HACKER Q&A
📣 desertraven

Do you make a point of buying organic?


If so, why? Is it worth the added expense?


  👤 dusted Accepted Answer ✓
Nope.

I don't pay any particular attention to the price (unless something is an extreme outlier, for instance many times more expensive or cheaper than similar products).

I don't pay any particular attention to whether a product happens to be "organic".

I make a point of buying products that I perceive to be of a quality that is acceptable to me. Some times those are organic, other times they are not. I don't overall notice any big quality difference.

I'm located in Denmark, my limited experience is that product quality vary from country to country, I've noticed worse quality in the same brand/model products in other countries.


👤 politelemon
I do not, my understanding is that the organic label is at its essence more of a marketing term than something ethical, or that the intention of it has been subverted due to various loopholes.

👤 Comevius
Usually you are paying 50% more for the occasional extra phosphorous, but if the price is not an issue there are just as many good organic products as conventional ones. Organic milk for one tend to have higher fat levels, which is something I like in a milk.

Don't choose organic products for the wrong reasons though. Since organic crops are not allowed to be genetically modified, they need much more pesticide. They are branded as organic pesticides, but they are the same and just as bad for you. Organic crops take up 80% more land and have half the yield, so their environmental impact is worst as well.