Organic Foods - Are they better or just more expensive?

This is really a difficult question. I have used products such as vitamins that I believe had a much better affect on how I felt and I liked the idea that they were chemical free and I was only getting what I had paid for. The problem is... much of what is considered to be organic may be more harmful and definitely more expensive. Since chemical fertilizers can not be used, manure is the fertilizer of choice which introduces Salmonella and E. Coli to our fruits and vegetables that if not properly washed can cause severe sickness or death. Without the use of pesticides, miticides, fungicides, etc., much of a crop is lost to pests which has a cost that is passed on to the consumer for what is often an inferior product to what has been maintained with more traditional use.