By Kendall Gray
Across the Student Center cafeteria, on the opposite side of Sbarro’s, is Nature’s Organic Grille. The grille features a select variety of organic meals and advertises that the food it serves is healthy, low in fat and sodium content, organic and dairy free.
With all these wonderful benefits, who would not want to purchase this food? Well, as it turns out, if students want food that is considered a healthy alternative to regular cafeteria food, they will need to be willing to shell out a couple extra bucks.
Compared to the conventional food sold at the Student Center cafeteria, the food at the organic stand is about $2.00 extra. For instance, an organic burger and fries are $7.25 together, whereas a non-organic burger and fries are $4.94. The purchase of an organic wrap is anywhere from $6.25 to $6.99, whereas a non-organic wrap ranges from $5.25 to $5.40.
“The Organic Grille is way too expensive for college students,” Alicia Recco, a sophomore business major, said. “It’s crazy that if you were to purchase a meal (including a drink), the total is close to $10.00.”
Organic food has been, and continues to be, more expensive than conventional food for several different reasons. First, if a type of food is going to be labeled as “organic,” it must be produced without the use of conventional pesticides, chemicals, hormones, antibiotics or other toxic ingredients that can be found in typical foods. Organic food must also be inspected and approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture before being sold to consumers.
The U.S.D.A. Web site boasts that when a consumer purchases food that is organic they can “be sure that is was produced using the highest organic production and handling standards in the world.”
Once the organic food is grown, the farmers must pick each crop by hand, which involves intensive manual labor. This labor is the first factor that determines the high prices of organic food.
Unlike organic food, conventional food is much cheaper to produce because conventional farms are subsidized by the government, according to the site. This allows farmers to purchase machines to replace the intensive manual labor process.
Since organic food is free of any unnatural chemicals, it takes a longer time to grow and requires more attention. Conventional farming uses artificial chemicals, so crops grow faster and require less care.
Most organic farms are small family farms that are independently operated and unsubsidized by the government, increasing their production costs.
Since organic food is free of toxic chemicals, is it better for the consumer? The USDA website states that it “makes no claims that organically produced food is safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food.
Organic food differs from conventionally produced food in the way it is grown, handled, and processed.”
The nutritional benefits of going organic have not been confirmed. However, the long line of students waiting for their whole-wheat pasta at prime dining hours shows some believe organic is worth the extra meal points.
“The organic food definitely tastes better than the other food you can purchase at the cafeteria. The food is more appetizing because it is made right there,” Kerrin Fraiser, a junior exercise major, said. “I’d rather spend a couple of extra dollars to eat fresh food, than buy cheap food that tastes bad.”
The Student Center salad bar offers a healthier, but more expensive alternative to junk food.