Food is good!

Food vs. Non-

www.usda.gov

Organic or Not? Check the Label

•100 percent organic. To use this phrase, products must be either completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.

•Organic. Products must be at least 95 percent organic to use this term.

<70% organic ingredients –can’t use the seal.

Products certified 95 percent or more organic display this USDA seal.

Why ORGANIC?• Pesticides – lower pesticide residues.

• Food Additives- ban or restriction of preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colorings and flavorings.

• Environment- reduction of pollution & soil quality.

• Taste- since grown more “naturally”

www.rsc.org

Cost is the concern

The reasons:

1. Higher animal welfare standards2. Restricted use of chemicals, leading to lower

yields.3. No subsidies from the government.

Investigation

Our research question:

What is the average cost of switchinga “typical” diet from non-organic to organic?

o Breakfast: Yogurt, Milk and Cerealo Lunch: Soup and Salad (olive oil, tomatoes, spinach)o Dinner: Spaghetti with Chicken drumsticks

Breakfast Time

Yogurt

Organics Stonyfield Organic Stonyfield Average Price$0.00

$0.50

$1.00

$1.50

$2.00

$2.50

0.89

$1.99

$0.99

$1.29

Prices for Organic Yogurt (6 oz)

Brands

Price

in D

olla

rs

$0.00

$0.50

$1.00

$1.50

$2.00

$2.50

$0.5

$2.2

$1.16

Prices for Non-Organic Yogurt (6 oz)

Brands

Price

in D

olla

rs

Organic yogurt is 13 cents more expensive on average.

Organic's Horizon Organic Valley Silk Average Price$0.00

$0.50

$1.00

$1.50

$2.00

$2.50

$3.00

$3.50

$4.003.39 $3.19

The Cost of Organic Milk (half gal-lon)

Milk Brands

Price

Val

ue (d

olla

rs)

Darigold Lucerne Lactaid Average price$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50$3.00$3.50$4.00$4.50 3.99

$ 2.75

The Cost of Non-Organic Milk (half gallon)

Milk Brands

Price

Val

ueDifference: The cost of organic milk is $0.44 more expensive than that of non-organic milk, on average.

It’s Not breakfast without Cereal!

Organic C

ereal

(15 oz)

Cascad

ian Fa

rm O

rganic

Organics

Nature'

s Path

Averag

e pric

e

Non-organic C

ereal

(15 oz)

Safew

ay

Quaker

Kellog's

Genera

l Mills

Averag

e pric

e0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

3.65 $ 3.49 $

Chart Title

Cereal Types

Price

Val

ue (d

olla

rs)

Organic cereals are $0.11 more expensive than non-organic cereals.

Lunch Time

Soup

Organic's (organic) Campbell's (non-organic)$1.80

$1.90

$2.00

$2.10

$2.20

$2.30

$2.40

$2.50

$2.60

2.50

$2.09

Organic soup vs. Non-organic Chicken Noodle Soup (18 oz)

Pric

e in

dol

lars

Organic soup is $0.41 more expensive than non-organic soup.

Olive Oil

Organic's (organic) Star Original Pure(non-organic)$0.00

$1.00

$2.00

$3.00

$4.00

$5.00

$6.00

$7.00

$8.00

$9.00

$10.00 $9.45

$5.99

Olive Oil Price Comparison

Brand names

Pric

e in

dol

lars

Organic olive oil is $3.49 more expensive than conventional olive oil.

Tomatoes

1 20

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5$4.19

$2.99

Tomatoes

Organic vs. Non-organic

Price

in d

olla

rs

Organic tomatoes are $1.20 more expensive than non-organic tomatoes.

Spinach

Organic Fresh Herb Salad Fresh Express0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7$5.99

$3.29

Spinach

Series1

Organic vs. Non-organic

Pric

e in

dol

lars

Organic spinach is $2.70 more expensive than non-organic spinach

Dinner Time

Spaghetti Noodles

Organic Spaghetti Noodles Non-organic Spaghetti Noodles$0.00

$0.20

$0.40

$0.60

$0.80

$1.00

$1.20

$1.40

$1.60 $1.50

$1.21

Spaghetti Noodles (1 lb)

Series1

Organic vs. Non-organic

Price

in d

olla

rs

Organic spaghetti noodles are $0.29 more expensive per pound than non-organic spaghetti noodles

Spaghetti Sauce

Organic Spaghetti Sauce Non-organic Spaghetti Sauce$0.00

$0.50

$1.00

$1.50

$2.00

$2.50

$3.00

$3.50 $3.29

$2.69

Series1

On average, organic spaghetti sauce is $0.60 more expensive than non-organic spaghetti sauce.

Spaghetti Sauce (24 oz)

Pric

e in

dol

lars

Drumsticks (Chicken)

Organic chicken drumsticks Non-organic chicken drumsticks$0.00

$1.00

$2.00

$3.00

$4.00

$5.00

$6.00 $5.49

$1.89

Organic drumsticks (chicken) are $3.60 more expensive than non-organic drumsticks.

Pric

e in

do

llars

Overall Cost DifferenceORGANIC vs. NON-ORGANIC

$8.13

$22.13

$10.29

$40.55

Organic

BreakfastLunchDinnerTotal

$ 7.40

$ 14.36

$ 5.79

$ 27.55

Non-organic

BreakfastLunchDinnerTotal

A “typical” organic diet will cost you $13.00 more, or 68% more than a “typical” non-organic diet.

Conclusion ORGANIC vs. NON-ORGANIC

• When purchasing non-organic food, you are in fact paying threefold:

1) once at the counter2) via taxation (which support non-organic farmers)3) Remedy for environmental pollution

• With organic development and technological advancement, the we expected for organic food’s:

– Yields to increase– Cost to decrease– Production costs to decrease