arion Nestle, a food studies professor at New York University and well-known voice in issues related to nutrition, to get her take on the price and safety of organic foods. 1. Generally speaking, how much of a premium will people pay to get organic food over regular food? Has that premium changed over the last decade or so? I’m not sure of the exact percentages, but sales of organics have increased steadily since the national standards were adopted [in 2000].  The more food safety outbreaks that occur, the more people turn to organics and locally grown food as safer, tastier, fresher alternatives.  2. Who’s to blame for organic food prices being high? Is it the process or the policy? The costs of organics are high because they reflect the real costs of producing food. Industrial food is subsidized in ways that don’t get to small producers, not only through direct subsidies but also through subsidized water, land use, and other such things. For the most part, organic producers are on their own.   3. How do you respond to the argument that there’s no conclusive evidence that organic food is “healthier” than conventional food? It’s healthier for the planet and surely fewer pesticides is a good idea. 4. A commonly heard argument against buying organic is that organic goods are unregulated and can thus contain more harmful material than any of the pesticides or hormones present in regular food. Is that the case? No, the exact opposite is true. Organic foods are regulated by the USDA under the National Organic Program, which has tons of rules governing what can and cannot be used in organic production. Industrial foods do not have such rules. For example, organic rules require animal manure to be treated in ways that destroy harmful microorganisms. Industrial producers are not required to follow such rules. By that criterion, organic foods ought to be safer. 5. If you’re cooking or baking, is it really important to use organic foods? Doesn’t heat kill pesticides? No. 6. If you can’t afford to go completely organic, which foods should you make sure you buy organic? Anytime you buy organic, you are helping organic producers. I go along with the Consumer Reports list, which places berries as the top choice. Berr