The idea behind organic food is that "natural" is better. Better for the soil, the environment and the body. That's why some Americans are willing to pay twice as much to go organic.
Even at Wal-Mart. For example, a can of organic pumpkin on Walmart.com sells for 22 cents an ounce, more than double the price of conventional canned pumpkin at the same store.
Here's why we pay more: a study done by Consumers Union back in 2002 found that organic food it tested had only one-third the pesticide residue of conventionally grown food. The assumption is that pesticide residue on conventionally grown food is unhealthy, or that any pesticide residue is bad.