The Benefits of eating Organic Produce

Many of us have experienced this dilemma while shopping in the produce department. Should I buy regular, or "organic" labeled produce? What is the difference in regular and "organic" produce? Why is there such a drastic difference in price between the two types of produce? All of these questions are things you should reflect on when you are making your way past the tomatoes, celery and strawberries in your local market.

This question cannot be answered by someone writing an article like me. There are many pro's and con's to both types of produce. If you have a tight budget, spend time cleaning your veggies, or simply don't care about the chemicals on conventional produce then organic may not matter. On the other hand, if you are a "vegan", want to encourage buying "local" produce, or are not tolerant to pesticides you may choose to buy organic.

Most people already share the belief that organic produce is superior to "regular" produce. Organic produce is generally grown without the use of pesticides, and to most of us, this means less chemicals entering our bodies. But is that really true? The definition of "organic" foods by Wikipedia is this: "produced according to certain production standards, meaning they are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives." Conventional produce may be grown genetically modified, which has caused some controversy recently among consumers. It may also be grown using many different types of chemicals including: insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and even rodentcides.

There are a few general reasons why organically grown produce is more expensive than conventional produce. The first being the type of fertilizers used. Conventionally grown produce can be farmed using artificial fertilizer, which is less expensive for the farmer. Organic farms typically use non-chemical natural fertilizer, such as manuer. Another more unknown difference is government subsidy. Conventional farmers are allowed a subsidy to grow their crops, which are not offered to organic farmers. Another cost may arise from organic farmers producing only "in-season" foods. Most conventional farms grow crops out of season, and their methods of mass producing these foods makes for more profit.