Grain Products.
Oatmeal.
$0.17/oz.
$0.16/oz.
-6%.
Cereal.
$0.23/oz.
$0.25/oz.
9%.
Brown Rice.
$0.10/oz.
$0.09/oz.
-10%.
Bread.
$0.14/oz.
$0.17/oz.
21%.
Produce.
Romaine Lettuce.
$1.78/head.
$3.54/head.
99%.
Carrots.
$0.77/lb.
$1.51/lb.
96%.
Bananas.
$0.57/lb.
$0.89/lb.
56%.
Tomatoes.
$2.82/lb.
$4.05/lb.
44%.
Red Peppers.
$2.76/lb.
$5.89/lb.
113%.
Yellow Onion.
$0.93/lb.
$1.57/lb.
69%.
Apples.
$1.57/lb.
$2.34/lb.
49%.
Protein Products.
Peanut Butter.
$0.12/oz.
$0.27/oz.
125%.
Tofu.
$0.15/oz.
$0.19/oz.
27%.
Frozen Chicken Breasts.
$3.46/lb.
$5.07/lb.
47%.
Beef Burgers.
$3.58/lb.
$8.39/lb.
134%.
Other Products.
Canned Tomatoes.
$0.06/oz.
$0.14/oz.
133%.
Grape Juice.
$0.05/oz.
$0.07/oz.
40%.
Source. (Pillsbury).
With the exception of Grains, there is a significant price difference between organic and non-organic products; organic items generally cost more than the non-organic type. It should be noted that conventionally grown cereals and brown rice are more expensive than their organic counterparts by an average of eight percent for both items.
Studies have been conducted comparing organic versus non-organic foods specifically aimed at analyzing the biological effects that pesticides may have on the food that humans consume on a daily basis, and how much pesticides are actually used in the process of growing the food that we eat. Prior to these studies, most people generally considered that organic food products, because of the methods used to grow them, were inherently safer and therefore healthier than non-organic products. .
This consensus was due in part because of the overwhelming negative publicity that pesticides had garnered from the health food industry as well as many consumers. The term organic has also been mistaken to be synonymous with pesticide free. .
The studies however, produced some rather surprising findings, among them being the fact that there are various pesticides authorized for use in growing some of the food we consume yet, still allow for those items to be labeled organic. Studies have also uncovered numerous cases of organically grown food products that when tested, contained abnormally high levels of pesticides banned by the Environmental Protection Agency from use in growing and harvesting organic foods.
