Organic food might be getting cheaper than conventional food

Magnify Money recently released a study showing that prices of conventionally grown food items might soon be higher than organic ones.

Since 2019, prices for select conventional meats, dairy items, fruits, and vegetables have risen 13.9%, on average—12 percentage points more than the 1.6% increase in organic varieties. Organic foods are still more costly; on average, organic items cost 70.7% more than conventional counterparts. That usually amounts to less than a dollar per pound/package for fruits and vegetables, though the disparity is much greater in the meat category. But the data suggests that could change going forward.

Non-organic meat prices are rising faster than prices for conventional fruits and veggies, with produce going up 13.1% in past two years compared with a 15.6% jump in meat prices. Conventional boneless, skinless chicken breasts rose 43.8% since 2019; during that same period, organic chicken breasts actually dropped in price by 2.2%. Across some cuts of meat, prices have risen between 43.8% and 110.9%—vegetarians may reap a reward here. Traditional broccoli went up 141.3%, while organic broccoli only rose 24%. Organic produce costs grew by 2.8% since 2019, while organic dairy and chicken prices dropped by 0.9% and 0.4%, respectively.

Conventional dairy products have risen fastest (by category) since 2019, jumping 25.6% (milk, yogurt, cheeses). However, organic dairy is quite a bit more costly—a gallon of organic milk costs 71.3%, or $2.49, more than regular milk.

Source: Mashed

To view source article, visit:

https://www.mashed.com/645150/why-organic-groceries-might-be-getting-cheaper/

Organic & Non-GMO Insights December 2021