# Why do organic foods cost so much? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-organic-foods-cost-so-much/521149 "2009-12-13T22:37:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-organic-foods-cost-so-much/521149/1 "2009-12-13T22:37:37Z")
After all, they save on the cost of fertilizer and pesticides. And, for example, at a farmers’ market, how do you really know that apples haven’t been sprayed with poison? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-organic-foods-cost-so-much/521149/2 "2009-12-13T22:42:04Z")
At a farmers market, a lot of the food has been pesticided. Farmers market does not equal organic. You need to ask the farmer. As to costing so much, supply, demand, and issues related to supply - like lower field yields and shorter shelf life. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-organic-foods-cost-so-much/521149/3 "2009-12-13T22:59:56Z")
If it were cheaper to grow food organically, the producers of non-organic food would be growing it organically, too. ---
**Author:** ![Miltonyz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Miltonyz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miltonyz)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-organic-foods-cost-so-much/521149/4 "2009-12-13T23:02:13Z")
Just a WAG, but without fertilizer you are looking at a much lower yield per acre, combine that with higher crop loss due to pests and you need to charge more to make going organic financially wise . ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-organic-foods-cost-so-much/521149/5 "2009-12-13T23:17:34Z")
And some people will pay a premium for idea. I was at a Whole Foods and one customer was filling her bag with oranges and telling the other customer how much better the organic oranges were and right there is front of her face was sign that said these were imported oranges _and were not organic_. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-organic-foods-cost-so-much/521149/6 "2009-12-13T23:30:42Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > After all, they save on the cost of fertilizer and pesticides. No, they lose money by having their crops eaten by pests, and not growing as well in mediocre soil. ---
**Author:** ![truthbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@truthbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthbot)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-organic-foods-cost-so-much/521149/7 "2009-12-14T04:45:16Z")
I have to chime in with the others that cited lowered crop yields. Organic farmers are growing for quality, not quantity\*. \*I speak as someone that has been growing organically for decades, I only use horse-poop and compost for fertilizer. As for pests, I figure I grow enough for everyone, and SaferSoap only goes so far. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-organic-foods-cost-so-much/521149/8 "2009-12-14T06:04:21Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > After all, they save on the cost of fertilizer and pesticides. Organic food is not (generally) grown without fertilizer, pesticides, or poisons. They just use older, less effective ones, which raises the cost (via the aforementioned lower yields).