The Organic Apple Debate

I understand the trend of buying organic food. But for a couple of different reasons, I think that non-organic apples are the better option. First of all, organic apples are usually much more expensive.* At the local QFC here in Seattle an organic Gala from New Zealand or an organic Fuji from Japan can cost up to $2.49 per pound. Considering the economic climate I think that everyone could stand to save at the grocery store. I will take a Washington Red Delicious for $0.88 per pound any day of the week. Not only are you saving a buck, you're supporting the local economy. Eating local has a ton of advantages, and I personally feel better about supporting local farmers than I do about not eating pesticides, which is another alleged drawback to non-organic fruit. On the topic of pesticides, Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health says that "keeping herbicide and pesticide levels as low as possible does make sense, although there is no clear evidence that these increase health risks at the levels consumed currently in the US." I think that it's more important to increase the level of fruit consumption in general rather than concentrate on how much pesticide we intake.

*My uncle that works in the fruit industry once told me that he has seen the price of organic apples actually fall below the price of regular apples due to their not-so-appealing appearance.