A new study by the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service finds organic eggs have the largest price premiums over their non-organic counterparts. The study estimated price premiums in grocery stores for 17 commonly purchased organic foods relative to their non-organic counterparts from 2004 to 2010.
Price premiums for most of the organic products studied did not steadily increase or decrease during the seven-year period, but fluctuated. Premiums for organic bread ranged from 25 to 45 percent above the non-organic price, and premiums for organic milk ranged from 50 to 80 percent. The wide fluctuations in the price premium for organic eggs-66 to 173 percent-may be a result of the large retail price swings common for non-organic eggs, according to the study. Organic carrots, on the other hand, had a narrower range of premiums. Organic carrots were priced between 20 and 27 percent higher than non-organic carrots during 2004 to 2010.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.