Organic food costs UK consumers almost £900 extra per year
A study of everyday organic food items at five of the UK’s biggest supermarket chains has highlighted the extra cost of eating healthily, with organic shopping for basic essentials alone estimated to cost almost £900 extra annually.
According to the research by money-saving website Voucherbox.co.uk. Organic food items are on average 89% more expensive than non-organic products at Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco, and Waitrose. The products compared were own-brand items, where available, from the supermarkets in each instance.
A total of 19 weekly essentials were price checked – including apples, bananas, beef, butter, chicken, milk, orange juice and tomatoes – with an additional average weekly cost of £16.74, equating to an annual additional cost of £870.
Examples of significant price differences include organic milk at Asda, which costs £0.92 extra for four pints compared to non-organic. Waitrose showed the largest increase in eggs (packs of 6), which cost an additional £1.40 to buy organically, whilst Morrisons Gala apples were £1.52 more expensive to buy organic. Sainsbury’s showed the largest increase in the cost of chicken breasts, with an organic pack of two costing £3.68 more than non-organic.
Organic vs non-organic
Overall, Tesco had the smallest price increase for own-brand organic food, averaging at 82% more expensive than non-organic versions. Asda had the highest price increase, averaging 109% more expensive than its non-organic counterparts. Asda also offered the least amount of organic own-brand products from the 19 on the research list.
Of the full list of 19 products studied, the cost of carrots showed the largest increase, at 208% more expensive, equating to a yearly additional cost of £49.25. This was followed closely by broccoli, which saw a 201% price increase and an additional £48.17 in a year to purchase the organic option.
Coffee showed the smallest difference in price, with a medium-range 227g bag costing only 28% more if an organic product was purchased. However, over the course of a year, this could still equate to close to £35 in extra expense.
Voucherbox UK country manager Shane Forster commented, “Although it’s important to put health as a priority, it’s interesting to see from these results how much buying organic in the UK can add to costs. The overall additional cost for these items alone is more than you would pay for a weekend health retreat, or a week-long all-inclusive holiday. Our breakdown is also useful for consumers looking to work out what items they feel are worth spending extra amounts on in order to go organic.”
Organic food chart
A full list of products and the yearly price differences is available below:
|
|
Average non-organic |
Average organic |
Annual cost difference |
% organic costs over non-organic |
|
Coffee 227g |
£2.21 |
£2.83 |
£32.47 |
28.28% |
|
Beef (500g) |
£3.42 |
£4.43 |
£52.26 |
31.15% |
|
Banana (6 pack) |
£1.10 |
£1.47 |
£19.27 |
33.62% |
|
Cheddar 450g |
£3.00 |
£4.26 |
£65.57 |
42.03% |
|
Potato (baby, 1kg) |
£1.00 |
£1.46 |
£24.16 |
46.47% |
|
Pasta (wholegrain 500g) |
£0.83 |
£1.24 |
£21.32 |
49.52% |
|
Tomato (300g) |
£0.94 |
£1.43 |
£25.44 |
52.29% |
|
Orange Juice (1l) |
£0.93 |
£1.53 |
£31.58 |
65.59% |
|
Chicken Breasts (2 fillets) |
£3.28 |
£5.75 |
£128.75 |
75.58% |
|
Butter unsalted 250g |
£0.87 |
£1.56 |
£36.01 |
78.87% |
|
Rice (basmati 500g)Own Brand |
£1.04 |
£1.86 |
£42.85 |
79.38% |
|
Milk (semi skimmed, 4 pints) |
£0.98 |
£1.84 |
£45.03 |
88.55% |
|
Apples (GALA min.5 pack/670g) |
£1.12 |
£2.13 |
£52.18 |
89.33% |
|
Onion (brown 1kg) |
£0.76 |
£1.47 |
£36.82 |
93.16% |
|
Eggs (Free range box of 6) |
£0.96 |
£2.04 |
£56.26 |
112.71% |
|
Porridge (1kg) |
£1.01 |
£2.13 |
£57.86 |
130.22% |
|
Loaf of Fresh Bread (Own brand medium wholemeal 800g) |
£0.47 |
£1.35 |
£45.40 |
184.96% |
|
Broccoli (335g) |
£0.46 |
£1.39 |
£48.17 |
201.38% |
|
Carrots (1kg) |
£0.46 |
£1.40 |
£49.25 |
207.69% |
|
|
|
|
£870.66 |
88.99% |
|
|
|
|
Annual additional cost |
Average additional % for organic |
