Organic Thanksgiving: What You'll Really Pay

If you’ve shopped for organic food recently, you probably know producers charge a premium for these products. Now we’re hitting the time of year when holiday feasts mean eating — and then eating some more.

Manhattan is, of course, not the cheapest place to shop for groceries. But the premiums we saw are by no means unusual. Nationwide, organic items can typically ring up 40% higher, according to GreenerChoices.org, a web site that tracks environmentally-friendly products.

“Buying organic... is a decision made by shoppers based on their lifestyle choices,” says Cathy Cochran-Lewis, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods. Whole Foods shoppers looking to save money could purchase its store-brand turkey for $2.29 a pound that has only been fed a vegetarian diet with no animal by-products and has not been administered antibiotics. The chain also says it prices its store-brand organic products competitively with conventional items.

Is the extra money worth it? The Organic Trade Association says the price premium supports an agricultural system that’s healthier for the land and the farmers. To save money when shopping organic, the association recommends purchasing private-label products and trying to hit local farmer’s markets that could offer cheaper prices.

Other voices in the healthy foods debate argue that foods officially labeled “organic” aren’t the only way to eat an environmentally-sustainable meal. Buying local in-season products, which can often be cheaper than organic items, is an option that avoids foods being shipped cross-country to reach a family’s dinner table, says Jonathan Kaplan, who directs the sustainable agriculture project at the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council.

Of course, health concerns – such as the use of pesticides on produce – also factor into the decision for some shoppers. Among conventionally raised fruits and vegetables, some naturally rely less on pesticides and could be good bets at Thanksgiving. Broccoli, for example, is one such “clean” vegetable. We would have saved $2 by swapping out our organic stalks. (Click here for the Natural Resources Defense Council’s full list of fruits and vegetable that contain the most pesticides.)

Here's a complete rundown on the cost of our organic Thanksgiving dinner: