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“Organic Food: What's Really Worth It”1

By Samantha B. Cassetty

We asked 92 tasters, including some very picky kids, to choose their favorite soup, pizza, mac 'n' cheese,

and more. And — surprise! — the winners often cost less.

Enter a supermarket anywhere, and you'll find a growing number of organic products. Not just fruits and veggies,

but peanut butter, ice cream — you name it. And moms are buying: Between 2000 and 2008, sales of organics

rose at least 15 percent per year. Even in the economic downturn of 2009, sales were up 5 percent. What's helped

drive those numbers: New, lower-cost private-label organics from chains like Safeway, Publix, and Kroger. When

you can find A&P's organic Green Way frozen pizza for 50 cents less than DiGiorno, you know you're not in the

pricey specialty-foods store anymore.

Nonetheless, organics generally are pricier than conventionally produced food — and that can add up, especially

at a time of year when we're entertaining and feeding visiting relatives. So, putting aside the big questions, do

these products taste good enough to replace your usual picks? To find out, the GHRI nutrition department created

the ultimate smackdown — a taste comparison of private-label organic products against more expensive name

brands and against top-selling nonorganic choices. Here, in time for your holiday marketing, what to put in your

cart.

The Ultimate Smackdown (GHRI Test)

Taste reports on 13 family-friendly breakfast, lunch, dinner & snack products

The Tasters: 92 volunteers, including 13 elementary school kids on all products except plain oatmeal and

produce, which we thought might earn too many "yucks!"

How We Tested: Round 1: We compared a total of 52 private-label organic products from top grocers to 28 of the leading brand-

name organic products (for example, Winn-Dixie Organic Creamy Peanut Butter versus Smucker's Organic

Creamy Peanut Butter), to see how the store brands fared. Then we announced an Organic Winner.

Round 2: Next we held a face-off, pitting the Organic Winner from round 1 against the best-selling nonorganic

name-brand item in each category (for instance, Annie's Organic Classic Macaroni & Cheese versus Kraft

Macaroni & Cheese Dinner). Here, the winners, with comments from tasters.

1 Cassetty, Samantha B. "Organic Food: What's Really Worth It." Good Housekeeping 251.5 (2010): 51.

MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.

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ORGANIC

WINNER

FACE-OFF WINNER WHAT TASTERS SAID

PASTA SAUCE

Adults Organic

Traditional Ragú

365 Organic

Tomato Basil

Kids O Organics

Tomato Basil

Adults Prego

Traditional Italian

Kids Organic

Traditional Ragú

Overall, organic sauces rated well, so we wound up with a tie. But in the end,

the nonorganic Prego's "homemade flavor" prevailed, at least for the adults.

MAC 'N'

CHEESE

Adults 365 Organic

Kids Annie's

Organic Classic

Adults 365 Organic

Kids Kraft

Kids love mac 'n' cheese; they gave all three organic brands high scores,

though old fave Kraft ultimately won. Adults liked 365 Organic for its

"natural" flavor.

PEANUT

BUTTER

Adults Private

Selection Organic

All Natural Creamy

Kids Winn-Dixie

Organic Creamy

Adults & Kids Jif

Creamy

Choosy moms choose Jif for a reason: It has a"great roasted nut flavor," as

one taster noted. Want organic? Pick a store brand: Three outscored pricier

name brands.

CHICKEN

NOODLE SOUP

Adults Pacific

Natural Foods

Organic Chicken

and Penne Pasta

Kids Muir Glen

Organic Chicken

Noodle

Adults Pacific Natural

Foods Organic Chicken

and Penne Pasta

Kids Campbell's

Chicken Noodle

Condensed

"Closest to homemade" was a big selling point for adults, who chose Pacific

Foods. Kids didn't much like the organics; their pick: the slightly saltier

Campbell's.

BABY CARROTS

Adults Only Wild

Harvest Organic

Grimmway Farms Among the seven brands of carrots, taste ranged from "sweet" to "bitter,

metallic." Nonorganic "crunchy, carroty, fresh" Grimm-way Farms was the

overall winner.

FROZEN GREEN

BEANS

Adults Only O Organics Whole

Green Giant Valley

Fresh Steamers Select

Whole

Though O Organics won in the first round, it lost out to Green Giant Valley

Fresh Steamers. These beans, tasters felt, lived up to the "fresh" in their name.

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ORGANIC

WINNER

FACE-OFF WINNER WHAT TASTERS SAID

FROZEN

RASPBERRIES

Adults Only O Organics

O Organics Our panelists preferred the "sweet, juicy flavor" of O Organics to the "sour,"

"bitter" Dole berries.

