Contents
INTRODUCTION 2
LITERATURE REVIEW 4
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 8
Figure 1: Level of agreement about organic food 8
Figure 2: Percentage of monthly bill for organic food 9
Figure 3: Reasons respondents have not consumed organic food 10
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 11
REFERENCE LIST 13
APPENDIX 15
INTRODUCTION
Organic food is a type of food that contains no synthetic pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers and sewage sludge-based fertilizers. To be considered as ‘organic’ products, the crops need to be grown in safe soil and placed separately from conventional products. In addition, in order to be officially labeled as ‘organic’, it has to be processed and produced adhering to certain standards provided by the Health Department.
Since it contends no chemicals or preservatives, organic food is perceived to possess a fresher taste, more nutrition and sustainability in comparison with the conventionally grown food. Organic food is also proved to be beneficial to the environment. Specifically, it is discovered that there is a reduction in pollution, energy and water usage as well as an increase in soil fertility and animal welfare when organic farming is practiced. Moreover, the health of farmers is also improved because they no longer associate with pesticides and chemicals (Paul, Kemp and Segal, 2013). Due to the growth in health and environmental awareness among consumers and the media, there has been a significant growth in the organic food consumption in the past few decades (Hughner, et al. 2007).
Organic food seems to be cheaper than conventionally grown food because it is free of chemical content. However, in reality, it is usually 20 to 100 percent more expensive than normal food. The high cost of organic products results from many reasons, the most noticeable of which would be its longer and more complex farming procedures that require more labor, high-quality fertilizers and advanced...