Why the Organic Food Business Will Continue to Thrive

The organic foods market is a $29 billion dollar industry and still growing.  A study at Stanford published yesterday concluded that organic food is no more nutritious than conventional food.  I don’t foresee sales in the organic food market dropping anytime soon. Why?  Here are a few reasons why I think organic will continue to be successful:

People don’t buy organic food because it is “more nutritious.”

The purchasing power of organic food is not what is in the food, but what is not in organic food.   Although organic goods are more costly and have no benefit when it comes to vitamins and minerals, they contain less of the things I don’t want in my body, like:

• Pesticides
• Antibiotics
• Growth hormones
• High fructose corn syrup
• Genetically engineered ingredients

In the Stanford study, organic foods were found to contain less pesticides.  Children eating organic produce had less pesticide residue in urine tests. Organic produce is sometimes hit with a bit of pesticide from nearby conventional fields being sprayed, but organic growing practices do not allow chemical pesticide use.

Organic food tastes better

This is not based on science, but I think organic strawberries taste better than conventional strawberries.  I hate when strawberries taste like nothing. Reason enough for me to buy organic strawberries…
I also prefer organic chicken breasts from chickens that are not bred to have huge breasts.  I hate staring at those oversized chicken breast at the grocery store—all they do is make small-chested women feel insecure. (Fortunately, I don’t have this problem.  But, I’m advocating for all of my A cup friends.) I also like that the organic chicken usually doesn’t have the extra water. (Poultry cooled in chill tanks can retain 8 – 12% water.)  Chicken that doesn’t contain a statement about extra water is usually air chilled.

Consumers still perceive that organic is better for you

Maybe Stanford debunked any inkling that organic food is more nutritional as a whole, but who says those pesticides and antibiotics don’t catch up to you.

Organic farming is better for the earth and smaller farm operations

Oh, how we love to abuse mother nature.  Many consumers are now trying to have less environmental impact by using plastic bags and recycling more.  Buying organic also helps sustain smaller farm operations.  I endorse buying local for this reason.
Those are a few of the reasons I purchase organic produce and meat.  Organic foods may not be more nutritious, but will that affect your purchase of organic goods?