FROZEN

STRAWBERRIES

Adults Only

Cascadian Farm

Dole Dole won by a landslide because its fruit "most resembled fresh, juicy

strawberries." The organics were generally found to be "slimy," "mushy," and

"not sweet or ripe."

FROZEN

WAFFLES

(PLAIN) Adults Nature's

Path Organic

Homestyle; O

Organics Flax Kids

Nature's Path

Organic

Adults Nature's Path

Organic Homestyle

Kids Eggo Homestyle

Nature's Path took top honors with adults (and kids in round 1), maybe for its

sweetness. Still, for kids, familiarity rules; they rated best-seller Eggo the

champ.

FROZEN PIZZA

(CHEESE)

Adults and Kids Amy's Cheese

Adults DiGiorno Rising

Crust Four Cheese;

Amy's Cheese

Kids DiGiorno Rising

Crust Four Cheese

Young tasters liked all the pies, though they agreed Amy's was tops in round

1. In the face-off, some adults and the kids shifted to DiGiorno, praising its

denser crust.

CANNED CORN

Adults Only

GreenWise Organic

Whole Kernel

GreenWise Organic

Whole Kernel

The organic store brand edged out the others because of its "crisp kernels,"

though face-off contestant Del Monte also got high marks for its "real corn"

taste.

OATMEAL

Adults Only Bob's

Red Mill Organic

Quick Cooking

Rolled Oats

Bob's Red Mill Organic

Quick Cooking Rolled

Oats

This "creamy," "grainy" oatmeal bested both the organic and the nonorganic

competition.

PREWASHED

MIXED SALAD

GREENS

Adults Only Wild

Harvest Organic

Spring Mix

Wild Harvest Organic

Spring Mix

"Crisp" and "fresh" Wild Harvest won, though competition was close —

except for Fresh Express greens, which were pronounced "bitter" by almost

half our tasters.

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Private-Label Brands: Where You'll Find Them — 365 Organic: Whole Foods Market.

Green Way: A&P, Waldbaum's, Pathmark, Food Emporium, Super Fresh, Food Basics.

GreenWise: Publix.

O Organics: Safeway, Vons, Carrs, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi's.

Private Selection Organic: Kroger, Ralphs, King Soopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith's, Fry's, QFC, Baker's,

JayC Food Stores, Gerbes, Pay Less Super Markets, Scott's Food & Pharmacy.

Wild Harvest Organic: Shaw's/Star Market, Jewel-Osco, Albertsons, Farm Fresh, Shop 'n Save, Acme,

Hornbacher's, Cub Foods. Winn-Dixie Organics: Winn-Dixie. Nature's Basket Organic: Giant Eagle, Market

District, Giant Eagle Express.

Is It Really Healthier?

There's no question organics are better for plants, animals, farm workers, and the ecosystem. But are they actually

healthier for you and your family? There's a great deal of debate — sometimes partisan, always heated — on

nutritional advantages. While research is trending toward showing that organic food has more of certain nutrients,

that doesn't mean the organic tomato you pick from a bin will definitely be richer in these than its conventionally

grown cousin at the other end of the aisle. Too many other factors — soil conditions, weather, how the produce

was transported and stored — come into play to allow for certainty that any one piece of fruit or vegetable is

better for you than another. But there's an additional issue to consider — namely, safety:

Pesticides: Eating food that's certified organic means you're limiting your exposure to the chemicals used to kill

plant pests. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates pesticides to ensure that they don't pose unreasonable

risks to our health or to the environment. Still, a number of research scientists are concerned about the types and

levels of pesticides allowed in conventional farming. A recent study of 12,000 children, for example, found that

those with above-average levels of pesticides in their urine were nearly twice as likely to have ADHD as kids with

undetectable levels. Developing brains and nervous systems are the most vulnerable to chemicals, so if you're

pregnant or have young children (especially under age 2), spending more for organic food might be smart. And all

families can reduce their risk by peeling fruits and vegetables.

Antibiotics: Conventionally farmed livestock and poultry are routinely given drugs to prevent illness and boost

the rate of growth, a practice that has contributed to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Buying organic

meat, poultry, and milk means you are assured the animal has never been treated with antibiotics. On nonorganic

meat and poultry, labels of "no added antibiotics," "no antibiotics administered," and "raised without antibiotics"

mean the same thing, though the claims are not as tightly regulated. Milk is strictly regulated, and even

nonorganic brands don't contain a significant level of antibiotics, if any.

