I really wanted to get a USDA certified Organic Turkey for Thanksgiving this year. My shopping experience over the weekend, however, left me with a feeling of great dissatisfaction. I have written about the “sticker shock” when buying organic; I got to experience it first-hand myself this time. And it was quite a shock.
We all know the benefits of selecting organic foods since they are produced without the use of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides, and in the case of meat and poultry, raised on organic feed and without any antibiotics or growth hormones. Wouldn’t it be nice, I thought, to set a nice trend each Thanksgiving by going organic for the whole turkey? Not only would it be a healthy thing to do, we could also talk about it with our guests over the dinner table. I knew I was going against my own advice for buying organic on a budget – that is of not buying organic animal products – still, I thought Thanksgiving is a special occasion. After all, it can’t be all that bad. Little did I know; I was in for a rude awakening and a tough lesson in the dynamics of supply and demand.
My first visit was to a local Publix Supermarket store next to an upscale outdoor Mall. Predictably, it was stocked quite well with both frozen and fresh turkeys. I was familiar with the Butterball brand. I also saw a good range of the Publix brand with a simple label prominently displaying “Grade A USDA inspected”. After walking through several aisles, I asked one of the store associates if they carried “organic” turkeys. He didn’t know so he went on to ask the manager in the meat department. The manager came out and walked me to another section where they had a few “all natural”, “never frozen” turkeys. I repeated myself, “I need an organic turkey, not all natural”. So this time, as if trying to make a special effort, he takes me to the frozen section and shows me a couple of “all kosher” turkeys. It did not carry the USDA certified organic seal; I pointed that to him – as if to drive the point home – that his turkeys were not organic after all!
I decided to give up and call Fresh Market, which is kind of a poor substitute for Whole Foods Market in our area. “Nope, we don’t carry organic turkeys, we only have natural”, was what I was politely told over the phone. At least it saved me a trip! But still, I didn’t have a turkey, and I was beginning to get worried. At this point, my wife told me to just give it up and go for what every other “normal” person does for Thanksgiving. That is go ahead and buy the popular Butterball brand. “Oh well, maybe next year”, I told myself.
A second visit to another Publix right in our neighborhood, was when I got the sticker shock. Even though, I was not looking for an organic turkey anymore, I did find two – I am not kidding, just two – turkeys with the USDA organic seal in a section otherwise overflowing with Butterballs and Publix brand turkeys. Obvisouly, there aren’t too many people looking for organic turkeys these days. Anyway, check out the difference in price – the organic turkeys were about 3 – 5 times more expensive than the regular turkeys! Isn’t that something? Unbelievable!
The more pragmatic side of me took over after the sticker shock, so I came home with a Butterball.
Later I did a quick search on the internet to see if this made sense. Here is what I found:
- Willie Bird Organic Turkey from Williams-Sonoma (shipped overnight) – $6.7 – $7.3/lb depending on the weight; available now only for Christmas delivery!
- Organic Free Range Thanksgiving Turkey from Lobel’s – $6.5/lb (too late for Thanksgiving delivery)
Now the $4.99/lb does not look so bad. Still, it is outside my budget.
What about you? Did you get an organic turkey this Thanksgiving?
