Challenge #4

I decided to plan the following meal for my challenge recipe:

Roasted Whole Chicken

Whole Grain Rice

Spring salad with tomatoes

Milk

While at the grocery store, I looked for both the conventional version and the organic/natural version of each item to compare the cost and marketing claims of the products. For the most part, organic foods were more expensive, and provided less food for your buck. They also had more claims listed on the product, which may or may not add to the increased price by “buying a label.”

The organic spring mix was $3.99 for 5 oz while the non-organic spring mix was $4.49 for twice the amount. The organic version also had extensive marketing on the package, emphasizing words like “green,” “fresh,” and “clean.” They also highlighted that the packaging is made from recycled plastic, targeting a population that values sustainability and a healthy Earth. It was also very much geared toward women, since it was called “Organic Girl” and referenced Mother Nature as an “organic girl.” This technique was most likely used because women are more known to want to eat salads than men. All of the labeling may add to the increased cost as well.

 

Interestingly enough, the organic tomatoes looked more “processed” than regular tomatoes, since the organic tomatoes were packaged in plastic while the regular ones looked fresher. There weren’t many claims on the organic tomatoes, and they were much more expensive than the regular tomatoes.

 

For the chicken, I though it would be interesting to compare the “organic” versus the “natural” claim. The organic claim listed many claims about how the animal was raised, what it was fed, and the lack of antibiotics. The natural chicken had very simple labeling without many claims on the packaging. It also was much less expensive and bigger than the organic chicken, possibly reflecting the lack of heavy marketing.

As for the rice, there wasn’t much labeling on the bulk bins besides just stating “organic” or “natural.” Once again, the natural rice was almost a dollar less per pound than the organic rice.

From this experience, I found that foods that are organic have many more claims and heavy marketing associated with them. This is most likely due to the high interest in organic foods and the competition that has been created among the various food companies with this trend.