Hormones: These are often used to fatten conventionally raised cattle or to enhance milk production. Organic

cattle aren't treated with hormones, and some conventional cattle aren't either, so if you're concerned about

hormone use, you can choose organic meat and dairy or look for a hormone-free claim on other packages.

Hormones aren't used on pork or poultry, so claims on those items are meaningless.

USDA ORGANIC: What "Organic" Means

Thanks to the USDA National Organic program, it's less of a labeling free-for-all in the supermarket these days.

When you see the circular "USDA Organic" logo on a package, it means that the food was produced according to

strict practices that don't allow the use of synthetic flavors, colors, sweeteners, most preservatives, toxic or long-

lasting pesticides and fertilizers, or methods like genetic engineering. Organic farming and production methods

also ensure that animals are treated more humanely. Another assurance: Producers of certified organic food are

subject to announced and unannounced inspections to make sure farming and manufacturing practices are up to

snuff. While timely follow-through has been a problem in the past for the USDA program, major increases in its

budget and staff have given it more bite.

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Smart Shopping

Sounds Like Organic, But...

Many people confuse these claims with the real (certified organic) thing. Here's the lowdown on the lingo

Natural: On meat and poultry, this indicates that no artificial flavorings or colorings were added and that the cut

was not irradiated to reduce bacteria, but it doesn't tell you anything about how the animal was raised. On

products outside the meat case, the term is undefined (and unregulated), so it doesn't mean anything.

Free Range: When you see this term on chicken and eggs, it means that the bird has had access to the outdoors.

But the USDA doesn't regulate how much time chickens must spend there or what kind of surface it must be (it

could be cement).

Locally Grown: Can you define "nearby"? Neither can federal regulators — there's no standard for descriptions

of how far food has traveled to reach your store. It's also important to remember that not all organic food is locally

grown, nor is all locally grown food organic — even the vegetables and fruit you see at farmers' markets.

How to save money shopping for organics

If you‟re looking to go organic or if you already have, here are some helpful strategies to save money in the

checkout line:

Go organic on produce with the highest levels of pesticides. The “dirty dozen” are a good place to start

with your organic produce purchases. Starting with the worst, they are peaches, apples, sweet bell

peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, potatoes. The

cleanest 12 are onions, avocados, sweet corn (frozen), pineapples, mangoes, asparagus, sweet peas

(frozen), kiwi fruit, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, papaya, so you may decide to skip the extra cost for

organic on these. You can download the Environmental Working Group‟s shopping guide to help you

make savvy decisions here: http://www.foodnews.org.

Choose organic food for items that your family eats the most. If your family drinks gallons and

gallons of milk each week, consider allocating your organic funds there. If your kids won‟t touch

anything but grapes, think about splurging on organic ones and balancing out the rest of your cart with

conventional foods that don‟t have as big an impact on your family.

Look for store brands. Many national supermarkets now have their own private label organics brand.

Here are some examples of where we found them.

• 365 Organic: Whole Foods Market

• Green Way: A&P, Waldbaum‟s, Pathmark, Food Emporium, Super Fresh, Food Basics

• GreenWise: Publix

• O Organics: Safeway, Vons, Carrs, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi‟s

• Private Selection Organic: Kroger, Ralphs, King Soopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith‟s, Fry‟s, QFC,

Baker‟s, JayC Food Stores, Gerbes, Pay Less Super Markets, Scott‟s Food & Pharmacy

• Wild Harvest Organic: Shaw‟s/Star Market, Jewel-Osco, Albertsons, Farm Fresh, Shop „n Save, Acme,

Hornbacher‟s Cub Foods

• Winn-Dixie Organics: Winn-Dixie

• Nature‟s Basket Organic: Giant Eagle, Market District, Giant Eagle Express

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Cut coupons. Check out HealthESavers for specialty brands or go to Coupons.com to see if your favorite

organics brand has any coupons available. You can also go directly to the website of your brand-of-choice

to be added to coupon distribution lists.

Subscribe to an RSS feed. The Organic Trade Association scouts out prices and reports bargains on its

Savvy Organic Shopper blog. Sign up to get the 411 on deals.

Buy in bulk. Warehouse clubs are a great place to find savings, and buying in bulk is especially handy

when shopping for a family.

Look for local produce. True, local doesn‟t necessarily mean organic, but many local farmers are

producing food in accordance with organic standards and just haven‟t paid to be certified by the USDA.

Ask the farmer. Also, local produce means you‟re buying in season when there is an abundance of that

item. That tends to translate into good deals.