Should I eat organic foods?

Why should I eat organic foods?

The benefits of choosing organic are hotly debated, especially from a nutritional stand point, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t know some other benefits of swapping in some organic choices on your weekly shop.

Organic farming in particular has a lot of benefits. Synthetic pesticides are prohibited, reducing soil erosion and increasing soil fertility, meaning the field is more productive. The ban of these pesticides means organic farming tends to be more bee friendly, as any pesticides used are not toxic to bees, and without the harsh pesticides, biodiversity in the area increases - more flowers, more pollen, more bees! Source

We know from our own organic fruit & veg in our Manchester shop, that organic foods can be tastier, and, if grown in the right conditions, are just as big and beautiful as non-organic produce, and often more colourful, even the stuff grown in the UK.

You can find organic versions of everything from organic coffee, to organic skin care, and organic nuts. 



How to spot organic food?

Finding organic foods and produce can be difficult, and companies try to give ‘organic vibes’ by using words like ‘natural’, using rustic looking packaging and saying things like ‘made with organic ingredients’ on the packaging.

None of these things mean that a product is considered organic. To be labelled ‘organic’ under UK law, at least 95% of the ingredients of agricultural origin are organic, and must display the identifying code of the control body – for example, ‘GB-ORG-XX’, such as the soil association.

You can also look out for the logos of the control bodies, the soil association being one of the most popular, but here are some more, in the UK, that provide certification for organic foods, and do the homework for you.

• Organic Food Federation (GB-ORG-04)
• Organic Farmers and Growers CIC (GB-ORG-02)
• Soil Association Certification Ltd (GB-ORG-05, GB-BIO-142)
• Biodynamic Association Certification (GB-ORG-06)
• Quality Welsh Food Certification Ltd (GB-ORG-13)
• OF&G (Scotland) Ltd (GB-ORG-17)