If you're wondering whether organic food is worth the hype, these 8 surprising truths about produce should help put things in perspective. If you'd like to incorporate more organic meat, vegetables and grains into your diet but aren't sure you can afford it, know that the delta between organic and nonorganic is smaller than ever , and you might be operating off of old data or outdated assumptions.

To find out exactly how much more organic groceries cost versus their nonorganic counterparts, I priced out a typical shopping list for both via two popular online grocers, FreshDirect and Amazon Fresh.

For certain foods, organic proved significantly more expensive. But for others, buying organic wasn't as big a jump in cost as you might think. And for some items, there was really no difference at all. We previously did the math to see how much you can save buying store-brand groceries , if shopping for groceries online is cheaper than in-store and if buying meal kits saves you money over buying groceries.

Here we break down how much more organic groceries cost than nonorganic. To get a more holistic view of organic costs, I looked at the prices for organic and nonorganic at both FreshDirect and Amazon Fresh -- two popular online grocery services.

I chose a selection of fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products and snacks. For calculating the costs, I chose the cheapest option for both organic and nonorganic.

In cases where the product size was unequal, I used a per-pound or per-ounce cost to ensure the comparison was as even as possible. Some items, particularly at Amazon Fresh, were not available organic, so I omitted them. This is why you'll notice the totals for FreshDirect are higher than those for Amazon Fresh.

In fact, certain food categories, including bread and snacks and dairy and eggs, were nearly even in price. Yet again, the biggest delta comes from the meat category. Read more : Chicken Labels Are Confusing. Here's What They Do and Don't Mean. The biggest jump in price for organic foods was for meat -- by far.

Some organic meats such as chicken breast were more than double the price when you picked organic over nonorganic.

There was also a fairly significant cost bump for some organic pantry items versus nonorganic, particularly at FreshDirect. At these two online grocery retailers, several categories were extremely close in price, although organic usually outpaced nonorganic by at least a few coins.

Pantry items, eggs and dairy, and even produce were surprisingly similar in cost. Some items, including the jarred pasta sauce were cheaper than nonorganic when you chose the least expensive organic option. Salad greens were also nearly dead even for both types. The latter is very good news since that's a category of food you don't definitely want doused in pesticides.

Many of Amazon Fresh's organic store-brand groceries were surprisingly similar in price to their nonorganic counterparts. There is an ongoing discussion about the benefits of eating organic and the standards and regulations are often changing.

The first hurdle for any organic shopper is figuring out exactly which products are organic. One way to spot these products is to look for a USDA Organic seal from the U.

Department of Agriculture USDA. However, USDA Organic is not the only green claim found on foods. In fact, the Greener Choices site run by Consumer Reports identifies different claims that can appear on food labels.

However, you can get by with a much smaller increase if you buy mostly conventional foods and save your organic purchases for the particular products you care about most. Shoppers have many different reasons for choosing organic foods, including concerns about health, the environment, and animal welfare.

Which foods you choose to buy organic depends on which type of shopper you are. As a rule, store brands are cheaper than brand-name foods. This is particularly true for organic foods. In fact, in some cases, buying an organic store brand can be cheaper than buying a conventional, name-brand equivalent.

Two common strategies for bargain hunters are to shop sales and use coupons. Sunday newspaper inserts contain very few coupons for organic products, but you can occasionally find a high-value coupon for an organic name brand.

In addition, there are a few savings sites online that focus on natural or organic products. You can find similar sale-and-coupon match-ups at All Natural Savings , along with a searchable database of coupons for organic products.

Many natural foods stores, such as Whole Foods , sell products such as grains, nuts, and spices in bulk bins. You bring your own containers, or use bags provided by the store, and fill them up with as much as you want of a given ingredient.

One of the best deals in the bulk section is spices, which often sell for a fraction of what they cost in jars. I recently compared the prices of several organic spices sold in bulk at the Whole Earth Center , a natural foods store in my area, with the cost of store-brand spices at my local supermarket.

Another bonus of shopping from the bulk bins is that some stores offer you a discount for bringing your own containers. So when you shop, check the prices on the shelf first before you head to the bulk section.

When it comes to saving money on organic food, where you shop is just as important as how you shop. Stores that specialize in organic and natural products often offer the best deals. Based on a survey of more than 60, subscribers, Consumer Reports says that the four stores with the best overall prices on organic foods are:.

You can also save money by shopping online, buying directly from growers, or even growing your own organic foods at home.

Online stores can offer better deals than their brick-and-mortar counterparts because their business expenses can be lower. For example, coffee is very expensive to buy organic at the store. One downside of buying this way is that shipping costs eat into your savings.

The price per pound is a little lower this way, but the main advantage is that you only have to pay for shipping once instead of five times. Some online sellers also offer special deals to compete with major retailers. You can order up to three products per day with this program.

