Luis Flores

Miranda Gonzalez
Is Organic Worth It?
States like Oregon and California are the leading states in the demand of supply of
organic food. Organic food can be categorized as produce and other ingredients that are grown
without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified
organisms, or ionizing radiation. Many people refuse to believe that organic food is better in
general, but never seem to know the reasons as to why. Well, the reasons are many, but the most
important ones include: the obvious one, the fact that they are chemical, pesticide, and toxin free,
and that organic food is plainly fresher and healthier. Of course consumers want the best for their
bodies and to prolong their life as much as possible, yet they do not consider organic food. There
is also the fact that the U.S. production system closely monitors and regulates all the crops and
livestock, making sure they earn their label. Last but not least, is that in many ways the
production of organic food is better for the environment than the production of conventional
food, like helping to keep the bodies of water clean. Yet, everyone overlooks all these benefits
because of the slight higher cost of organic food.
Perhaps the most obvious economic principle in the question of why organic food is more
expensive is Costs Versus Benefits. Many people think, Should I pay more for my food or pay
for a medical bill? Yes, organic food tends to have a higher cost than conventional food but the
benefits are endless. The people who chose to eat organic tend to live a healthier life with less
risks at diseases and other medical problems such as cancer. Usually, many people have to make
the decision whether the higher cost overlooks the benefits or vice versa, and that contradicts the
fact that organic food is just better in general; it just lacks affordability.
Another reason organic food tends to be more expensive is because theres a high
demand but low supply, the resources needed to fulfill our desires are scarce. Only 0.9% of the
worlds farmland is used for organic products, along with the fact that many crops are lost
(because of the absence of pesticides) are a few reasons as to why organic products are
expensive. Leading the consumer to buy conventional food since its cheaper, choosing quantity
over quality.
 There has to be an obvious demand, (which there is), for organic products if not many
stores would not carry them. This arrangement has buyers and sellers brought together to do
business with each other. Although many stores majority of products are conventional, a few
isles of organic food tend to start popping up here and there in stores because of the demand of
organic, healthier food.
Lastly, although organic food is better and healthier for the consumer, it still tends to cost
a little bit higher than conventional food. The benefits of organic food are many, including that
their production is better for the environment, that they are closely monitored by the U.S. system,
and finally that theyre pesticide and chemical free making them fresher and healthier. Sadly,
because of these reasons, it makes them cost more and thats where the economic principles
Costs Versus Benefits, Scarcity Forces Tradeoff, and Markets Coordinate Trade come in. In the
end organic produce and its relatively higher price is one of the many economic enigmas for
economists.
 Bibliography
"10 reasons organic food is so expensive." Fox News. FOX News Network, n.d. Web. Mar.
2017.
"FAQ." Organic Agriculture: Why is organic food more expensive than conventional food? N.p.,
n.d. Web. Mar. 2017.

Sources of Economic Data

Figure A:
https://www.google.com/search?q=statistical+graphs+organic+vs+conventional&safe=strict&bi
w=1366&bih=623&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTi7qAgrvSAhWHhVQKH
W7sA_QQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=CgxzuTYUu_T1VM:
Figure B:
https://www.google.com/search?q=statistical+graphs+organic+vs+conventional&safe=strict&bi
w=1366&bih=623&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTi7qAgrvSAhWHhVQKH
W7sA_QQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=CVkNVLbxjtU9KM:
Figure C:
https://www.google.com/search?q=organic+vs+conventional+food+graphs&safe=strict&biw=12
80&bih=929&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYjcOnsbvSAhXKq1QKHb43Dq
8Q_AUIBigB#imgdii=jqFY8gT_ozVwmM:&imgrc=ULPRkaMJkIOzqM:
Figure D:
https://www.google.com/search?q=organic+vs+conventional+food+graphs&safe=strict&biw=12
80&bih=929&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYjcOnsbvSAhXKq1QKHb43Dq
8Q_AUIBigB#imgrc=HFeIh-gdYhEf3M:
Figure E:
https://www.google.com/search?q=conventional+vs+organic+food+graphs&safe=strict&source=
lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNzZPfvurSAhULerwKHbYNCHgQ_AUIBigB&biw=1
366&bih=623#imgrc=lPft7idvl1DIJM:&spf=208