The cost of going organic – less than you think

When we asked people why they don’t buy more organic produce, cost was by far the most common reason. But is organic food really that much more expensive?

To explore this, we examined the price difference between organic and conventionally grown options for the 12 fruits and vegetables most commonly purchased in Ireland—and the results were somewhat surprising.

Chose at least some organic for less than €

First, it’s worth noting that fruit and vegetables, with a few exceptions, continue to represent good value overall. Increasing intake can often help reduce grocery costs, particularly when it replaces more expensive items such as ready meals or high cost items like meat.

Second, the price difference between organic and conventional options was smaller than many might expect.  We ourselves were pleasantly surprised!

In Aldi, of the 12 items on our list, only eight were available as organic at the time of shopping. For those eight products, the total cost was €16.64 for organic, compared with €15.54 for conventional produce—a difference of just €1 for potentially meaningful benefits.

A similar pattern was seen in Dunnes Stores. While prices were slightly higher overall and again only eight organic items were available, the difference between organic and conventional produce was even smaller—just 39 cents.

A snapshot only

We acknowledge that this represents a small, local snapshot, based on only two retailers, and that availability, and potentially pricing, will vary by location. To ensure a fair comparison, we selected the same pack sizes for both organic and conventional produce and did not always choose the cheapest available option (for example, larger non-organic potato bags offered a lower price per kilogram). Shopping was also conducted on the same day across all locations to minimise variability.  We chose the retailers based on the best organic offering available. Our local Tesco only had 2 organic produce items that we could see, although more were available online.

While not definitive, these findings suggest that buying organic—at least for commonly purchased fruits and vegetables—may be more accessible than many people assume.

Our next blog will explore which fruits and vegetables are most important to prioritise as organic, along with practical strategies for filling the organic “gaps” in your weekly shop.