5 ways to save on organic food

When I’m in the grocery store I’m always pulled two ways. I want to load up on organics but I balk at the cost. What’s worth the extra money? Here are some tips on what to look for as well as how to shop for organics, taken from our sister site, Greener Choices:

1. Prioritize your purchases. If your main concern is eating healthfully, you can have the biggest impact buying organic peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, sweet bell peppers, celery, lettuce, spinach, and potatoes. Buying organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy can reduce your risk of exposure to the agent believed to cause mad cow disease and potential toxins in nonorganic feed.
2. Search the Web for coupons. Many major organic brands, including Stonyfield Farm , Annie’s Homegrown, Organic Valley, Earthbound Farm, and Health Valley offer coupons at their Web sites.
3. Look for store-brand organics and bulk packaging. Examples include Whole Foods Market’s 365 Organic Everyday Value, Safeway’s O Organics, Stop & Shop’s/Giant’s Nature’s Promise, Kroger’s Private Selection Organic, Trader Joe’s, and others that often cost less than national name brands. Costco, for example, says its private label Kirkland Signature organics offer at least 20 percent savings compared with the leading national brand. 
4. Join a food co-op. They are independent grocery stores that usually offer local and organic foods. Some have a membership fee and may require members to volunteer at the co-op for a few hours each month. Members get a discount when they shop. To find a local co-op, visit the Coop Directory Service or Local Harvest.
5. Buy lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in season. That’s when prices are lowest. To see what produce is in season near you, click on your state on the Sustainable Table Web site. If possible, freeze or preserve produce for later.

—Sue Byrne, senior Web editor

Comments

[marie]

According to ewg.org there are the dirty dozen and the clean 15 which denotes which produce items are the most contaminated with pesticide and fertilizer residue. Many of these contaminants are endocrine disrupters, cancer causing, and as you stated are bad for the environment. Eating organic is in fact healthier for you, since you cannot rinse the residue off the produce.
Dirty Dozen, better to buy organic
Peach
Apple
Bell Pepper
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes (Imported)
Carrot
Pear
Clean 15 lowest is pesticides
Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato

Posted by: micah | Apr 21, 2009 6:19:44 PM

"If your main concern is eating healthfully," you should not be focused on buying organics. "Organic" is a description of how the food is grown (or in the case of meat/eggs/dairy, how the food was grown that the animals ate). The main benefits of organic food are to the environment--the health benefits to the person eating organic food are secondary and arguably minimal.

I'm not saying you shouldn't buy organic. I buy plenty of organic stuff myself. But the freshness and nutritional content of food are far more important to your health than whether a farmer sprayed for bugs or used inorganic fertilizer rather than organic fertilize

[Jennifer]

I'm concerned about the store name and big brand organic produce. How far does that produce have to travel to get to my store? How many fossil fuels are used for that, and how much pollution enters the atmosphere? There's more to the healthy eating puzzle than just the organic label.

Eating in season is a great tip, because then it is more likely that the food is local. Farmers markets are awesome, and smaller health food stores and co-ops are a good option when your local farmers market isn't open.

You might also have an organic delivery service in your area. I use Organics to You in my area. They use biodiesel delivery vehicles, and they focus on local, sustainably grown and shipped produce. And it comes to my house.

[Emily]

I'm really surprised that Farmer's Markets weren't mentioned. They are a great source of seasonal, low-cost fresh food. Also, since the farmers are right there, you can ask them about what pesticides and herbicides they use, if they use any at all. You might also consider a CSA (community supported agriculture), where you pay one price to a nearby farm, and they drop off fresh produce at your door every week.

But the best of all: growing it yourself.

[PFR]

This is a very, very limited list.

What if my concern isn't my health (little science to show that organics are better for the consumer) and instead for the health of the farm worker? What conventional crops create the greatest risk for farm workers and their kids?

Or what if my concern is the environment?

Sorry. Not very helpful.

[Andrew]

You could also join a Community Supported Agriculture program, pre-buy organic produce from a farm, giving the farmer a cash injection out of season and guaranteeing produce for you. Don't live near a farm? Still join, but find one with a delivery route or collective delivery agreement to your area.
I was eating beef in England during the mad-cow crisis, which potential exposure outweighs any benefits from organic produce (falls to floor drooling) and it was pretty scary to wake up to no beef being served in resturants until new stock could be raised.
You could also try your hand at growing your own, most people have some sort of yard or area they can put tomatoe vines, or a spud-basket even if they don't have an area of grass.

[solipsistnation]

You might also mention looking for Community-Supported Agriculture farms nearby that offer shares. LocalHarvest.org also lists CSA farms. You don't get to choose what you get, usually, but you get super-fresh produce and it tends to be much less expensive than shopping for things individually. You do have to pay for a year or several months up-front, though, which means it's harder to get into at first.

[micah]

"If your main concern is eating healthfully," you should not be focused on buying organics. "Organic" is a description of how the food is grown (or in the case of meat/eggs/dairy, how the food was grown that the animals ate). The main benefits of organic food are to the environment--the health benefits to the person eating organic food are secondary and arguably minimal.

I'm not saying you shouldn't buy organic. I buy plenty of organic stuff myself. But the freshness and nutritional content of food are far more important to your health than whether a farmer sprayed for bugs or used inorganic fertilizer rather than organic fertilize.