Minneapolis Star Tribune, John Ewoldt
Published May 18, 2008
Consumers making the transition to organic foods are going to experience sticker shock, but you might be surprised at which stores have the lowest prices.
Will Kaye of Minneapolis is confused about the rush to organics. "What does organic really mean?" he asked while shopping for more conventional foods at Cub Foods.
He's leery of the labels and marketing.
Kaye, 43, is especially worried about price. Consumers already sensitive to sticker shock at the grocery store do double-takes when they check prices on organic items. Most are twice the price of conventional items, according to Consumer Reports. Our own price comparison of 17 selections confirmed that. Organic apples, milk, eggs, butter, frozen pizza, cereal and peanut butter were easily double the price of conventional items. Kaye doesn't feel the extra money is worth it.
Despite such wariness, consumer demand for organic and natural foods has grown 15 percent annually for more than 10 years, according to SuperValu, which recently launched the Wild Harvest brand of organic and natural foods at its Cub stores. SuperValu added 150 items, including milk, eggs, meat, produce, pasta, pasta sauce, cereal and juice.
Consumers such as Catherine Dubbe, 38, of Edina embrace the expansion. She's been buying organic almost since her 6-year-old was born. She buys natural and organic cereal, meat, produce, just about anything she can lay her hands on at local co-ops, Trader Joe's, Target, Cub and Rainbow.
While mainstream stores are adding organic items constantly, it can't happen fast enough for Dubbe. "They can always do more," she said. Her motivation is her two children, ages 3 and 6. "I feed them better than I feed myself."
Still, organic food is small potatoes to the entire food market. It comprises only about 2 percent of the U.S. food supply, said Barth Anderson of the Wedge Community Co-op in Minneapolis, who acknowledges consumers' complaints about high prices. "The price gap between conventional and organic is shrinking, especially on popular items in season." Recently, there has been little difference in price between organic and conventional strawberries, for example.
"Start with a few staples," Anderson recommends. Many consumers start with milk and produce, and later try organic meat, he said.
Despite the higher prices, business at the Wedge is going "gangbusters," according to Anderson. "Natural food stores do well in recessions because people transfer their restaurant budgets to their food budgets. They want to eat better at home," he said.
Why is organic so expensive? It's costly to produce without any genetically modified seedlings or pesticides. Hand weeding is time-consuming and costly. Natural compost is more expensive than chemical or synthetic fertilizers.
But there are ways to save when buying organics. Our price comparison produced some surprising results. We shopped at seven stores: Cub in Edina, Rainbow in Bloomington, Mississippi Market on Randolph in St. Paul, the Wedge Co-op in Minneapolis, Whole Foods in Minneapolis, Lakewinds Natural Co-op in Minnetonka and Trader Joe's in St. Louis Park.
The price differences weren't dramatic (a 5 percent difference from lowest to highest totals). The Wedge was lowest-priced and Cub was highest-priced. We chose brand names when possible, but the best way to save is still to select private labels when possible. Trader Joe's, which sells mostly its own private labels, was about 25 to 30 percent cheaper than the least expensive branded items.
Most surprising of all, the supermarket derisively called "Whole Paycheck," aka Whole Foods, is nearly as cheap as Trader Joe's if you're only buying Whole Foods' private labels called "365."
Consumers new to organics should know the labeling categories. USDA organic or 100 percent certified organic is the way to go if a consumer wants organic produce. On packaged foods, consumers should look for one of three labels. "100 percent" organic indicates that only organic ingredients are used and is the most meaningful label, according to Consumer Reports. "Organic" means that 95 percent of the ingredients are organically produced (the rest being nonorganic or synthetic). "Made with organic ingredients" includes at least 70 percent of ingredients that are organic.
Does that mean that organic Oreos (no joke) are as healthful as an organic carrot? No, even organic junk food is still junk food.
John Ewoldt - 612-673-7633 or
jewoldt@startribune.com His articles are online at
www.startribune.com/dollars.
AN ORGANICS PRICE COMPARISON
100 percent organic items, unless noted by ** Apples (Pink Lady, 3-pound bag)
WEDGE CO-OP: $6.49
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $5.99
WHOLE FOODS: $7.47*
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $6.79
RAINBOW: N.A.
