Organic Food Prices Are Surging as Inflation Continues To Bite Shoppers

It’s not easy eating green, especially if you’re buying organic. That’s according to a Lending Tree analysis that found organic foods are seeing the steepest price hikes amid stubbornly high inflation.

Prices for organic fruits and vegetables rose 13.1% over the past year, compared with just under 10% for conventional produce, according to Lending Tree, which drew on weekly retail pricing data over the last year through January from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Among all the food groups included in the analysis, organic chicken prices increased the most, at 19.5%. That’s more than three times the price jump for conventionally raised chicken, which rose 5.9% over the last year, the report shows.

For households already struggling with the nation’s worst bout of inflation in 40 years, such spikes could force many consumers to opt for nonorganic options instead.