Emily Wright
Professor Grabianowski
English 112 B4
10-August-2015
Comparing Organic and Conventionally Grown Food and the
Effect They Have on the Environment
When it comes to the food we eat, artificial ingredients, sweeteners, and genetically modified organisms dominate the market on a global scale. And while the image of these ingredients being in the food we consume sounds distasteful, a vast number of people around the world believe that healthier, organically grown alternatives will lack in taste and visual appeal. Therefore, without people even trying the better alternative, organic and locally grown food already has the stigma of being worse to consume.
So I decided to compare the price, taste, health benefits, and environmental benefits of eating local and organic food compared to conventional food. The experiment was implemented by purchasing and taste-testing an organic fruit and dairy product and then comparing them to their conventional. After doing so, I calculated the mileage it took for all of the products to travel to Massachusetts and determined which product was not only healthier for our bodies, but for the overall environment. What most people don’t care to look out is that simple label sticker on a particular fruit that shows what country it came from. The data results from picking out one sample, (the banana) was that of a 30 cent price difference and an additional approximate 1000 mile flight distance from South America, and overall what seemed to be a more durable piece of fruit coming from Peru. Along with the fruit of choice, all of the other Whole Foods products also had what seemed would be an unpopular difference in price and distance traveled, but a general better product quality. The organic foods tested and examined were concluded to be healthier not only for our bodies, but also for our environment, despite usually having to travel further to get to the Massachusetts. While fruits and vegetables have proven this, how...