Organic foods

The demand for organic is keeping the British farmers very busy although many organic products are imported. Because most farmers rely on artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides there are concerns about their long-term effect. Organic farmers are very strictly limited to the use of any of these chemicals. Organic foods also ensure that antibiotics that are used on animals are kept to an absolute minimum. Organic farming uses a different approach such as crop rotation as that keeps soils healthy. They would also use natural pest control systems.

Sales of organic products in the UK have been on the incline. The majority of baby food is now organic. Most people buy organic because they believe it’s healthier and organic farming is less harmful to the environment. Crops grown organically are more vulnerable to pests and disease. It is also more labour intensive and farmers pay more for organic animal feed. Because organic foods costs more to produce, it’s more expensive for consumers to buy.

In the UK there are several retail shops and vegetarian/vegan restaurants offering organic, vegan and vegetarian products including vegan dairy, soya products, cheeses, goats milk, yoghurts, chocolates, flour, pasta, cereals, grains, nuts, pulses, fruits, gluten free products, natural cleaning products, natural beauty products and much more. Some organic products, including fruit, vegetables and milk are much more nutritious than non organic. Organic fruit and vegetables contain more antioxidants than non-organic varieties. There were differences in milk as organic varieties contain more antioxidants and healthy fatty acids.

Because there have been so many food scares in the past few years no one can be sure anymore what they are eating so people are looking for a change and Organic foods appears to be a much safer option. It seems much more natural and that is very attractive. At present, organic products are largely unprocessed, since any food processing also has to be certified organic. This means that a diet which involves a lot of organic products involves little processed food, with the accompanying benefit of not having all the hidden fats, salt and sugar that can go in during the processing.

Whatever their reason for buying organic, consumers who do so know that it is more expensive. But the change to organic can be accompanied by other lifestyle changes (such as eating less meat and less processed food) which can offset this extra cost to a certain extent.