There’s no getting away from the fact that organic food is far more expensive than non-organic products (and for good reason). But are there any affordable organic food items you can pick up from the supermarket to begin making the transition to a more organic diet?
Thankfully, there are a few foods that just make sense to switch to if you can. Some are pricier than others but all are worthwhile switching to.
11 Switches to Organic
Here are some affordable organic food options that might be worth considering on your next trip to the supermarket:
Carrots
Organic Price: £1.43 per Kg / Normal Price: £0.40 per Kg
Carrots are a staple ingredient in a number of home-cooked dishes which is why I had to put them on this list. The price increase from non-organic to organic is more dramatic than some other items below but with it being such a core food item it’s still one worth swapping to.
Spring Onions
Organic Price: £0.90 per Bunch / Normal Price: £0.37 per Bunch
With so many layers, spring onions do a great job at soaking up chemicals and pesticides. If you don’t fancy paying for those chemicals then 90p should buy you a bunch of organic spring onions.
Yes, that’s a steep jump on non-organic spring onions. However, many consumers report that spring onions are far more flavoursome and you, therefore, can get away with using less of them.
Milk
Organic Price: £0.70 per Litre / Normal Price: £0.51 per Litre
Milk is one product that sees the smallest increase in price between non-organic and organic versions. With prices increasing by just 37%, milk is one affordable organic food to add to the shopping list.
But why bother? Studies have proven that organic milk contains more omega-3 fatty acids, more vitamin E and more beta-carotene. It’s also better for the cows (in some cases, at least), better for the planet and better for the farmers.
Win, win, win, win!
Baby Gem Lettuce
Organic Price: £0.60 Each / Normal Price: £0.42 Each
With the price of organic baby gem lettuces just 43% higher than conventional baby gems, this is a no-brainer. Paying 43% more for something might not be particularly affordable but when you’re eating the whole of the baby gem, it’s certainly worth it from a taste point of view and to avoid chemicals.
Stock Cubes
Organic Price: £0.20 Per Cube / Normal Price: £0.10 per Cube
This is another no-brainer and one of the easiest swaps you can make at the supermarket. Organic stock cubes are widely available, will be made entirely with organic produce and are reported to taste far superior.
Onions
Organic Price: £1.67 per Kg / Normal Price: £0.85 per Kg
There are a few foods that get impacted by chemicals and pesticides more than others. Onions are one of these food items. All those layers absorb chemicals which you then ingest. They might do no harm. They might be fine. But that’s a personal question you have to ask yourself.
What has been proven is that organic onions contain more antioxidants than regular onions (source). With a large bag of organic white onions available around £1.25, switching to organic onions is a no-brainer.
Garlic
Organic Price: £0.33 per Bulb / Normal Price: £0.25 per Bulb
Some say it’s a placebo but many others are convinced that organic garlic packs more of a punch and is far tastier. This means you might not need to use quite as much as you normally would.
With the price increasing by just 8 pence per bulb and with less garlic potentially needed per serving, this swap would pay for itself!
Frozen Peas
Organic Price: £2.00 per Kg / Normal Price: £1.30 per Kg
Assuming you buy bog-standard Tesco frozen peas (and not a brand suck as Bird’s Eye) then the price of organic frozen peas will be roughly 54% more expensive.
Mushrooms
Organic Price: £3.45 per Kg / Normal Price: £3.17 per Kg
The thing with mushrooms is that you eat pretty much all of it. Not many people peel them and most people eat the stalks. If they’ve been sprayed with chemicals and pesticides then you certainly won’t be peeling off the outer layer like on a banana or orange. That’s why buying organic is a must when it comes to mushrooms.
With a 28 pence increase per Kg, you’ll barely notice a difference in price with this affordable organic food item you need to swap to today.
Pasta
Organic Price: £2.00 per Kg of Spaghetti / Normal Price: £1.00 per Kg of Spaghetti
Paying double for something doesn’t come across as affordable, but organic is always going to be more expensive. You can’t expect to pay the same for something that is harder and more expensive to produce.
But with the price of a kilo of pasta doubling to switch to organic. It’s a switch still worth opting for.
Whole Chicken
Organic Price: £7.50 per Kg / Normal Price: £2.27 per Kg
Yes, I know. Paying 3x the price for the same thing seems ludicrously expensive and far from affordable but the gulf between organic chicken and cheap intensively-farmed chicken is mammoth – not just in terms of price but when considering the taste and the welfare of the chicken before it is slaughtered.
If you don’t care about animal welfare, are happy for your chicken to be pumped with antibiotics, don’t mind spongy and bland tasting chicken and aren’t too fussed about the state of the planet then, by all means, opt for the cheapest chicken going. If you’d rather eat a little more consciously then give an organic chicken a try.
Summary
Organic food is expensive. When you buy better quality, tastier produce that’s harder to grow then this should come as no surprise. But there are some slightly more affordable organic food items that you can pick up at your local supermarket. Perhaps today is the time for making the swap?
The prices used in this article are based on prices available at Tesco supermarkets at the time of publication.
