Why We’re Giving More Thought to Food
When yet another study is published extolling the virtues of organic food " or uncovering hidden health horrors in battery chickens or pig farms " many of us resolve to buy more organic produce. But after a fresh burst of enthusiasm, our commitment to buying organic often wanes. Many shoppers question the higher prices, the uncertainty that it is better for our health, or the fact you can’t get the ingredients you need because they’re out of season.
A growing amount of evidence suggests that going organic can protect endangered species, reduce pollution and support British farming. But the biggest question for many people is whether organic food is better for them than intensively farmed produce: does it contain more vitamins and minerals than non-organic food? And are the chemicals used in conventional farming potentially harmful?
While the Food Standards Agency says organic produce has no extra nutritional value, and maintains that conventional farms use safe levels of pesticides, it admits that if you want to reduce your exposure to pesticide residues in your food, buying organic is a good way to do this.
‘This is a much better position than a couple of years ago, so things are moving in the right direction,’ says Martin Cottingham of the Soil Association, the main organisation promoting and certifying organic food in the UK. The last major study carried out by the Soil Association into organic farming and human health in 2001 found that organic fruit and vegetables contain, on average, higher levels of vitamin C and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium. The study also found organic vegetables have up to 50 per cent more secondary nutrients including antioxidants.
A study in Denmark found that organically reared cows produced milk with higher levels of vitamin E, antioxidants and omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs). Omega-3 has been found to protect against heart disease, and play a vital role in maintaining brain cell membranes " studies continually discover EFAs can improve memory and learning abilities.
Organically reared meat, such as beef, chicken, pork and lamb, is believed to be healthier for us and healthier for the animal. Livestock must be reared under strict conditions to meet organic standards. For example, animals must have access to outside areas, fewer cows and sheep are permitted in the same fields and they are given organic feed.
One major benefit is that antibiotics are never used as a matter of course in organic livestock, as there are major worries over their use and the possible effects on human health. The World Health Organisation has expressed concerns that antibiotic residues in meat might reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics used to treat human disease.
Buying organic food can help the environment too. The largest ever study of organic farming recently concluded that organic farms are better for wildlife than conventional farms. Researchers found there were 85 per cent more plant species in organic fields, 32 per cent more birds and the hedges surrounding the fields were taller, thicker and up to 71 per cent longer, meaning they are able to support more wildlife.
The study, carried out this year by the British Trust for Ornithology, Oxford University and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, concluded the heavy use of chemicals badly affected wildlife living on non-organic farms.
All of this is having an effect on consumer trends. A report by the Soil Association released last November revealed that sales of organic food had increased by 10 per cent in previous year, reaching pounds 1.12bn a year and growing at a rate of pounds 2m a week.
Shoppers were found to be buying pounds 899m worth of organic food from supermarkets, up 9 per cent, but sales through box schemes, farmers’ markets and farm shops increased by 16 per cent and topped pounds 100m for the first time. This faster growth may be because consumers are increasingly turning direct to organic producers for their food.
‘People want to know how their food is being produced,’ says report author Mike Green. ‘But it’s about being able to trace your food from the farm to the table.’
One company that is reaping the benefits of our interest in buying organic food direct from producers is Abel & Cole (www. abelcole.co.uk). Set up in the early 1990s in south east London, Abel & Cole now delivers fresh produce to 20,000 homes within the M25 and has an annual turnover of more than pounds 13m.
Keith Abel, 41, says 40 per cent of their customers come through recommendations, but media coverage of food scares also helps boost their business.
‘We had 1,000 sign up in one week after a TV programme about what’s really in your food,’ he says. ‘Every time there’s an undercover investigation into farming practices, we get a big surge in customers.’
In addition to the quality of the food on our table, shoppers are increasingly concerned about ‘food miles’. This is the distance that food has to travel before it ends up in your home. A study published by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in July 2005 discovered that food miles had increased by 15 per cent in the 10 years to 2002.
The amount of food carried by heavy goods vehicles increased by 23 per cent and the distance for each trip has increased by over 50 per cent. Consumers themselves now drive an average of 898 miles to the shops for food every year, compared with 747 miles a decade ago.
The result of all this extra driving is a huge increase in the amount of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere. The report found 19m tonnes of CO2 were emitted in 2002, a 12 per cent increase on 1992. Airfreight, considered to be the most polluting form of transport, has increased most.
In an effort to cut down the amount of organic food being imported into Britain " therefore cutting down food miles and CO2 emissions " the Government has set a target of 70 per cent for in- season organic food to be sourced from the UK by 2010.
The Soil Association says this target should be achievable, but the big supermarkets need to stay focused. ‘There have been some really great improvements in the past three to four years,’ says Mike Green. ‘But it depends on commitment from retailers.’
‘It is unacceptable for staple food to be imported when it is in season in the UK and in plentiful supply,’ adds Peter Melchett, the Soil Association’s policy director, holding up Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer as ‘shining examples’ to other supermarkets, as all the organic beef and organic chicken they stock is sourced in the UK.
There is evidence that supermarkets need to take heed, as customers are increasingly voting with their wallets. Professor Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University in London who first coined the phrase ‘food miles’, says: ‘Food miles have become an important indicator, not just of environmental change but of consumer demands on the food distribution system. Retailers have to be seen responding or lose that share of the market.’
Even though the organic debate has moved on, one problem keeps recurring for campaigners " the cost of organic food. It is usually more expensive than non-organic produce, but campaigners say this is because it is a quality product.
Not only do organic farmers often produce a smaller amount of food from a given land area, but they also tend to have higher labour and production costs. Hand or mechanical weeding is more labour-intensive than chemical spraying.
‘If you were buying a car, you wouldn’t just choose the cheapest one, you would think about safety and reliability too,’ says Martin Cottingham. ‘This is even more important for food when issues of animal welfare, quality and taste are added to the equation.’
But does it matter if we only buy a few organic products, or do we need to overhaul our entire lifestyles? Why should we buy organic if we’re not prepared to only buy organic? The good news is that even if you put only one organic item in your shopping trolley every week, it can still make a difference. ‘If you are buying some organic produce, it’s a step in the right direction,’ says Cottingham. ‘If everyone buys a bit, collectively we send a very strong message that we want to see a more organic Britain.’
So if you are only going to buy one organic item, what should it be? The Soil Association says this depends on your reasons for going organic " if you’re most concerned about your health and pesticide residues, buy organic vegetables; if you are concerned about animal welfare, buy organic meat, eggs and dairy products.
‘A good place to start is to with the things you buy most and eat most,’ says Cottingham. ‘In this way making a relatively small change can still have a big impact " on your diet and on the environment.’