New study says organic not necessarily healthier - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Jennifer Herrmann appreciates help from her daughter Jenna, but when she's in the grocery store she's on a mission.

"We gotta get in, and we gotta get out," said Herrmann.

Herrmann grocery shops once a week. While she's concerned about feeding her three children the healthiest food, this Indianapolis mother doesn't buy organic products.

"I'm going to go with fresh and spend a little extra there rather than canned. But, I am not going to go that extra step and buy organic," she said.

While this former farm girl stays away from these special foods, millions of Americans buy organic products. In fact, it was a $28.6 billion market last year.

At Kroger stores in central Indiana, the most picked up organic product is also the most colorful.

"Our produce customers are organic customers," said Gregg Proctor.

A new study points out that all this color doesn't mean it's better. In fact, a Stanford University study found there were no significant differences in vitamin content of organic and conventional fruits and veggies. The study also showed that both organic and conventional foods were at a similar risk for bacterial contamination.

Eyewitness News looked at the prices of organic versus conventional. We filled our baskets with one of each: Organic and "regular" bananas, carrots, apples, chicken, granola and milk.

We found that the "regular" items totaled $16.26. The "organic" products cost nearly seven dollars more. Those extra dollars translate to a nearly 43 percent price difference.

We should point out that organic products do have fewer pesticides. Proctor argues shoppers that often buy organic know what they are getting and what they are not.

"It is the for the environmental aspects of growing organics and better for the environment, but also the taste. Organic bananas do taste better regular bananas," he said.

See a list of vegetables and fruits that contain the most and least pesticides.