does it really have to be so expensive?
Organic foods are currently more expensive for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the yields are on average between 10 and 20% lower than in conventional agriculture and, with some crops (potatoes, for example), it may be as much as 40% lower.
Also, production costs are higher in organic farming. For example, organic farmers don't use herbicides so they have to weed some crops, such as onions and carrots, by hand. Such a labour intensive method contributes to a more expensive product.
This explains why organic foods are currently more expensive, and also why the differences in price are more for some foods (e.g., potatoes) than for others (e.g., mushrooms). However, this explanation is very simplistic, as it doesn't take into account the hidden costs associated with food production.
The cost to the environmentAgricultural practices that make use of pesticides and fertilisers can be expensive because of the harmful effect they have on human health and the environment. The price we pay for our food does not take into account the cost of solving these problems - we pay for those indirectly through tax, which the government then uses to try and limit the damage inflicted by agriculture.
- Some scientists have estimated that the use of just one agrochemical (methyl-bromide) contributes to more than 20% of the global ozone depletion. This in turn is estimated to double the incidence of skin cancer globally.
Our taxes are then used to pay for operations and the care of terminally ill patients. This money is currently not added to the cost of producing crops (such as strawberries) using methyl-bromide. If the environmental cost were accounted for, organic strawberries would be cheaper than conventional ones.
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