Challenge Numba Four!

For this Challenge I opted for a pretty simple distinction that I find holds as much meaning as a label can offer when it comes to denoting a certain kind of food: Organic vs. Conventional!

My meals are made largely of produce and unrefined or otherwise messed with grains and proteins which means the "organic" nomer gives me a pretty good idea of what I'm dealing with.  The plants haven't been treated with synthetic chemicals and are grown by a farmer who, by mandate, has developed a crop rotation outline to regenerate his or her soil from year to year.  The meat, dairy and eggs have come from animals fed organic product and treated with no antibiotics.

So for the challenge meal, and you'll have to forgive the lack of interesting pictures as my phone has decided it's not on speaking terms with the internet, I put together something that consisted of ingredients available in conventional and organic and looked at the prices:  Yam Croquettes with a tofu curry poured on top, finished off with a desert of bananas and strawberries.

 The yams and onions showed a pretty typical disparity in price with the organic variant coming in 70 cents more expensive than the conventional.  In the case of vegetative structures harvested as a part of the plant growing below the soil like yams and onions, there is less concern over pesticide residue, though I personally still want to support the growing practices associated with the certified organic product.

One of the interesting things about purchasing organic tofu is that whereas my big concern with other produce, especially notoriously "dirty" ones like bell peppers and apples lies in fertilizer and pesticide residue, my interest in organic tofu is that it is a rare non-GMO soybean based product.  So many soybeans grown in the US are the product of biotech engineering that it is almost impossible to get soy based foods that don't use them, unless you go for organic which bans their use.

A 30 cent piece of mind

Another interesting protein purchase involved in my croquettes came in the form of eggs, a product with a lot of concern centered on the ethical treatment of the chickens who produce them.  In this case, the dichotomy of organic vs. conventional is bridged by a gradation of marketing savvy brands who have capitalized on peoples' demand for ethically produced eggs while avoiding costly organic certification leading to costly product.  My personal choice has been Phil's eggs which tout "No Drugs or Antibiotics" and a "Certified Humane" label to boot.  They have been shown to demonstrate ethical egg production practices despite lacking organic certification.  This means their product is roughly 70 cents to a dollar fifty cheaper than organic varieties while still offering many of the same benefits.

Concluding with desert, the biggest difference in conventional vs. organic pricing is highlighted.

 A $1.50 difference is pretty significant for such a small quantity of food.  Berries are expensive as is, and once organic they are almost prohibitively so.  Unfortunately, strawberries in particular are notorious for high rates of pesticide treatment and thus carry a good deal of chemical residue.  I personally don't trust my washing ability with removing glyphosate from my food, though I also usually can't justify paying 4 dollars for a bit of berries.  As such, these bad boys make for a luxurious desert that I only enjoy so often.

The use of all organic ingredients in a meal is certainly feasible, though not without a high cost.  In many cases, a shopper ought to consider how they can best use their dollar to get the highest quality food without spending ridiculous amounts of money.  In the case of Yams, I can justify the extra coin but perhaps others wouldn't see a need to as they are less ridden with chemicals.  If a shopper values animal welfare, they can pay a moderately larger price for eggs not organic but certainly more humane.  And in the case of those lovely berries, well, perhaps some shoppers like myself are better off avoiding them all together.