Paying extra for organic, free range, etc?

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Replies

  • skinnyitaliannn
    skinnyitaliannn Posts: 187
    I have seen no difference, meat is meat. eggs are eggs. Some meats have more added sodium, but still, it's meat! You can pay more for organic and stuff, but I'm not picky. At least you're eating chicken breast, cooked to your liking, it's still much healthier than a frozen chicken nugget tv dinner. :)
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    I do a lot of my grocery shopping at Wal Mart since I live in small town and it is the best prices and the only grocery store for several miles. In a strange turn about, our local WalMart stocks a lot of local produce, dairy and meat. There is no Whole Foods in my town, but we do have Safeway and Kroger, and they tend to have more expensive imported produce, so I just stick to Wal Mart.

    I don't generally buy organic due to the expense. The main exception is organic greens, as we have those in abundance and is comparable in price to conventional.
  • sbilyeu75
    sbilyeu75 Posts: 567 Member
    I don't go organic at the grocery store, but I do buy my eggs and ground beef from a local farm that feeds the animals from their own grain and no animal byproducts. The chickens are truly free range. I watched a Modern Marvel's farm tech show awhile back and Eggland's Best's idea of free range chicken is completely different than mine.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    We get all our meat from a local farmer. He's not certified organic, but is for all intents and purposes. Animals are pasture-raised and rotated. We buy in bulk 2-3 times a year so pay no more than what we would at the grocery store, and I like knowing where my meat comes from, knowing the farmer, and that I've visited the farm. They are also processed at small plants. My ground beef does not come from dozens of cows from dozens of "farms".

    I also buy my eggs from pastured chickens. They cost more and taste a lot better. I also simply feel better knowing that the animals I'm eating and eating eggs from were raised humanely.

    As for produce: I'll buy organic if it's reasonable to do so. At Trader Joe's, most of the organic produce is only slightly more expensive than conventional.
  • tragicpixie
    tragicpixie Posts: 71
    I do a lot of my grocery shopping at Wal Mart since I live in small town and it is the best prices and the only grocery store for several miles. In a strange turn about, our local WalMart stocks a lot of local produce, dairy and meat. There is no Whole Foods in my town, but we do have Safeway and Kroger, and they tend to have more expensive imported produce, so I just stick to Wal Mart.

    I don't generally buy organic due to the expense. The main exception is organic greens, as we have those in abundance and is comparable in price to conventional.

    Part of Walmart's new marketing strategy is to bring local and more organic foods to their shelves. They are trying to turn around their reputation. However, like all other supermarkets they don't have stricter standards for "organic" etc. But I think it's definitely a step in the right direction for them.

    Some grocery stores do actually have their own standards for "organic" etc. like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, or some local grocers in my area that specialize in local and organic foods.
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
    Ever since I order vegetable/fruit baskets from a local farm, I haven't been to a supermarket in 2 years.

    There are more vitamins* and minerals* in the organic ones and carrots for example, have less calories than the processed ones (baby cut carrots) plus they taste better. Try a supermarket cherry tomato and compare with an organic cherry tomato. The supermarket ones are so bland.

    *http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/10587.php

    I buy from the farm to invest in the local economy and for environmental reasons. The benefits are health and it tastes good.
  • heytherestephy
    heytherestephy Posts: 356 Member
    I would never purchase "free range" eggs from a grocery store because a lot of the time those eggs are only called free range because the chickens are allowed to roam about a large warehouse rather than be in cages in that same warehouse. I don't buy organic purposely but I do always get my eggs from my parents farm. Their hens are locked up in a coop at night but otherwise are completely and totally free range. Same with the ducks. And to me that is totally worth the 40 minute Sunday morning drive to their house.
  • somanyrhoades
    somanyrhoades Posts: 107 Member
    Eggs and dairy are a must for me. I don't really use that much meat, so when I do buy it, I just buy from local farmers that don't use antibiotics or hormones and grain/grass feed their animals. The place that I buy my meat from ends up being no more expensive than the regular grocery store and the quality is FAR superior. I try to buy as much organic produce as I can as well. I will never forget the first time I tasted an organic apple. I can't tell the difference in all foods, but there's quite a few that I can notice a difference. Where I live there happens to be a chain of local grocery stores that are by far the cheapest store around (i.e. ALL their cerial is $2.79 to 3.50 no matter what brand). Lately they have been stocking much more organic produce that actually ends up being cheaper than what you pay for regular produce at a place like Giant Eagle. To be honest since I have been buying organic the only that has really affected my grocery bill in a noticible way is organic milk but I just love it too much to give it up! I was in Giant Eagle the other day looking at some of their organic stuff and holy cow! It's super expensive, I can totally see why people don't want to buy organic. If that was my only option for organic goods no way I could afford it either!
    And to the people who say they cannot taste a difference or that it doesn't matter... remember, most organic farmers practice sustainable agriculture.... one more thing to consider when you decide what to buy!
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
    Meat and eggs.

