Why are organic vegetables so expensive and wayward?

In order to achieve higher food production standards, are you willing to buy organic vegetables that are three or five times more expensive than ordinary vegetables? Due to the frequent emergence of food safety problems, a variety of "organic vegetables", "pollution-free vegetables" and "green vegetables" emerge as the times require. These vegetables carry all kinds of green signs as soon as they are born, and the price is much more expensive than ordinary vegetables. So, where on earth are they superior to ordinary vegetables? In this issue of "Environmental Protection around you", the reporter will take the public to explore the secrets behind green vegetables.

Contrast

Specific price:

"Organic" is three to five times more expensive than ordinary food.

Recently, the reporter visited and found that the prices of "organic vegetables" and "green vegetables" sold in supermarkets are about 3 to 5 times higher than those of ordinary vegetables in the agricultural meat market. For example, the heart of Chinese cabbage sold in the agricultural trade meat market is 4 yuan per jin, while the price in the supermarket is 8.9 yuan per jin. The price difference of broccoli is even greater. The price of Chinese and Western broccoli is 4.5 yuan per jin in the farmers' market, while the price of "pollution-free broccoli" in the supermarket is as high as 16.80 yuan per jin.

In the face of the high prices of "pollution-free vegetables" and "organic vegetables", many people say that they cannot afford to spend. Xiao Shen, who is shopping in the supermarket, has been hesitant to choose, "it's so expensive, how can I buy it?" Forget it, these 'pollution-free' really can't afford to consume, so I'll take a look at them to see if there are any 'pollution'. " Xiao Shen said humorously.

The reporter found in the interview that most citizens will not choose to buy vegetables in the supermarket because the price is too high. Apart from the price difference of green vegetables by 3 to 5 times, the prices of many cereals have also increased significantly once they are put on the sign of "organic". For example, the price of corn in the supermarket is 5.5 yuan per root, while the reporter saw in the farmers' market that the general price of corn is 3.5 yuan ~ 3.8 yuan per root.

In this regard, an organic food certification veteran, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that organic vegetables consume more labor and have fewer choices of inputs, and the price will be relatively higher. Organic vegetables also need to be certified by relevant institutions, and the output is low, so the price is high. "of course, it may also include part of the pricing strategy. At present, some people in society may wear tinted glasses to see organic vegetables. In fact, there are still many high-priced products in the market, and it is not easy to do organic vegetables in the market. " The person said.

With regard to the relatively high price of "organic vegetables", Jiang Zhuoqin, deputy director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine of Sun Yat-sen University, head of the quality of the Health Food testing Center, and professor of the Department of Nutrition of the School of Public Health, believes: "first of all, this is a commercial act. In a market economy, how to set a price is a business. However, it is true that 'organic vegetables' are more expensive than 'ordinary vegetables' because the cost of cultivation is different. "

Safer than:

Organic vegetables have higher food safety standards.

The reporter held broccoli marked "organic vegetables" in the supermarket and asked the supermarket staff what is the difference between "organic vegetables" and other vegetables and how to distinguish them. The supermarket staff said they were not sure, "maybe the suppliers are different." When it comes to how it tastes, I think it might be the same. " So, what is the difference between "organic vegetables", "pollution-free vegetables" and "ordinary vegetables"? Jiang Zhuoqin said frankly: "in fact, there is no difference in nutrition between pollution-free and organic vegetables and ordinary vegetables. The biggest difference lies in food safety."

He pointed out that organic vegetables mean that in the process of vegetable production, in strict accordance with organic production procedures, the use of any chemically synthesized pesticides, chemical fertilizers, genetically engineered organisms and their products is prohibited, but follow the laws of nature and ecological principles. adopt a series of sustainable agricultural technologies, coordinate planting balance, contain green food labels, and maintain the sustainability and stability of the agro-ecosystem. Vegetable products that have been certified by organic food certification bodies and issued organic food certificates.

It is understood that organic vegetables are called "pure and pure" food, from the base to the production, from the processing to the market, there are very strict requirements. In many processes from production to processing of organic vegetables, the use of synthetic substances such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers, hormones and transgenes is absolutely prohibited. Jiang Zhuoqin said that organic vegetables may be no different from ordinary vegetables in nutrition, but today, when food safety is increasingly becoming the focus, it is already very "worthwhile" to ensure the "purity" of food.

Popular science

Four grades of vegetables, the highest "organic"

During the interview, the reporter found that the supermarket divides vegetables into "organic vegetables", "pollution-free vegetables" and "ordinary vegetables". The prices of the same vegetables in different regions are also different. Why is there such a difference?

Jiang Zhuoqin told reporters that vegetables are divided into four grades, namely "ordinary vegetables", "pollution-free vegetables", "green vegetables" and "organic vegetables". Vegetables have a "vegetable grade pyramid", and the lower the level, the lower the level of safety. Jiang Zhuoqin pointed out, "pollution-free vegetables restrict the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and there are no restrictions on the use of growth regulators." Green vegetables restrict the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers and growth regulators. The highest levels of organic vegetables will completely ban the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers and growth regulators. "

Tutorial

Scraping coating and checking bar code can tell the true from the false.

Yesterday, the reporter visited and found that there are clear signs on the packaging of "organic vegetables" and "pollution-free vegetables" in the supermarket, but the verification marks are different. In response, salespeople said they could not guide consumers on how to verify whether these vegetables were "organic" or "pollution-free".

The reporter found that because of different suppliers, different vegetables are affixed with different anti-counterfeiting inquiry methods. Among them, the "organic leek" produced by "Shenzhen Weiwu Jinshi Agricultural Development Co., Ltd." has an anti-counterfeit bar code, and provides a telephone number for relevant complaints and an inquiry website. the reporter logged on to the website and found that it could be linked to the "China Food and Agricultural products Certification Information platform" and then inquired through the relevant codes.

On the other hand, the packaging of another manufacturer of "pollution-free vegetables" is labeled by the Agricultural products quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture, and consumers can scrape off the coating to obtain information and then send information to inquire about the vegetable.

Jiang Zhuoqin pointed out that organic or green vegetables come from different suppliers and are certified by different certification bodies, so the labels on the packaging are also different. It is difficult for citizens to see whether vegetables are "organic" and "pollution-free" through their appearance, but they can inquire through the relevant labels on the packaging in a corresponding way.