The organic label is a guarantee that the food you buy has been grown using traditional, sustainable farming methods that minimise the use of chemicals and the amount of harm to the environment. The word 'organic' is defined and protected by law and to be labelled 'organic' food produce must comply with a strict set of standards. A number of different certification systems for organic foods are in use worldwide. The Soil Association symbol is one of the best guarantees of quality and appears on around 70 per cent of organic food grown in the UK.
More and more people are choosing organic products when they shop. According to the Soil Association, sales of organic food grew by 30 per cent in 2005. There is still some debate about whether organic food provides consumers with value for money and some studies claim that it is no better for you than cheaper, non-organic alternatives. The UK Food Standards Agency, for example, claims that there are no differences in nutritional value between organic and non-organic products. Nevertheless, the growing number of people buying organic shows that there is genuine public concern about food production.
Buying organic food provides the consumer with a number of guarantees:
Whatever the outcome of this particular debate, there is no doubt that organic farming is better for the planet. It is much more sustainable and less damaging to the environment than more intensive methods that rely on the heavy use of fertilisers and pesticides.
Increasing consumer demand for organic products has led to international pressure to relax the strict regulations on organic food but this is being fiercely resisted by the Soil Association. If you have any concerns about the integrity of organic produce, this handy guide should help.