Organic Food

What is organic food?

Organic food is produced according to a set of principles and standards concerning such issues as pesticides, additives, animal welfare and sustainability. There are different forms of organic production, some stricter than others. The main accreditation body to look for in the UK is the Soil Association, but there are others.

Sales of organic food in the UK have increased dramatically in recent years. According to the latest Soil Association Organic Market Report, published in 2007, sales were up by 22 per cent on the previous year. Supermarkets are expanding their organic ranges, but a growing number of consumers are turning directly to the farmers for their organic food. Sales through box schemes, mail order and other direct routes rose by 53 per cent, from £95 million in 2005 to £146 million in 2006. Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and Waitrose have been praised by the Soil Association for stocking more organic food from UK farmers and reducing the amount they import.

Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association, believes supermarkets must support local producers and says: "The organic market is thriving and is being driven by consumers who want to buy fresh, local, good-quality seasonal food direct from the farmer. The leading supermarkets must take note of the public's wishes and increase the amount of locally sourced organic food in store, which should come from small and medium-sized farms."

Is organic food 'better'?

Many people turn to organic food because of concerns about pesticides. Around 350 pesticides are permitted in conventional farming and the Soil Association says an estimated 4.5billion litres of them are used annually. While there are Government rules for pesticide residues, they still end up in our food and nobody knows the long-term implications of their combined effect.

The organic movement aims for food that is produced as 'naturally' as possible, free from trans-fats, GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and most additives. The Soil Association encourages high standards of animal welfare and campaigns against the misuse of antibiotics for growth promotion, for example. Soil Association accreditation guarantees that animals have more living space.

As for nutritional superiority, more research needs to be done in this area but in a 2001 review of 41 studies, organic crops were all shown to have higher levels of Vitamin C, magnesium and phosphorus. Further studies in 2006 and 2007 have found higher levels of Vitamin C in organic fruit and 68 per cent higher levels of omega-3 in organic whole milk than non-organic whole milk. Most recently, in October 2007, early results of the EU-funded Quality Low Input Food study indicated that organic fruit and vegetables contain 40 per cent more antioxidants than non-organic.

In terms of the environmental benefits, organic farms naturally promote biodiversity as the lack of herbicides and pesticides encourages wildlife. Green and animal manures are used to enrich the soil, whereas some intensive farming methods result in soil erosion.

Unanswered questions

Does organic food taste better? The best organic producers are committed to quality and their food is outstanding, but carefully produced conventionally grown food may well taste better than mass-produced organic imports.

Some people who turn to organic food have an almost blind belief in its superiority. Organic farmers and food producers command a higher price because of the label and not necessarily because their produce is well-made and tasty. Some conventional growers say their hi-tech pest control and animal medication is better than the low-tech methods used in organic farming, and that in livestock farming this has implications for animal welfare.

As organic food becomes big business, some of its green credentials can become diluted. Take air miles. While 66 per cent of the organic primary produce sold in supermarkets is UK-sourced, with dairy products especially likely to come from this country, much of the organic fruit and salad we buy is brought in from overseas, as supermarkets struggle to keep up with consumer demand.

However, after a consultation process, the Soil Association announced in October 2007 that it planned to bring in new tough ethical trading standards that producers would need to meet in order for their air-freighted organic imports to continue to be certified. Furthermore, according to Ken Hayes, Soil Association standards researcher, "we want to encourage businesses to both develop other transport links and to develop other markets." He points out that advances have been made in shipping perishable products and, while organic farmers in some poorer countries have protested that there is no domestic market for their expensive organic products, the Association hopes these markets will grow with the money brought in from exports.

The Soil Association believes its proposal represents a good compromise in balancing the environmental impact of organic imports with the needs of organic producers. Ken Hayes says: "We have proposed a way forward that does not exclude businesses facing genuine challenges in finding alternatives to air freight." The Association is also considering the possibility of introducing carbon labelling of its products, when a reliable scheme for calculating this has been agreed upon.

Source www.bbc.co.uk