CUB: $5.29
Russett potatoes (5-pound bag)
WEDGE CO-OP: $4.59
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $3.99
WHOLE FOODS: $5.99
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $4.59
RAINBOW: $3.69
CUB: $4.99
Strawberries (1 pound)
WEDGE CO-OP: $5.99
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $4.99
WHOLE FOODS: $4.99
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $4.99
RAINBOW: $4.99
CUB: $4.99 (sale)
Chicken breasts (boneless, skinless 1 pound)
WEDGE CO-OP: $8.99 (fresh)
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $8.99 (frozen)
WHOLE FOODS: $7.99 (fresh)
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $8.99 (frozen)
RAINBOW: N.A.
CUB: $8.99 (fresh)
Organic Valley milk (gallon, skim-whole)
WEDGE CO-OP: $6.59
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $6.39
WHOLE FOODS: $6.39
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $6.99
RAINBOW: $6.29
CUB: $5.99 (sale)
Organic Valley eggs (1 dozen large, brown)
WEDGE CO-OP: $3.39 (sale)
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $3.69
WHOLE FOODS: $3.99
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $3.49 (sale)
RAINBOW: $4.29
CUB: $3.49 (sale)
Organic Valley butter (1 pound)
WEDGE CO-OP: $4.99 (sale)
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $5.79
WHOLE FOODS: $5.39
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $5.79
RAINBOW: $6.25
CUB: $5.99 (sale)
Stonyfield Farm yogurt (6 ounces)
WEDGE CO-OP: 79 cents (sale)
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: 89 cents (sale)
WHOLE FOODS: 75 cents (sale)
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: 89 cents
RAINBOW: $1.12 (sale)
CUB: $1.09 (sale)
Boca frozen soy burger (original flavor, four burgers, 10 ounces) **
WEDGE CO-OP: $4.49
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $4.59
WHOLE FOODS: $4.19
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $4.69
RAINBOW: $4.45
CUB: $4.29
Muir Glen garden vegetable soup (19 ounces) WEDGE CO-OP: $2.99
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $2.99
WHOLE FOODS: $2.99
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $3.29
RAINBOW: $2 (sale)
CUB: $3.08 (sale)
Muir Glen canned whole tomatoes (28 ounces)
WEDGE CO-OP: $1.79 sale
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $1.79 (sale)
WHOLE FOODS: $2 (sale)
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $1.79 (sale)
RAINBOW: $1.50 (sale)
CUB: $2.74 (sale)
Amy's frozen spinach pizza (14 ounces)**
WEDGE CO-OP: $5.49
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $5.99
WHOLE FOODS: $5.99
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $6.39
RAINBOW: $5.99
CUB: $6.55
Amy's frozen black bean enchilada (9.5 ounces) **
WEDGE CO-OP: $3.29 (sale)
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $3.89
WHOLE FOODS: $3.69
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $3
RAINBOW: $3.99
CUB: $3.89
Kashi seven-grain puffs cereal (7.5 ounces) **
WEDGE CO-OP: $3.59
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $3.69
WHOLE FOODS: $3.69
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $3.79
RAINBOW: $4.39
CUB: $4.37
Heinz ketchup (15 ounces)
WEDGE CO-OP: $2.59
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $2.39
WHOLE FOODS: $1.99
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $2.49
RAINBOW: $2.65***
CUB: $2.43
Imagine chicken broth (32 oz.)
WEDGE CO-OP: $2.99
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $3.49
WHOLE FOODS: $3.39
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $3.59
RAINBOW: $3.69
CUB: $3.39
Arrowhead Mills Valencia peanut butter (16 oz.)
WEDGE CO-OP: $3.69****
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $4.19
WHOLE FOODS: $3.99
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $4.59
RAINBOW: $5.85
CUB: $4.95
TOTAL
WEDGE CO-OP: $72.73
LAKEWINDS NATURAL CO-OP: $73.73
WHOLE FOODS: $74.88
MISSISSIPPI MARKET CO-OP: $76.14
RAINBOW: $*****
CUB: $76.51
Prices were checked early in the week of April 21 and verified later in the week. Sale prices are noted as (sale) and might be no longer be discounted. Your own price comparisons will vary, depending on location, timing and items purchased.
