Stop Wasting Your Money on Organic Vegetables

Lee Breslouer/Thrillist
Lee Breslouer/Thrillist

Think spending the extra money on those organic carrots is making you a healthier, more environmentally friendly person? Nope. They're just making you insufferable and poor.

Quartz recently investigated whether the more expensive, organic vegetables are worth your money and, of course, the answer is no. Sorry!

A Consumer Reports analysis from March shows that organic foods are 47% more expensive than conventional foods. Just like an expensive car or purse, organic foods have become associated with luxury and privilege, and more often than not, people are buying solely for the label. Quartz notes that the "premium" markup on organic food is 29-32%, while just 5-7% is necessary for farms to break even.

Plus, there are numerous studies that show organic food is not better for the environment, and some organic pesticides can be even worse for the environment than synthetic pesticides used by conventional growers.

And, most importantly, if you thought paying the higher price for organic carrots was a good investment in your health, you were sorely mistaken. According to severalstudies, there's little to no nutrient difference between organic and conventional foods.

If you're really interested in getting all the facts about the produce you're buying, don't waste your time at Whole Foods. Quartz recommends shopping at your local farmers market, whether you're buying organic or not, as the produce will cost less than a supermarket, and you can find out everything you want to know about the production process. So please, stop wasting your money. Save it for unnecessary amounts of beer.

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Lucy Meilus is a staff writer for Thrillist and spends way too much money on food, but none of it is organic. Follow her on Twitter at @Lucymeilus and send news tips to news@thrillist.com.