The Cost of What?!

Over the past few years I have become more and more aware of my personal health. Suffice it to say that like many, arthritis has set in with a vengeance and people I care about around me have started to tackle serious health issues. Like many a baby boomer I have read a few books and articles discussing healthier living. The result, gravitating to organically grown foods. Pesticide free produce, free run chickens, and all natural ingredients have been pounded in my head as the only way to go. That was until I found a frozen turkey on sale for $102.50!

Just in case you missed it, I found a frozen turkey on sale for 102.50! In the same location I found a pound of butter for $8.99, 12 eggs for $5.79 and a litre of milk for $2.89! I was told that this store specialized in ‘organically raised’ produce and turkeys. I didn’t think of seeing how much a Foghorn Leghorn cost. Let me ask you, would that be a sales flyer you would respond to?

This high cost of chow brings a couple of questions to mind. First was just how expensive would this ‘healthier’ diet cost me, and second is it really any healthier than conventionally raised produce and penned up birds.

I have no problem in believing and actively advocating raising awareness of what you put in your mouth has an adverse or inversely a beneficial affect on your heath and lifestyle. Things like avoiding chemically processed foods, and understanding that when a food label lists the word ‘spice’ as an ingredient it is a legal way for process food manufacturers to hide MSG in their products.

The first question is a real no-brainer. If you paid the inflated cost of food based on the market price of food identified as organically grown, your average grocery bill would run you in the range of $2,200 per month. Of course this is a very rough estimate but based on the prices found in the store I mentioned the cost is rather conservative. The average Canadian is still only making $30,000 per year, which is a whopping 2500/month before taxes. Therefore it would be reasonable to assume that the ‘organic way’ is the affluent way.

Lets take a look at food value. According to a study conducted on organically and conventionally produced apples published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (08/16/2007) showed that there were no statistically significant differences. They discovered that consumption of neither organically nor conventionally grown apples caused any changes in antioxidant capacity of low-density lipoproteins. Further they showed that a significant increased capacity to protect DNA against damage induced by iron chloride were determined 24 hours after consumption in both organic and conventionally grown apples. That mouthful states simply an apple is an apple.

That tackles antioxidants; lets take a look at vitamins, proteins and minerals. In a study conducted by the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (13/11/2000) it was concluded that nutritionally important differences relating to contents of minerals, vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates are not likely, nor were present levels of pesticides residues in conventional products a cause for concern. But to be fair, this study did report that on average, organic vegetables and fruits more likely contain more of these compounds than conventional ones allowing for the possibility that organic plant foods may benefit human health more than corresponding conventional produce. That mouthful states simply nutrients are comparable in both groups, but organic may be better, they are just not sure.

Lastly let us take a gander at how residues and pest management affect you and I between organic and conventionally grown foods. In a study published by Taylor & Francis Ltd (Organic Materials Review Institute and the Consumers Union of the United States, 22/10/2001) they found that organically grown foods consistently had about one-third as many residues as conventionally grown foods and about one-half as many residues as found in their samples. They concluded that conventionally grown samples were far more likely to contain multiple pesticides residues than were organically grown samples. Simply put, if you spray pesticides and herbicides on your fruits and veggies, you will consume the poisons. In this instance, organically raised foods have less chemical residues. But note, that this study did not find that organically grown produce was chemical free, only had less chemicals.

Organics are the latest corporate success story. Big business has over the past ten years jumped in the fray, and in the USA one natural food retail chain grosses around one billion US dollars annually. In California, as an example, five gigantic farms control half of that states $400 million organic produce market.

Is this really considered wholesome organic farming? It has been societies experience that when something good becomes big business, quality control, the mission and the vision of the market makes way for profits. In light of these studies findings, I would suggest that any business that tries to produce ‘organically’ grown produce on a global commercial scale is no different than the less expensive and more efficient conventional method of commercial farming.

It can be argued that the grass roots farming methods definitely produce better tasting vegetables, chickens and even turkeys. Anyone that has eaten a roasted farm chicken raised on chicken feed and sour milk can testify on taste and appearance. But as far as the scientific studies are concerned the jury is out on many areas of human benefits. As far as I am concerned if I want to buy ‘organic’ food, I will stick to the smaller local operators and farmers markets. $102.50 for a frozen turkey, who do they think I am!