Correction (March 18 12: 18 a.m.): Due to reporting and editing errors this story is incorrect. At Whole Foods, organic cereal (cornflakes) cost $3.29; a half-gallon of organic milk costs $3.69; and a half-gallon of organic orange juice costs $3.69. Harris Teeter does not sell organic orange juice. The total cost of buying the 16 organic food items on the Daily Tar Heel’s shopping list at Whole Foods was $56.93. The total of the 15 organic foods sold at Harris Teeter was $54.66 The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the errors.
Though it is likely to cost more, food activists are pushing people to buy sustainable, local and organic food anyway.
“Finding ways to spend our money on foods that support these ideals is important,” says Jordan Treakle, a senior and leader of the student group FLO (Fair, Local, Organic) Food.
But while you can find local, organic and sustainable food in more places and varieties than ever before, price remains a problem.
According to a Daily Tar Heel analysis of prices at Food Lion, Harris Teeter and Whole Foods, buying a “basket” of all organic food is significantly more expensive than buying the same of regular food.
Some organic products are comparable, but most remain more expensive, a problem that may not be resolved until our food system changes or consumers start shopping differently.
The clearest way to show support for local, sustainable and organic food is through the power of the dollar.
Food activists and researchers emphasized the effects consumers can have and recommended making reasonable changes and choices that work within a budget.
Farmers and food producers understand the potential impact of individual choices.
“Farmers do pay attention to markets,” said Roland McReynolds, executive director of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, an N.C. organization that promotes local and organic agriculture.
“If consumers make it worth their while they will move in the direction of production systems that support the consumer’s values.”
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