more expensive but why not?
“Eating organic is expensive”: perhaps a bit of a cliché but not so wrong. We went to meet consumers of the “organic” lifestyle in the Principality.
The price of organic products is on average 75% higher than that of conventional products. This is in any case what revealed, in 2020, the food distribution magazine Linear. This average does not apply to all products but feels good and good in our wallets.
READ ALSO: Your feelings about purchasing power as an employee in Monaco
Organic, more accessible in supermarkets?
In the organic departments of Carrefour de Monaco, the largest supermarket in the Principality, a few customers stroll in front of the products. There is plenty to choose from, there are four full shelves dedicated to organic, in addition to the fruit and vegetable stalls.
In Christian’s shopping cart: milk, crisps, apples, condiments, all stamped organic. This pensioner lives alone and when he goes to the supermarket once a week, the organic space is a non-negotiable passage. ” Organic is more expensive but I’m retired and I want to treat myself, I don’t look at prices anymore “, admits Christian, living in Menton. There, a store specializing in organic has also become his reference: “ Yes, it’s more expensive than here but I find regional products there so that doesn’t bother me. »
Four packets of organic semolina in hand, Cindy does not go near the organic fruit and vegetable stalls. However, the Monegasque resident has made her diet 90% organic: “ [Les fruits et légumes bio] It’s the only thing I don’t take all the time, fresh vegetables are still much more expensive. »
A few examples here and there. The kilo of organic courgettes costs €4.39, compared to €2.69 for the traditional kilo. The organic cucumber costs 20 cents more than its competitor, while on the fruit side, the kilo of organic tomatoes costs €1.30 more. Lovers of organic apples and kiwis will pay €3.29 for four and €3.59 for six, respectively.
Specialty stores: more expensive but popular
The customers we met in these departments are also fans of stores specializing in organic products. In the Principality, there are about ten.
Biocoop is certainly the best known, notably being the leading network of organic stores in France. We discuss with customers the recent price increase in France, linked to inflation (+ 1.26% in March compared to last year, according to a study by NielsenQ). Organic has not escaped this but the regulars, like Olga, are not shocked: ” Everything increases! The restaurant, the courses, it’s normal that the organic is even more expensive! »
READ ALSO: It’s up to you: your feelings about purchasing power as an employee in Monaco
In the Biocoop, the prices are already slightly higher than on the shelves of Carrefour, but the 30-something comes here for a specific reason. ” I am allergic to lactose and it is in this store only that I find my happiness, they even have only organic household products which are excellent for the house smiles the client.
Longer, Isabelle and Franck have their arms full of vegetables. According to them, ” Biocoop takes precedence over quality compared to a supermarket ” and that ” justify a slightly higher price. »
A ” best quality that the majority of customers we met defended. At Christian, Cindy, Olga or even Isabelle and Franck, a “healthier” lifestyle – unconsciously promised by organic products – justifies a more paid diet.
In Monaco, on the shelves of supermarkets or in the heart of specialized stores, the price is a must for organic food, but the quality on the plate seems to take precedence over everything else.