AlterNet: Are Organic Foods Getting Too Pricey for the Middle Class?

[marmar]

Are Organic Foods Getting Too Pricey for the Middle Class?

By Jill Richardson, AlterNet. Posted August 29, 2008.

Even Whole Foods and its upper-middle-class customers are feeling the pinch.



It's no secret that food prices are going up. Bloomberg News reported this month that we are experiencing the highest rate of food inflation in 28 years, and both corn and soy hit record high prices during July.

Consumers are doing what they can to cope with these rising prices -- but does that mean staying away from organic food that may already be pricier? And if so, could a lull in organic sales make farmers and retailers shy away from the organic market as a result?

What better place to look for trends than the poster child for high food prices: my local Whole Foods. Referred to by many as "Whole Paycheck," Whole Foods made headlines in the New York Times this month for seeking to change its high-priced image: "Now, in a sign of the times, the company is offering deeper discounts, adding lower-priced store brands and emphasizing value in its advertising. It is even inviting customers to show up for budget-focused store tours like those led by Mr. Hebb, a Whole Foods employee."

A year ago I left a job in the Whole Foods bakery, where I served coffee, baked bread and scooped gelato. Now, I visited the same store where I worked to discover that the bakery's "Every Day Value" items (whole wheat bread and blueberry bran muffins) rose in price by a dollar each in the last year. I also remembered that the store occasionally put items on sale and frequently posted signs advertising value when I worked there, so I wondered if the New York Times was correct.

Carolyn Kates, the marketing assistant at my local Whole Foods, had some answers. With company profits falling 13 percent in the third quarter this year, Whole Foods sees the need to move away from its "Whole Paycheck" image. And now that even its upper-middle-class customer base is feeling the pinch, the store needs to convince shoppers to try its lower-priced grocery items, particularly its private-label brands, 365 and 365 Organic.

Why the drop in profits? .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/environment/96811/are_organic_foods_getting_too_pricey_for_the_middle_class_/

[IrateCitizen]

1. This view of the "organic" market misses the point...

The more important piece of agriculture is, IMHO, local. In fact, localism was a centerpiece of the earlier organic food movement, but as the label "organic" was co-opted and commodified by agribusiness and retail chains, the localism piece was largely abandoned or ignored.

I would be interested in how prices are playing out in farmers' markets as opposed to retail chains. I have noticed a slight increase in some items at my farmers' market -- especially in meats -- but vegetables have remained very affordable.

[Javaman]

2. I love when people confuse buying food in food stores as being organic

with food being bought at farmers markets that really is organic.

folks, part of it being organic is knowing the source, just because a fancy label tells you it's organic doesn't mean shit.

Talking to the farmer and grilling them on their farming practices tells you if it's organic or not.

I'm so tired of doing this, but :banghead:

[ElectricGrid]

3. That's the kicker.. growing organic food is easy...

you may not be able to grow some exotic species and your overall yeild will be down a little but any fool that can read a book can grow organic. I know I grew up on a farm.