Organic food as a status symbol

In China, a country plagued by tainted food scandals, eating organic food is a luxury reserved for the rich and powerful. I'd generally consider myself one to easily dismiss the purported health benefits of organic food, but in a country where 'steiroid-laced' meat is not uncommon, I suspect it would be more than welcome. "The officials don't really care what the common people eat because they and their family are getting a special supply of food," one former employee of a state-run food company told Barbara Demick.  I'd hate to be so politically-driven as to use this as evidence of the benefits of the free market, but you can draw your own conclusions.