Demand and supply Business is booming in the organic food world. According to a report published in October, the organic food market went from a value of $1.5 billion in 2001 to $3.6 billion in 2006. Personally, I think this is great news -- and not just for the farmers growing the food or the retailers selling it. If people are buying more organic items it shows that they're more aware of their health and how the ingredients in their food -- and even the way it's grown -- impacts it. Awareness is only half the equation, though. I still hear a lot of complaints from people who just don't have access to a big selection of organic food. And then there's the other drawback that always crops up when you talk about organic food: price. On the whole, organic food IS more expensive than "regular," and I'll be the first to admit that, like many of you, I've found myself in the produce department of my supermarket debating with myself over whether the bag of organic romaine is really worth the extra $1.50. But the good news from the survey I mentioned above is that, thanks to higher demand, retailers are working to increase the availability of organic items. In fact, amid all the other controversy its embroiled in these days, one unlikely source -- WalMart -- has actually pledged not only to make a bigger selection of organic food available in its stores, but also to sell it for only 10 percent higher than the cost of conventional products. Whatever your feelings are about WalMart and its business practices, let's hope that this move will prompt other supermarkets and stores to follow suit with their own organic offerings. In the meantime, I dug up a list compiled a few years ago by a non-profit organization called the Environmental Working Group outlining which produce items are typically most contaminated with pesticides and other chemicals. These are the foods you should definitely opt organic for if your finances or your location don't allow for an all-organic diet: - Peaches
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Spinach
- Nectarines
- Celery
- Pears
- Cherries
- Potatoes
- Sweet bell peppers
- Raspberries
- Imported grapes
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