Organic food is unfairly overpriced, claim residents

A mother of three, Nada Mohammed, said the prices of organic produce in the UAE are “not affordable for most families, as they are unfairly overpriced”. She hopes grocery stores will cut the prices down so parents can provide healthier food options for their children.

“When you compare organic cabbage, which is around Dh40, to nonorganic cabbage, which can be found for Dh4-5, it is eight times the price — a price that most of us cannot afford for a vegetable item,” she said.

“We, as consumers, have become more aware and educated about the dangers of chemicals that are in our food, even in the so-called ‘natural’ fruits and vegetables. It really does worry me as a parent to have to feed chemicals to my kids.”

However, she said she is trying to swap non-organic food for organic, when and if possible, despite the high prices. “Although it is extremely overpriced, I am still trying to opt for organic food, because my kids’ health comes first, even if that means I will be shorter on cash.”

Mohanad Mashat said when he lived in the US, most of the food he purchased for his family were organic. However, he stressed that organic food in the UAE is much more expensive. “I make sure my children eat organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible when we are in the US, because non-organic produce are known to be contaminated with dangerous chemicals. But it’s not as easy here, because the food items are so overpriced,” he added.

“It would be great to see prices become equal to the prices in the US for example, or at least consider bringing down the prices to something that is more reasonable and fair for consumers who want to protect the health of their families,” added the father-of-two.