* Price is prorated based on $2.49 per pound (not sold by the bag).
**Item is not 100 percent organic but commonly sold in co-ops and health food sections.
***Item priced at the Minneapolis store on 26th Avenue S. (not found in Bloomington store).
****Price is prorated based on a 26-ounce jar for $5.99.
*****Rainbow's total for 15 of 17 items was $61.14. (Pink Lady apples and organic chicken were not available at Rainbow. If those two items are deleted from the other stores' totals, Rainbow is $1.19 cheaper than Cub, but more expensive than the three co-ops and Whole Foods by almost $1 to $4. )
Trader Joe's private-label prices in St. Louis Park on like items were nearly 30 percent cheaper than brand-name items listed above. All of TJ's items are 100 percent organic. Pink Lady apples ($3.69/3-pound bag), Russett potatoes ($3.29, 5-pound bag), strawberries ($3.69, 1 pound), chicken breast ($6.99/pound fresh boneless, skinless), milk ($5.69/gallon), eggs ($4.19/dozen), butter ($4.79/pound), yogurt (89 cents/6 ounces), frozen soyburgers ($2.49/10 ounces), whole canned tomatoes ($1.69/28 ounces), frozen spinach pizza ($4.29/17 ounces), ketchup ($1.99/24 ounces), chicken broth ($1.99/32 ounces), Valencia peanut butter ($2.99/16 ounces).
Organic or conventional?
When to spend or save
Prices on organic foods have fallen, but price still is an important consideration. Some organic items can cost almost twice as much as conventional (non-organic), according to Consumer Reports. But consumers should not assume that all conventional produce has similar amounts of contamination.
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C., compiled a list of the most and least contaminated fruits and vegetables, based on more than 43,000 tests for pesticides done between 2000 and 2005 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. For a complete list of 44 fruits and vegetables, go to
www.foodnews.org.
12 most contaminated foods -- consider organic
Peaches (highest pesticide load)
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes
12 least contaminated foods -- consider conventional or organic
Onions (lowest pesticide load)
Avocado
Sweet corn (frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas (frozen)
Asparagus
Kiwi
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Eggplant
JOHN EWOLDT
HOW TO SAVE ON ORGANICS
Start slowly and build. Many consumers start by trying organic milk or produce at first and then move to meats and canned goods. Choose produce only from the "most contaminated" list and buy conventional from the "least contaminated."
Select private-label brands at larger stores, including Cub (Wild Harvest), Rainbow (Roundy's), Whole Foods (365) and Trader Joe's. Save up to 30 percent.
Shop at farmers' markets. Talk with growers whose crops are locally grown. Some foods may not be certified organic, but the farmer might have spurned pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Area farmers provide weekly seasonal produce from spring to fall for $300 to $600 at metro-area dropoff sites, as well as home delivery. To find a grower, go to
www.land stewardshipproject.org or call 651-653-0618,
www.mda.state.mn.us/food/minnesotagrown/ or call 1-800-657-3878. Act quickly; some farms are already at order capacity for 2008.
Buy in season in large amounts. You don't have to be a canner, either. Use a food processor and then store the food in gallon-sized resealable plastic bags.
Buy what's on sale and in season. Strawberries have been on sale recently; apples have not.
Check for coupon circulars at stores. Cub and Rainbow offer the "Go Organic" coupon booklet with more than $18 in coupons. Co-ops such as Mississippi Market, Lakewinds Natural, Linden Hills, the Wedge and Seward offer the free Co-op Advantage Savings booklets in their stores.
Buy a Blue Sky Guide ($20). The guide has more than 50 grocery coupons, mostly for local co-ops but also a $5 coupon at Lunds and Byerly's with a purchase of $50 or more. Some retailers are discounting the guide to $15. The guide is available at most co-ops and health food stores.
JOHN EWOLDT
