So there is not a demand for organic foods in your town (I assume it's a
small town since you describe it as having only one supermarket). Your
supermarket will probably drop organic food to stay profitable if it
doesn't sell. In other places where there is a demand, the produce
turnover is higher, which keeps the displays looking fresher. If your
supermarket presents you with cruddy looking stuff, you are within your
rights to not buy it.

The price differential is high where there is a high demand for organic
food. In general, the conventional food is cheaper to produce in the
short term, but the environment pays a higher price for it. I believe
that in the long run, the price differential for organic food will get
smaller, and organic will command a higher proportion of the market than
it does now. However, this will take a decade or two.

As far as appearance of the organic food compared to the conventional
food, there can be a difference because the organic food is not treated
with preservatives. This makes it more difficult to ship to distant
markets. (Note that some produce holds up better without preservatives
than others.) Your best bet is to look for local producers if appearance
is that important to you. For that matter, your best bet is to look for
local producers (organic or not) if taste is that important to you,
since you will be getting fresher produce. Also, if you don't have to
ship something, you can grow varieties that might be softer when ripe,
so you can select the best tasting variety from a larger pool of
vareties (I'm thinking mainly of tomatoes here, but it applies to other
fruits also. For example, Jet Star is a widely home-grown tomato because
of its taste. However, it's too soft to ship, so you won't see it in
supermarkets unless it is produced locally. Even then, it's hard to get
home intact if you put it in a bag with other stuff. Most commercial
tomato producers stay away from it.)

People have come to expect unblemished produce because it is more the
rule than the exception in supermarkets. However, people put up with a
lot of imperfections in their home grown stuff. Since most food is cut
up in preparation, blemishes can be disposed of easily.

All the organic farms I'm familiar with that sell direct to the consumer
present unblemished food for sale. The main difference is in the
shipping and storage. If you insist on eating fresh strawberries in New
England in January, they will have to be shipped in.

The price a consumer is willing to pay for a product is a balance
between the percieved costs and benefits. Many people are willing to pay
a bit more for something that they think will be healthier or better
tasting than the competition. (Of course, the process of convincing them
that one brand will fit their desires better than another is called
"marketing".)



starlord wrote:
I see the high priced "Organic" goods in the viggie area of the ONE local
supermarket in the desert town I live in get thrown out after it's 2nd day
while the 'treated' goods sell at good rates. To me that says a lot more.
With the cost of goods going up, people look for bargins, just as I do, and
when I look at a bag of normal oranges going for a price I can afford, and
the so called Organic ones are more than 2 times the price and don't even
'look' as good, they end up sitting there for a day or two and then get
thrown away. I've seen the organic goods go down in numbers too, and it's
funny when I see some of the OG'ic stuff in plastic bags sitting right next
to the same companies normal goods and the price sticks out like a blazing
sign.