Why is organic so much more expensive?

Meaghan Hennessy

As college students, our budget is extremely tight. I’m lucky if I purchase vegetables, let alone organic ones! This got me thinking, if organic foods are made without chemicals or hormones, in theory, shouldn’t they be cheaper? Obviously there are other factors as to why organic foods are expensive, but what I found shocked me.
First, I think the term organic should be defined. According to the FOA (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States), “Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity.” One of the reasons the demand for organic food has increased is because people are becoming more concerned about how their meals are being produced, processed, and handled. Also, there are more nutrients and no chemical toxins in organic food, which increases its appeal. Now that we know why organic food is worth the price, lets discuss why it is so expensive.
There are several reasons why organic food has a larger price tag than its conventional counterpart. One of the main reasons is the government doesn’t subsidize organic farmers. Farmers who practice “agrochemical agriculture” get paid and subsidized by the government to make a large amount of product and sell it cheap. This is unfortunate for people trying to go organic on a budget because the government is driving down the price of chemically treated food, but not helping out the farmers trying to stay “green.” Another big reason why organic food is more expensive is because without chemicals, farmers cannot produce as much product. This brings about a basic economic principle of supply and demand. The demand for organic food is increasing, while the supply cannot increase past a certain point, thus driving the price up. Lastly, farmers who want to be certified as “organic,” wishing to use the USDA organic seal on their product must follow certain guidelines. The requirements include expensive soil, expensive feed for animals, and usually techniques that require more labor. As a result, organic farmers have more upfront costs and smaller yields, so price of organic goods has to be higher than conventional food in order for them to make a profit.
Fortunately, there are ways to save money here in Ann Arbor on organic food. Community Supported Agriculture is a way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. It allows consumers to eat ultra-fresh food for cheap. There are tons in the local Ann Arbor area. Also, growing your own vegetables in your backyard is a money saver and may turn out to be a new hobby! Lastly, buying locally produced organic products saves you money and helps support local farmers. The benefits of going organic are worth the extra dollar or two, but if you are on a budget use these alternative and cheap ways to go organic!

And I Would Walk 500 miles…

By: Emily Kastl

Oh, wait. I DID walk 500 miles. Why, you might ask? I should probably explain myself. Rewind to this past summer, and that’s where we’ll start. As part of the Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates (GIEU), I traveled to Spain and hiked the Camino de Santiago with 15 other U of M students. The Camino, or Saint James’ Way, started in the 10^th Century when Christians began to make their way to Santiago de Compostela, paying their respects to Saint James, one of Jesus’ disciples, at his final resting place. Our journey began in a tiny town in France, Saint Jean Pied-de-Port. It was here where we took the first steps of our 500-mile adventure up the Pyrenees Mountains. Little did I know, Saint Jean also marked the beginning of what would be the best culinary experience of my life. From there, we wove our way across northern Spain over the course of 5 weeks, eating traditional regional foods every step of the way. Literally.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was definitely lacking knowledge in the Spanish culture department before my departure to España. Since my GIEU trip would be my first time abroad, I was geeked to go somewhere “exotic,” somewhere as different from Twin Lake, Michigan as possible. When I found out I was headed to the Iberian Peninsula, I was a little disappointed because I thought it was going to be too much like home. Ha! I told you I wasn’t the brightest pea in the paella when it came to Spainish knowledge. I had no idea what kinds of food I would be encountering, but I did know one thing: I wouldn’t be sleeping in a hut in the jungle and eating bugs like I had originally planned. It took me one meal in Spain to realize that I was about to spend almost 6 weeks eating food from one of the best gastronomical countries in the world. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I had hit the culinary jackpot.

Sure, I wanted to survive walking around 100 miles a week across a country and waking up at 5am every day, but I had a much more important mission: I wanted to try as much of the Spanish cuisine as humanly possible. Often, this meant many experiences with the infamous “food baby,” but I was willing to withstand the discomfort. To accomplish such a feat, one must have a strategy. Whenever we went to a restaurant I took a specific course of action: Step 1: Pick up the menu, stare at it patiently, and wait for a translation. Step 2: Ask what the most traditional/local item on the menu is. Step 3: Order it. This was a fool-proof plan, and I highly recommend it.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about various aspects of Spanish cuisine, including: Spanish food stereotypes (no burritos, who knew?), food by region, the importance of food in the night life/bar scene, and Spanish vs. U.S. supermarkets (Walmart? Not a chance.). So grab your hiking boots and your appetites, as we take a walking tour of Spanish cuisine.

¡Buen Camino!