A final option for eating organic on a budget is to grow your own organic produce at home. When you grow your own vegetables, you know exactly what has gone into them.

Fresh produce from a local or regional-chain grocery store might be the next bet, or Sprouts if there's one nearby balla.info › Is-it-possible-to-eat-all-organic-on-a-food-budget-of-on You can if you really want to. Organic food is more expensive than “regular” food, but if you use the same tactics

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Affordable Organic Food - Focus on Priority Foods · Purchase In-Season Produce · Forgo Fresh for Frozen Produce · Buy Store Brand Organic Products Fresh produce from a local or regional-chain grocery store might be the next bet, or Sprouts if there's one nearby balla.info › Is-it-possible-to-eat-all-organic-on-a-food-budget-of-on You can if you really want to. Organic food is more expensive than “regular” food, but if you use the same tactics

Please read our article from the Fall issue of Pesticides and You , " The Real Story on the Affordability of Organic Food ," which includes our guide on how to eat organic food on a budget as well as information on the cost of organic food versus its chemically-intensive conventional counterpart.

Although organic food is often inherently more expensive because of the higher production costs primarily labor , it is still possible to eat organic food within a budget.

Sometimes, the price of organic products is inflated at retail markets, and this inflation can largely be avoided by buying as a food co-op.

Although the prices she discusses in the article may be outdated, the information about how food co-ops and buying clubs work and save consumers money is still accurate and pertinent.

Another great resource is the Cooperative Grocers' Information Network's guide on How to Start a Food Co-op. Processed, packaged, and prepared foods generally cost more. Whether they are certified organic or not, these products often entail a lot of packaging and may break the bank if they become a habit.

Bulk grains, flour, beans, oils, and even canned goods can be divided amongst members of a co-op, reaping the benefits for all. This often reduces packaging significantly as well. Many consumers have have found that getting fresh produce from a CSA and bulk goods from a buying club provides them with all they need, and trips to the grocery store are nearly eliminated.

There are many cookbooks ooks about cooking from scratch with fresh, seasonal produce. The options are limitless.

Despite this label and assurance of organic compliance, it is worth making other considerations when purchasing organic products. Both within the U. and outside its borders, agricultural workers are often forced to work long, strenuous days with low pay and few, if any, benefits.

Often, it is impossible sible to discern what the labor practices are on a given farm, though you can be assured the workers were not exposed toxic chemicals if the product is certified organic.

Fair trade embodies the principals of a living wage and humane treatment. When possible, find out who grows your food, and how they are reimbursed for this vital service. Read more about fair trade and social justice in organic agriculture at the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and the Fair Trade International Labeling Organization.

While the international fair trade movement has been gaining momentum for quite some time, the domestic fair trade movement is currently starting to get some attention. You can read the final draft statement on these issues from the Domestic Fair Trade Working Group.

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By Cameron Huddleston. last updated 4 April Sign up. Kip Tips Smart Buying Aldi. Cameron Huddleston. Social Links Navigation. Some organic meats such as chicken breast were more than double the price when you picked organic over nonorganic.

There was also a fairly significant cost bump for some organic pantry items versus nonorganic, particularly at FreshDirect.

At these two online grocery retailers, several categories were extremely close in price, although organic usually outpaced nonorganic by at least a few coins. Pantry items, eggs and dairy, and even produce were surprisingly similar in cost.

Some items, including the jarred pasta sauce were cheaper than nonorganic when you chose the least expensive organic option. Salad greens were also nearly dead even for both types. The latter is very good news since that's a category of food you don't definitely want doused in pesticides.

Many of Amazon Fresh's organic store-brand groceries were surprisingly similar in price to their nonorganic counterparts.

There is an ongoing discussion about the benefits of eating organic and the standards and regulations are often changing.

That said, the USDA defines certified organic foods as ones that "are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control and use of additives.

Organic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible. Standards for growing organic produce , in the US as of , include a set of cultural, biological and mechanical practices that support the cycling of on-farm resources, promoting ecological balance and conserving biodiversity.

Studies have found that there are higher antioxidant levels in organically grown foods. There's also evidence that organic food has lower toxic, heavy metal levels and less pesticide residue , with organic eggs, meat and dairy products containing more good-for-you omega-3 fatty acids.

Certain foods including leafy greens and produce with soft skin are more likely to absorb chemicals and, thus, buying organic may be the right move.

While you can find the organic version of just about any type of food, some may be worth the extra money more than others. Foods with a thick skin that isn't consumed are less vulnerable to chemicals and pesticides; nuts and bananas are just two examples.

Other foods with edible skin or no skin such as berries, apples and salad greens are more likely to be affected by pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.