Organic Chicken Took Triple The Inflation Hit Of Regular Chicken In 2022

Grocery shopping can be overwhelming with its seemingly endless options. For example, a majority of grocery stores will offer organic produce next to its conventional offerings. But amid inflation woes, organic groceries are becoming more expensive than ever.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines organic food as products that "must be produced without toxic pesticides, synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones or genetic engineering," CBS News reports. In January, the department announced an overhaul of its organic label regulations. With the help of the National Organic Program, the USDA will update its guidelines on organic labeling to ensure accuracy.

Sales of organic products have roughly doubled since 2012, according data from the Organic Trade Association. But lately, inflation has hit Americans hard. According to CNBC, school lunch, eggs, and margarine have seen the highest price hike. And now, nearly all organic grocery items are affected by inflation as prices have skyrocketed.

If you typically eat organic chicken, you might be paying a little more at the store. The cost of organic chicken jumped 19.5% in 2022 from a year earlier, according to a LendingTree analysis of retail pricing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In comparison, "conventional" chicken prices only rose by 5.9%.

Organic chicken legs spiked 67% in cost; organic chicken thighs were a little over 55% more expensive in 2022 compared to 2021. The cost of organic chicken thighs jumped over 55%. Organic chicken wings prices increased by nearly 40%, while organic whole chicken felt the least impact — its price rose just over 37%.

Chickens aren't the only thing rising in prices. Eggs have also skyrocketed in cost, in part due to a flu strain that wiped out a chunk of the chicken population. The average cost of eggs jumped 60% in 2022. Some people have even resorted to buying their own chickens.

Organic chicken wasn't the only grocery item that felt the burden of inflation. The prices of organic fruits and vegetables spiked 13.1% in 2022, according to LendingTree. Conventional fruits and veggies, meanwhile, only saw an increase of 9.9%.

The produce that saw the steepest hike are organic strawberries, which saw a year-over-year price increase of over 224%. Organic mixed mini sweet peppers, vine-ripe tomatoes, and orange bell peppers all doubled in cost; their prices jumped over 100%. (If you're looking for a cheaper organic produce option, organic green bell peppers prices fell 56.9%.)

American households spend an average of $260 a week on "food prepared and eaten at home," according to LendingTree. The prices of food at home, or what people buy at grocery stores to cook homemade meals, rose by 11% in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.