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Celebrating good health with Organic September!
29 September 2021
This month is Organic September, a campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of using organic farming and animal-rearing methods, and the importance of choosing to buy organic when you can.
According to the Soil Association, the benefits of organic food production include:
- Supporting biodiversity and wildlife
- Helping to combat climate change
- Creating the highest standards of animal welfare
- Reduced exposure to pesticides
Eating organic produce is better for your health. Most traditional methods of growing food and rearing animals uses synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilisers or antibiotics – all of which make their way into the food chain and then into our bodies. In fact, a report in the British Journal of Nutrition, published in 2014, suggested that organically-grown foods are likely to be higher in antioxidants – a natural substance that can delay some types of cell damage. In addition, organic foods were found to contain significantly lower levels of cadmium than mass-grown foods. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that can accumulate in the liver and kidneys when ingested.
What is ‘organic’ food?
Organic food is food that is grown or reared to strict standards. All weed killers are banned and farmers are only allowed to use certain natural pesticides and then only in certain conditions. They also have to abide by standards that apply to the soil they use, the ecosystems they create and the health of the animals they rear.
Organic farmers have to consider the wider implications of their growing or animal rearing. In order to be a certified organic producer, you must demonstrate that you meet or exceed all the standards which were originally set out in EU regulations and which UK farmers still work to.
Animals must be kept in generous free-range environments, with plenty of outdoor space to move and graze, and there should be no harmful or painful processes designed to keep animals ‘in check’. Livestock farmers also can’t use preventative antibiotics and they must feed a natural and healthy diet that’s suitable for the animals they rear.
Why choose to buy organic?
Organic food is better for the environment, better for farmed animals and better for your health. If you can afford to buy as much organic food as possible, then that’s a great option. The processes and smaller production levels involved does mean that organic food is often more expensive than its traditional counterpart, so not everyone can afford to buy it all the time, and so we’d recommend that if you only have a small budget for organic produce, you concentrate on eggs, diary and meat products – the ones where it really matters what the animals have been fed and looked after.
Given the presence of a potentially wide range of chemicals and substances in your food, it’s particularly important to choose organic produce if you have a health condition, are looking after young children, are pregnant or have allergies.
What organic brands would we recommend?
We’ve worked with some fantastic organic brands, including Pana Organic, Wallaroo and New Kings Coffee.
