Tonya Kay is a professional dancer, TV personality, film actress and danger artist living in Los Angeles. A vegetarian of 25 years, vegan for 15 of those and raw vegan for the last 7, Tonya Kay pioneers the green health movement with appearances, publications and green media (available at 
| Organic Produce—Price vs. Value, Part l: Location, Location, Location |
| Tuesday, 17 November 2009 | Tonya Kay | Blog Entry |
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Now, seven raw years later, I am proud to say that I am completely oblivious to the cost of conventional produce. If the Price Look Up (PLU) code does not start with a 9, which designates an item as organic, I keep my cart a rollin'. If the farmer behind the produce has to even think about whether he should go organic, I don't glance at his price. More than my diet has transformed in the past seven years; my definition of what is and isn't worth my money has changed. I have learned what value truly means, drawing a clear distinction between the concepts of price and cost. I toured in the Off-Broadway production, STOMP, for two years and was fortunate to perform in all 50 states. In Anchorage, Alaska for two weeks, you can imagine my raw-fooder's panic paying $5 for a single Pink Lady at the market register. It wasn't even fresh! Goodness gracious, how was a raw fooder to afford her diet in the land of eternal night? One reason organic produce may cost more in your locale is the reason behind Anchorage's $5 apple—it had to be shipped across an entire continent to get there. Produce is a living—and therefore perishable—product, so the efficiency and care in transport and storage are prime factors in its end cost. Chances are, if you eat exclusively organic, you are eating at least some California produce. In 2005, California boasted 1,916 certified organic operations while New York claimed only 427 and Maine just 288. California counted 223,263 certified organic cropland acres, while Texas had only 87,124 and Iowa 64,158. It is safe to say that California's organic produce costs less in California than it does in Michigan. And it's fresher here, too. If your market’s organics are being shipped in from distant lands, kindly ask your grocer to source locally. That may minimize your selection in some cases, but it will also reduce the cost and help support local organic agriculture at the same time. Shipping cost is just one factor that influences the price tag of organic produce. Next week, we’ll look at another reason organic may be more expensive, yet why it is actually a better value. Read Part 2: Organic Produce—Price vs. Value: Production Costs See also: [See a complete list of writing by Tonya Kay on EcoHearth.com or visit her Clean and Green Everyday blog. – Ed.]
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Written by Joanna Steven , November 17, 2009
And the farther food is shipped from, the worse the produce is. Last time, my buying group wanted mangoes, and I was reluctant to get them because I know the difference between a mango picked ripe, and a hot water treated one picked unripe. Well, everyone was pretty disappointed. I'm agreeing to buy another type this time, but told them that if it's still good, we should probably skip the exotics.
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Written by Tonya Kay , November 19, 2009
I didn't know they were hot water treated! Joanna, I appreciate how diplomatic you are with the produce buying group you organized. I can hear that you don't want tropical fruits personally because of the food miles and freshness, but you are still are wide open minded about others choices and that's what's really healthy. All this produce and organic textiles and renewable material aren't much if we aren't open to new experiences. I figure an open mind is what got us here, so why wouldn't we nurture that trait once we are here as well. Nice work.
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I have a confession to make: I once was a raw foodist who didn't buy organic produce. Not exclusively at least. For that entire first year, I was still comparison shopping and coupon cutting. Baffled as to why conventional grapes were so much cheaper, I was unconvinced that costly concords were worth the extra cash.
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