    It is better for the animals, better for you and it also actually tastes way better.

    Always check whether free range eggs means "free to roam in a big warehouse" or "free to roam outside".

    Possibly dairy as well, but I don't know seeing as I'm lactose intolerant.
  • SurfinBird1981
    SurfinBird1981 Posts: 517 Member
    Everything is worth paying a little bit more for. If you are in the UK www.abelandcole.co.uk are amazing and they deliver for 50p
    Its worth it for the taste and helping smaller businesses.
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    I do, where possible buy organic fruit and veg and free range chicken and eggs

    It's not all that more expensive. Lidl do great organic veg. And the local butcher will fillet a chicken etc
  • treehugger215
    treehugger215 Posts: 97 Member
    DEFINITELY worth paying extra for!! The amount of hormones they pump animals with is horrible - and that is going into your body! Not to mention the horrible treatment!!
    I pay extra for clean, healthy, organic foods from local health food stores. working at a health food store has made me realize it is veryyyy important!
  • mirandamayhem
    mirandamayhem Posts: 772
    Organic carrots. The one veg I really really notice the difference with
  • SurfinBird1981
    SurfinBird1981 Posts: 517 Member
    Organic carrots. The one veg I really really notice the difference with

    Definitely! sweeter I think.
  • ChasingSweatandTears
    ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
    If I eat the peel or the whole thing, I try to stick with organic.
    Grass fed beef is AMAZING compared to conventional.
    I look for hormone free dairy when possible.... that is dairy made with hormone free milk, not like Daisy sour cream who states "with no added hormones" which is simply a marketing ploy. No dairy manufacturer adds hormones to the final product, so "no added hormones" is moot, but some dairy manufacturers make sure their cows havent been treated with hormones at all.
    Free range eggs are a must for me and I find them only slightly cheaper than regular from a local farm.
    BERRIES retain some of the highest levels of pesticides so if I cant afford them organic I dont eat them. But I usually buy them on sale and then freeze them :)
    I don't worry about oranges, bananas, anything with a peel that needs removed, seafood because I'm not eating it every week, nuts, and anything I don't regularly consume. If I'm only going to eat it or drink it on occasion I don't spring for organic unless I just particularly love the brand.
    Oh and I have found that organic wine is much higher quality than similar price range conventional wine. I don't know if it is because of the grapes, or just the manufacturers have a better quality product, but I have yet to meet an organic wine I don't like :)
  • Sapporo
    Sapporo Posts: 693 Member
    Some organic fruits taste better like grapes and apples. Normal apples here are so gross, so much pesticides on them I can't even get it all off.
    I would never waste money on organic oranges, bananas... things with peels you don't eat.
    If I don't buy veggies from the farmers market I get the normal ones at the grocery store, for some reason the veggies here aren't covered in 10 layers of crap like our fruit is.
  • trish0018
    trish0018 Posts: 3
    Fish! It is more expensive but is leaner, and has omega fatty acids.. (beware of mercury levels) Make to research the best fish to buy. Wild caught Alaskan salmon is my favorite!Stop buying canned, boxed, any thing processed. You should then have more to spend on healthier items. :)

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