THE
REAL COST OF FOOD
Are
Organics Really More Expensive?
What
does organic mean?
Organic systems work in harmony with nature, keeping
harmful chemicals out of our land, water and air, creating a healthy
environment rich in wildlife and nutrients.
The organic standards place great emphasis on building
and maintaining healthy soil, nutritious crops and animal welfare.
How
organic food is produced – the extra costs in organic farming
The biggest criticism of organic food is its cost.
There are several reasons why certified organic foods may cost more:
•
Synthetic
fertilisers and pesticides are prohibited. This leaves organic farmers with
more expensive methods of controlling pests, diseases, weeds, and providing
more nutrients for crops to grow.
•
Organic farming is
more labour intensive and takes more time.
Because farmers don’t use herbicides,
for instance, they have to weed some crops by hand,
•
And since they avoid
chemical fertilisers, they use compost and animal manure, which is bulkier and more
expensive to ship.
•
Yields for organic
farmers are typically lower than those of conventional farmers. They end up
with less crops while putting out more time and using more expensive means of
growing.
•
Organic farmers pay more
for organic animal feed.
•
Conventional farming
also uses every acre of farmland to grow crops, while organic farmers rotate their
crops to keep soil healthy. Up to 25% of land may be left at any one time to
increase natural soil fertility.
Some other reasons why we pay more for
organics at the checkout:
•
The supply of
organic food is limited compared to conventional food.
•
Organic food doesn’t
contain chemical preservatives; therefore, its shelf-life is shorter.
•
Organic food is
grown in smaller batches.
•
Organic farmers don’t
receive government subsidies like conventional farmers do.
The prices of organic foods include not only
the cost of the food production itself, but also a range of other factors that
are not captured in the price of conventional food, such as:
•
Environmental
enhancement and protection (and avoidance of future expenses to mitigate
pollution);
•
Higher standards for
animal welfare;
•
Avoidance of health
risks: to farmers due to inappropriate handling of pesticides; and to consumers
due to a healthier food and water supply (and avoidance of future medical
expenses);
•
Rural development by
generating additional farm employment and assuring a fair and sufficient income
to producers.
As demand for organic food and products increases
and this area develops, new technology and competitive pricing are likely to reduce
costs of production, processing, distribution, and marketing for organic produce
making it similar in cost to conventional produce.
How
conventional food is produced - the hidden costs in conventional farming
Conventional agriculture carries many hidden costs,
such as environmental and health costs.
If the hidden costs were included in the shelf
price, consumers would be paying the real costs of food and organic food would be
cheaper than conventional food.
Some of these include:
•
The need for, and cost
of, water treatment and environmental protection measures due to pesticide use in
conventional farming. Pesticide manufacturers
pass on the costs of cleaning up pesticides to farmers, who pass it on to water
companies, who in turn pass it on to consumers via water bills. In effect the polluter
gets a hidden subsidy from anyone who pays a water bill, while the non-polluter
– the organic farmer – receives no such subsidy.
•
Farmers that grow
conventional food don’t have strict guidelines which result in bad agricultural
practices. Many of them also used chemicals that are bad for the environment.
These bad practices usually end up destroying the land and polluting ground
water. To fix these problems cost money, it is usually the tax payers that end
up paying for these costs.
•
Conventionally grown
food is subsidised through the tax system. This means that consumers are
already paying for it before it even reach the shelf.
•
In the conventional
meat industry, animals are tortured, live in cramped conditions, are fed
artificial food and are removed from their natural surroundings and
mothers. Due to their artificial feed,
they create more digestive gas in the form of methane which is a big
contributor to the damage to the ozone layer.
•
Conventional food is
not as healthy as organic food because it contains harmful chemicals and is
lower in nutrients. These harmful chemicals, such as pesticides can cause
health problems, which cost consumers and tax payers more money.
•
Growth hormones and
antibiotics, in addition to the genetically modified food fed to livestock,
cause various health problems.
•
Many foods are
genetically modified. These foods with altered DNA are unsafe for
consumption.
When you add it all up, consumers who buy
conventional food are paying for the food itself, the subsidies, the health
cost and the cost to clean up the environment.
Organic food may actually be cheaper to produce than intensively farmed foods.
Consumers pay four times when they buy intensively farmed food.
•
First, they pay at
the shop cash register;
•
Next, they pay for the
same food through their taxes in the form of government subsidies;
•
Thirdly, they pay again
to clean up the damage to the environment caused during the growing and raising
of the food; and
•
Fourth is the cost
to our health and, as a result of this, the financial cost of repairing our
bodies once they break down.
So when you take into account the true “cost”
of food production from conventional farming, including replacement of eroded
soils, cleaning up polluted water, health care for farmers and consumers who
get sick, and environmental costs of pesticide production and disposal, organic
farming is actually much cheaper in the end.
This video gives a good overview of the real
cost of food:
The True Cost of Food - Organic food versus
chemicals and GMOs
