Yes.
…How’s that for a direct answer, rather than the typical “it depends?”
Of course, I won’t stop there. Let me elaborate:
Organic products are nearly always more expensive than non-organic.
However, organic products online versus in-store organic products may or may not be more expensive.
Organic foods are more expensive than their non-organic counterparts because:
- It takes more time to produce organic food
- Organic farms are smaller (production costs get cheaper as scale increases)
- Organic foods haven’t been farmed as long and the production techniques are still evolving
Consumers, however, happily pay more for organic foods because they:
- Greatly reduces the health risks for many serious diseases and conditions
- Are easier on the environment when farmed
- Taste better
How to Keep the Costs of Organic Foods Low If You’re on a Budget
The free marketplace hasn’t yet grown to the point where organic food is cheap and widely affordable for everyone.
…But that doesn’t mean you need to pay out your ears if you feel you must have organic.
You can control your costs. You simply have to spend more time and energy monitoring your purchasing habits.
Here’s what you can do to keep the costs of your organic food down:
- Sign up for dozens of website e-mail lists. Companies love to give you promotions. So, simply join the lists of dozens of websites. You’ll have plenty of offers to choose from so you can keep a nice rotation of organic food coming in.
- Join store loyalty programs. Some websites offer monthly memberships or subscriptions or other loyalty options. Those help keep your costs down too.
- Like Facebook pages. They’re another way to become aware of offers.
- Start by replacing the foods most likely to cause health problems first. You don’t need to go totally organic immediately. Industry experts call these the “Dirty Dozen.” Some of those include strawberries, apples, tomatoes, potatoes, grapes, pears, and peaches. Replace them with the “Clean 15.”
- Don’t assume organic always costs more. In general, yes, organic food will cost you more than non-organic. However, Amazon Fresh’s honey was actually found to be 13% cheaper than non-organic honey. Make sure you comparison shop.
- Skip any premade foods where you can. Instead of buying organic muffins, get the ingredients and make them yourself.
Can you go organic?
Yes.
It’s a little trickier.
But anyone willing to put their mind to it can absolutely afford to eat at least a portion of their diet from organic foods.