Shoppers are hungry for organic foods

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, June 10, 2007

Not all apples are created equally.

Some come with fewer pesticides than others. But eating one of these a day certainly will keep more dollars away, because organic apples, like most organic foods, can carry a steep price tag.

Higher prices haven’t kept Snohomish County residents away from their organic foods of choice. Nearly every grocery store in the region carries at least a handful of organic produce and other goods. And some organic products aren’t priced to break the bank.

If you buy organics these days, you’re not alone. About 75 percent of Americans say they buy organic products, according to a 2006 report by the Hartman Group, a retail consulting firm in Bellevue. That’s up from 55 percent in 2000.

The demand has pushed organic sales upward at a rate of about 20 percent annually over the past five years. That means nearly three of four mainstream grocery stores carry organic products, according to a government study. Shoppers are more apt to pick up organic fruits and vegetables than other organic items.

Haggen’s Lee Reynolds, director of produce, says the grocery chain began carrying a handful of organic produce 12 years ago, back when many people considered it a fad.

“We stayed with it through thick and thin,” Reynolds said. “We knew sooner or later it would probably catch on.”

About 150 organic items can be found in Haggen’s, in part because of a surge in interest in the last few years. Organic items are now becoming a “significant” portion of the store’s business.

“The customer tells us what they want,” Reynolds said. “If they want it then, by golly, we’re going to get it.”

From the inception of the movement, organics have been more expensive than nonorganic products. However, Holly Givens, with the Organic Trade Association, believes organic pricing has come down, though not significantly.

“The gap has narrowed somewhat,” Givens said.

For Haggen’s, Reynolds noted a dip in prices four or five years ago. But the recent interest in organics over the past few years has driven prices back up, he said.

Around Snohomish County, The Herald found the difference between the price of conventional and organic product varied greatly depending on the item.

A gallon of organic milk typically costs double what you would pay for a gallon of store brand, or even name brand, milk. Shoppers could buy two or three 9-ounce bags of traditional spinach for the same price they’ll pay for one bag of organic spinach.

Other organic products – oranges, bread and beer – tend to be priced closer to their conventional counterparts. We found organic hothouse tomatoes for $2.99 per pound, just a dollar more than regular tomatoes.

Why the surge in interest in organics?

In 2002, a Packer’s Fresh Trends report noted the top reasons consumers gave for buying organic goods. About 63 percent said they wanted fewer chemicals in their foods. Fifty-one percent believed organics are “better” for them and their families, while 37 percent included concern for the environment in their rationale for choosing organics.

Groups such as the Organic Trade Association promote the environmental aspects of organic produce. While the USDA won’t say that organic foods are safer or more nutritious for consumers than conventional foods, it does guarantee that organic foods are produced in manner that conserves soil and water. Produce comes free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Dairy products come from animals that aren’t given antibiotics or growth hormones.

If you’re on limited budget but still want to buy organic, be selective about which ones you buy. Certain nonorganic produce routinely shows higher levels of pesticides, according to data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Based on those reports, the Environmental Working Group created a list of produce it considers important to buy organic.

The top 10 are peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes and spinach. Other items – onions, avocados, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mangos and asparagus – tend to receive lower doses of pesticides and, therefore, are less important to buy organically produced.

Givens said her best advice for consumers looking for the best organic bargain is simple: “Shop around.”