Organic food is often seen as the healthier, better-tasting, more sustainable option when it comes to food. The truth, however, is that organic food is simply more expensive and more "trendy." It does not offer any health benefits, does not taste any better, and is certainly not more sustainable or better for the environment. So why is organic food still growing in popularity if it's so much more expensive without any real benefits? The answers lies in the simple fact that most of the population is extremely uneducated when it comes to food.

What does it mean to be "organic"?

The common misconception about organic foods is that they are grown with no pesticides or fertilizers. This claim is very false. The USDA defines organic as foods that "demonstrate that they are protecting natural resources, conserving biodiversity, and using only approved substances".

What are approved substances and how do they affect the environment?

These approved substances are set by the USDA and are a number of natural chemicals. Natural doesn't necessarily mean safe, though, especially when large amounts of certain natural substances are dumped in a place where they don't naturally occur. Some of the approved substances are so harmful that they are used to kill off unwanted populations of fish farms.

Now, it can be argued that non-organic farming has the same issues-and it does! But why would you pay 40% more for something that has the same problems?

Is organic food tastier or healthier?

There is absolutely no proof that organic food tastes any better, nor is organic food healthier in any way. In fact, it is the opposite!

The genetically modified foods that people are so fearful of have often been modified to be healthier. A great example of this is golden rice. Golden rice has been genetically modified to have high amounts of vitamin A, a vitamin children in impoverished nations lack to fatal extents. Lack of vitamin A is the leading cause of child blindness in the world. By modifying regular rice to carry this vitamin, the GMO rice saves lives.

If you want to continue to spend money on organic food for one reason or another, that's a personal choice, but the facts are organic food is no better than non-organic. The current organic phase sweeping the nation is a marketing ploy.

Those who don't buy organic are often shamed, but organic food is just too expensive to be realistic for the average family, even if there was some benefit to it's consumption.

Stop the GMO shaming, stop being food snobs...organic is just a fancy word for "grown with approved natural substances." Newflash: everything is grown with approved substances, the USDA wouldn't let farmers dump whatever they wanted on any crops. The synthetic pesticides and fertilizers used on many crops can easily be washed off and there isn't enough on them to harm you anyway.

Shop smarter, not harder.