Project Story – Rising Food Prices

Food prices are going through the roof.  As a college student, who prefers organic food this is becoming a problem for my bank account.  Every trip to the store astonishes me, as the price for simple commodities like milk rises astronomically.  That is why I chose to do my project story on rising organic food prices, compared to regular prices and the effect on Elon students as well as local organic farmers.  I created a web page to post the story on, as well as a slide show of the images and a graphic.

ELON – Shoppers know that organic foods cost a premium.  But, rising food costs are leaving many consumers nationwide questioning their choice to be pesticide free.
A recent survey among Elon University students shows that this may not be the case.  More than 50 percent of students polled reported that their shopping habits have remained the same, despite rising food costs.  Additionally, a large percentage of the student population prefers organic food and produce over non-organic.
Elon University junior Angela Griffey thinks that buying organic food is a great way to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
“I buy organic fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs and poultry every time I go grocery shopping.  It is such a simple way to guarantee better health, even if it is more expensive,” said Griffey.
Timberwood Organics’ owner Ray Christopher also feels that rising food prices are not a problem for the organic industry.  He feels is customer base is strong enough that people will still pay for the quality of food they are receiving.
“The organic food industry is huge right now, it is booming.  People are willing to pay more money if it means better health,” Christopher said.
Rising fuel costs though may hurt Christopher’s business.  Timberwood Organics is located in the Piedmont Triad Area.  The food is grown on the farm and then personally delivered to the clients enrolled in the Community Supported Agriculture program.  CSA is a growing trend that allows consumers to buy a share of a harvest before the season begins.  However, as fuel prices rise so do Christopher’s costs and concerns.
“If anything is going to hurt our business it is going to be fuel prices.  We have to deliver every bit of food to our customers’ homes, and over time that is going to kill us,” Christopher said.
Fuel costs are one of many reasons why food, and specifically organic food prices have been rising so sharply for the past few months.
“We are a small business, so the effects of the oil crisis are a lot greater on us,” said Christopher.
At the local Harris Teeter, a gallon of organic milk is $5.49 while non-organic milk is only $3.79.  A dozen of organic eggs is $4.49 and non-organic are only $1.99.  For many students, buying organic is not an option.
Thomas Barr, a sophomore at Elon is on a tight budget, meaning organic foods are out of the picture.
“A gallon of milk is expensive enough even if it is not organic,” said Barr.  “I do not have enough extra money to just throw around on a new trend.”