If you do the grocery shopping for your family, you’ve undoubtedly noticed a rise in popularity of products on the shelves that are labeled “organic.” You may have also noticed that those organic foods or ingredients can sometimes cost quite a bit more than their non-organic counterparts. But why are organic foods in Poplar Bluff, MO more expensive? Perhaps more importantly, should you pay extra for organic foods and ingredients? Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about organic foods!
What does “organic” mean?
For a food to get the “Certified Organic” or “USDA Organic” label on its packaging, 95 percent of the ingredients have to be free of additives like pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which are often used to grow commercial food. In addition, organic foods in Poplar Bluff, MO can’t be processed with industrial solvents or be genetically engineered. The remaining 5 percent of the ingredients in the food can be processed with additives, but they must be additives on an approved list.
Companies can place other labels on their products, such as “made with organic,” which means at least 70 percent of the ingredients meet the criteria mentioned above. If you’d like to learn more about approved additives, check out the comprehensive list posted on the USDA website.
Should I buy organic?
Over the past few years, there has been quite a bit of debate regarding the benefits of paying extra for foods with an organic label. Choosing between paying more money for organic foods or sticking with the regular products on the shelves can be difficult. A shopper can sometimes buy two or three regular products for the same amount as one organic product! If money is tight around the house, that can be a tough decision, and a few factors go into the evaluation:
- Nutritional value: Getting the most and best nutrients as possible from your food is vital to good overall health. One may see an organic label and just assume the product is more nutritious. However, that’s not always the case. Organic and conventional foods both have the same amount of vitamins and minerals. So, if all you’re worried about is nutrients, you might as well just stick with regular food.
- Environmental impact: Limiting one’s carbon footprint is a goal many folks across the country strive to achieve. Studies have proven that organic farms have a smaller environmental impact than farms that use GMOs and other chemicals. If you’d like to support organizations that don’t harm the environment as much, you may want to consider buying organic.
- Taste: There isn’t much hard data on whether organic foods taste better. But there are tons of people who swear that organic meats, cheeses and eggs are much tastier than those grown and farmed using industrial methods.
When it comes down to it, the choice of whether or not to buy organic falls on the shopper, but we think it never hurts to give organic foods a try! Stop by The Bee Hive Natural Foods to browse our wide selection of organic foods in Poplar Bluff, MO.