Since I have returned from Korea, I went grocery shopping here in Dubai last week for the first time, something that I usually don’t do. Anyway, what has attracted my attention is the amount of shelves filled with stuff that is labeled organic. It seems that there is a big movement towards selling and buying organic things here. Well, what interests me the most is the notion that organic is healthier, and because of that you get a super price tag on those organic items. I am not sure how and why people believe that this is true. From the little that I know, there is not much scientific evidence that organic food is healthier from what I like to call main stream food, and I don’t think there is a big difference in the way they taste. While of course the method in which organic food is produced is different and slightly more expensive, that does not justify the hefty price tags on them. And recently, the ministry of environment here in the UAE introduced an organic tag that you will need to place on products if you wish to claim that they are organic. This means of course fees to paid which will eventually be passed to the consumer. This organic label as you all know also goes beyond food, as there is organic clothing, and organic soap, organic paper and may be sometime soon an organic smart phone. So all of these items that are being labeled organic are also labeled healthy in the consumer’s mind. Of course, you can argue that you can buy whatever you like and at whatever price, and I usually tell people the same thing. After all this is your personal choice, whether you agree or don’t. But one thing that bothers me here; if organic food is healthy or healthier, as claimed, then does this mean it is ok for people who can not afford to pay for the organic option to eat the conventional food, which based on this argument is considered unhealthy!