Organic VS Non- Organic: What's in Your Cart?

Is Organic or Non-Organic better?

Every time my mom brings home groceries, I always notice that each fruit, vegetable, and grain is organic. Since I've grown up around organic labels everywhere, the questions were in the back of my head for some time. This got me wondering, why do some people only buy organic produce while others only buy non-organic produce? Is it the cost? Taste? Or even Environmental factors? I ended up asking my mom why she tends to reach for only organic produce, and she told me that, “organic should be the norm”. She explained to me how much healthier it is and even explained to me how she believes it genuinely tastes better.  It's easier to come to a conclusion when both are compared side-by-side, I searched deeper to figure out if the cons outweigh the pros.

 What is Organic

Many people believe that organic just means zero pesticides, and while that is part of it, buying organic also means that there are strict federal guidelines for how and what your food was grown in. Organic means food that is grown without any synthetics, chemicals, fertilizers, hormones, pesticides, or antibiotics. Miles McEvoy mentions how, in order to ensure that this is being done properly to the foods we buy in stores, farmers and anyone who is a part of handling the crops or animals are inspected yearly through each step of the process. Everything from the quality of the soil to the pest and weed control follows strict guidelines. Nothing is fake when you're a farmer who's growing things without pesticides, which means more natural, physical, and biologically based farming techniques are heavily relied on. But there can be instances where a farmer needs to use synthetic substances to manage specific issues with the crops. When that's the case the synthetic substance that is used has to go through inspection and must be approved first in order for the food to stay USDA certified.  “This is evaluated based on the criteria of how the substance affects our bodies, along with the environment,” (McEvoy). 

Environmental Factors

One of the main reasons why so many choose to buy organic is for the environmental reasons. Organic farms are so much better for the earth, it can reduce pollution, conserve water, increase soil fertility, less soil erosion, and help use up less energy than non-organic farms. (Mullen) According to the American Rivers organization, “Water runoff from non-organic farms contains harmful pesticides, toxic fertilizers, and animal waste that is a major water pollution risk.” “Taking some of the farm plots in the US and converting them to Organic ones can help store so much carbon in the soil, this can be equivalent to taking millions of cars off the road,” (Mullen). 

Produce Guide

There are two lists that many people I know including myself use. I know it can help both sides, organic and non-organic people, they're called the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15. If you are someone who is trying to avoid pesticides but you're not fully committing to buying only organic produce, you could use the Clean 15 list and The Dirty Dozen list to help you Out. Both of these lists can help you choose what foods you want to buy organic and which ones you can buy non-organic without much of an issue. the Clean 15 is a list of 15 different fruits and veggies that don't hold on to as much residue of the pesticides or chemicals being used. I learned about these two lists a couple of years ago so I have pretty much memorized them but here are a few from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the Clean 15 lists are avocados, pineapples, onions, mangoes, kiwis, and Grapefruit. Some examples of what you might find on the Dirty Dozen list are apples, strawberries, grapes, cucumbers, sweet bell Peppers, potatoes and celery. When I am out doing the grocery shopping and come across organic foods the first thing I notice is usually the bigger price tag, and then the little USDA organic sticker. When I was at Fred Meyer and walked past the grocery side I saw the non-organic Honey Crips apples were $2.19 per pound, and the organic Honey Crips were $3.19 per pound. It made me question if it is worth it. I always end up buying it though because I think about how I'm paying for quality. This means no pesticides, chemicals, and that “better taste” my mom talks about. 

Cost

The nonorganic section of the grocery store is defiantly a lot easier on the wallet, and for some families this is the main reason they stick to non-organic produce. According to Maggie Davis in LendingTree’s April 2025 report, “At the end of January, shoppers could expect to pay 179.3% more for iceberg lettuce, 126.8% more for Brussel sprouts, and 123.3% more for Granny Smith apples. One of the 68 organic items reviewed cost at least 75% more than their conventional versions, and half cost at least 50% more.” Just think about how many more apples you could buy for the exact same price if not cheaper when buying non-organic. If the family is bigger or you're trying to get more for your money, then this is going to be a much better route to take convince wise. I can see why so many stick to the non-organic for the convince and cost difference. 

When paying for the organic it almost feels like paying for something that's more extra because you don't want to miss out on the benefits. When buying the non-organic you're paying for the convince and getting more without stretching the budget. I personally think the pros to the non-organic can be tempting but the organic gives better quality over the quantity. 

Putting Them To The Test

Tomatoes are the biggest giveaways to whether or not they are organic by just the taste, at least to me. People have different taste in foods but I always notice if one is organic. They have such a drastic difference in flavor when organic, much more flavorful and fresher. I think this might also have something to do with the fact that most organic produce is sold when in season and not all year long. When I eat organic fruits, I seem to really taste the sweetness more and the texture plays a part in that too, since they are softer usually. 

 

So, to put this to the test I ended up buying three different fruits bananas, strawberries, and avocados. I bought both non-organic and organic for all three and compared the taste, texture, and size. I noticed that the organic bananas were actually sweeter than the non-organic, they were a tad smaller compared to the non-organic but not too much of a difference. The texture was a bit firmer in the non-organic, even though both tasted ripe. The nonorganic strawberries were perfect looking in size, shape, and color. Flavors-wise they were honestly lacking, they tasted less sweet and watery. In the non-organic there was a stronger sweet smell but i also noticed how there was a slight tartness to them that the non-organic lacked. The textures weren't that drastically different, but I did notice some firmness in the non-organic ones. Avocadoes are my favorite, and the organic one was creamery and had a sweet aftertaste that I didn't notice in the non-organic. The texture of the non-organic was firmer and not as smooth or easy to work with, both looked ripe on the outside though. 

If someone were to hand me a bowl of non-organic strawberries, I think I'd say they taste fine. The flavor is a little less strong sometimes and much more uniform but overall, they taste average. The texture of non-organic produce tends to be the same with each bite, much firmer and some people are into that, especially if you're a picky person when it comes to texture. Usually fruits and vegetables have their own season where they grow and taste the best, but when it comes to conventional produce, it’s sold all 12 months of the year in grocery stores. This can mean that they are much easier to meal prep with since your favorites can always be in stock, this can definitely be important to some people. 

My Thoughts

I believe that both organic and non-organic have their place in our grocery carts. The non-organic produce can sometimes have residue of chemicals but tends to be more affordable for families. Organic produce can have a better effect on our bodies and the environment, and less exposure to synthetic chemicals but they are more expensive. This made me come to the conclusion that being around people like my mom who only bought organic food, made me more aware of what is actually in my diet, things beyond just the labels. While I also believe that it should be the norm to have only organic produce due to all the benefits and environmental factors, I can still see that people might have different priorities and budgets. So, when two people are buying groceries and one of them is you, whether you or the other person are using the “Clean Fifteen” or “Dirty dozen” to choose what to buy or not, the only thing that truly matters is what decision you make that will benefit you and align with your priorities.