The Negative Externalities of Organic Food
Tonight, Penn & Teller will expose the myth or Organic food for exactly what it is: Bullshit!
In their excellent television show, Bullshit!, they will tell us that, just like “Global Warming”, there just isn’t any science to back up the claims of those who extol the virtues of an Organic diet. A paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (a peer-reviewed scientific journal) concludes that “Our review indicates there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organic over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority”.
I bet, however, that Penn & Teller will miss yet another point never spoken of regarding Organic food: Organic food hurts poor people. If you want to know how, read on.
In the science of economics, we recognize a phenomenon known as “externalities”. They come in both the positive and negative flavor. An example of a positive externality is when a business adds pretty landscaping to the front of its office building. Anyone passing by can enjoy looking at the scenery, but there is no practical way for the company to charge for the positive experience. In this case, a party having no part in the financial transaction benefits.
In the case of Organic food, there is a negative externality imparted onto everyone who does not buy the stuff. Due to the lack of use of conventional (and therefore, more effective) pesticides and fertilizers, the yield per acre of all organic crops is less than that of conventional crops. Since Organic foods have a higher market prices, it provides an incentive for farmers to take land previously used for conventional crops and divert them to use for Organic crops.
Now that there is less land available for conventional crops, rents on this space will increase. This increase in land use cost will be reflected in the final price of the conventional crops. While those of us who buy only conventional produce had no part in the financial transactions of producers and purchasers of Organic food, we suffer none the less from the negative externality of higher prices for conventional produce. Due to the availability of less disposable income, the poor are hurt by this phenomenon more than the well to do.
Almost universally, the Organic crowd are your typical Lefty/Liberal/Socialists. And, once again, they say they want to help poor people while simultaneously doing them more harm than good.