What is the best location to get organic at a good price?
Costco! You can get organic milk, oatmeal, multigrain bread, eggs, frozen vegetables, ground beef (not always available)... all for very reasonable prices
Trader Joe's! Very cheap, high quality organic food. I never shop anywhere else
*we buy organic because it is better for the environment, and it sickens me watching my kids pour chemical-laden food down their throats.
Depends on what you want to buy. We buy a lot from Trader Joe's, which usually has pretty good prices for their organic food. You can sometimes find good organic food at Costco. And I think farmers' markets have good produce prices. It's a good idea to shop around a little bit in your area and compare prices; even Whole Foods might have some good prices, depending on what you buy.
sh and Easy is way less expensive than Whole Foods. Also, try your neighborhood street fairs.
Hey S.,
I buy my organic a variety of places. Mother's Market is great for supplements and Vegan choices. I believe that they now have one in LA and their prices are far better to Whole Foods (which I think is a total rip-off. Trader Joe's also has an excellent selection of organic fruits and vegetables (as well as free range organic chicken and beef). Just be sure you are looking for the 5 digit number starting with 9. That insures that it's truly organic. Farmer's Markets are also an excellent choice. You get food that's in season at an affordable price. My last, and all time favorite, is to get involved with a CSA (community shared agriculture) program. This supports your local organic farmers and in return you get organic produce that is LOCALLY grown, which is always the best way to go. Some of these CSA programs will even deliver to your home. I signed up for one for $20 every 2 weeks and it feeds a family of four. We get a variety of fruits and veggies and sometimes they even throw in some great recipes of what to do with your food. This is especially great if it's something you don't eat that often (or have never eaten).
As for meat, Blackwing.com has a huge selection of meats that are all organic and grass feed (or free range). They will ship to your home frozen so you can pull out what you need when you need it.
The science isn't there for organic. What is there is that it costs more.
There is no location for getting it at a good price. A chemist friend
once told me " food is food." Of course you should wash every thing well.
Another point. How do you know that things labeled organic really are.
There is not proof that people who eat organic food are any healthier.
They do spend more on food and that is true.
A lot of supermarkets have some organic items. You could try Trader Joe's which is based in CA. I don't know what is local for you since I'm on the other coast. You could look into a local farmer's market or a farm share later in the season.
Trader Joes
Costco
Safeway's "O" organic store brand
Whole Foods organic store brand
Farmer's Markets are great, but I don't find them to be cheap. Trader Joe's is good, but limited. The Co-Op on Broadway in Santa Monica tends to be pricey for some items, but their organic produce is excellent and they have amazing specials all the time. Costs $25 to join however. This video is excellent for explaining what's wrong with our food system and why it costs so much more for organic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixyrCNVVGA
Vons & Pavilions have expanded their organic offerings. Sometimes the prices are good. It varies.
Mother's Market is excellent, but none in LA that I know of as one person erroneously posted. http://www.mothersmarket.com/locations Wish there were one, prices and selection are excellent.
For the person who posted there is no difference in organic versus conventional -- they need to do their homework. My pediatrician says the difference for kids is huge.
This is a great website for organic news updates:
I was surprised to discover that Smart&Final now has some organic produce (some time ago they had only organic pasta).
Farmers Markets are the best source for any and all organic. There will be one within driving distance almost any day of the week, and of course, Trader Joes.
How to find a market
http://www.seasonalchef.com/socallist.htm
I'm not sure where in LA you are but sprouts is good (though they don't have a huge organic selection). Vons is also good I find.
Your local farmer's market. Often times things that are sold there are organic, but they aren't marked as such because it is prohibitively expensive for the farm to go through the certification process. Scout out the stalls and ask questions before you buy to find the best prices and make sure you are really getting something local/organic.
Trader Joe's for milk.
I buy lots of organic there-and costco s starting to carry more.
