Boston Globe, Emily Shartin
Published March 5, 2006
At Whole Foods Market on River Street in Cambridge, a pound of organic Gala apples costs $2.49, while the conventional version costs $1.79.
Organic foods tend to cost more because they are usually produced in smaller batches and because the agricultural process is more labor-intensive, says Malia Wagner Curran, a nutritionist for the grocery store chain's Northeast region. While known for being free of most conventional pesticides, organic foods also are grown in ways that protect and nourish the soil.
The US Department of Agriculture, which has established national organic standards for everything except seafood, makes no claims that these foods are safer or more nutritious than conventional alternatives. Consumers pay an average of between 50 percent and 100 percent more for organic foods, according to a recent study by Consumer Reports magazine.
Curran said that buying organic is not just about pesticides, but also about supporting sustainable farming, which she thinks is better for the environment. For those who are concerned mainly about chemicals, she offers a few suggestions.
Many parents opt for organic foods for babies and toddlers. Pregnant women may also want to consider buying organic, as well as those who tend to eat the same foods and may be ingesting more of a certain residue.
''If you're someone that eats a lot of the same foods, pick organic," says Curran, who gives talks on healthy kitchen makeovers.
Peaches, nectarines, berries, cherries, apples, pears, spinach, potatoes, bell peppers, celery, and imported grapes are consistently found to be the most laden with pesticide residue, according to research by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization. To that list, Curran adds tomatoes, green beans, winter squash, cantaloupe, and rice.
Anne Singer, a spokeswoman for the group, said more chemicals can cling to these foods, and they are often treated with more chemicals because they travel to stores further from their source.
Foods found to have lower levels of pesticide residues -- so you may not want to splurge on the organic versions -- include asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples, and sweet peas, according to the group.
Supermarkets say organic produce is now more or less indistinguishable from its conventional counterparts. ''Really, to the visible eye, there's no way to tell," says Wagner Curran. ''The only way to tell is to look at the label."
When it comes to meat, poultry, and dairy, ''organic" means the animals have not been given any antibiotics or growth hormones. Antibiotics can produce more resistant strains of bacteria, Curran says, which can be transferred to humans. She especially recommends buying organic milk.
Traditional supermarkets, such as Shaw's and Stop & Shop, also are seeing more demand for organic products. Stop & Shop, which saw 30 percent growth in sales of organic produce last year, has begun heavily promoting its private label Nature's Promise. Depending on the season, the chain offers as many as 100 varieties of organic produce per store, says Jon Reardon, produce sales merchandiser.
As for taste, supermarkets report similar feedback from customers.
''People think organics taste better," Curran says.
