Anybody else not 'DO' Organic?

[dyzzidi]

Okay so I don't have kids yet so i may alter my opinion then but I don't do organic.

I actually refuse to buy anything organic as I feel it has not harmed me all of my life eating normal stuff.

I eat quite healthily lots of fruit and veg etc but will not pay for the organic label and what is organic ketchup & baked beans all about?. I thought if something was bad for you it was bad for you regardless of that is in it.

Also I don't do Tofu or quorn or anything I feel is manufactured veggies.

Ok there I have voiced the fact that I and many of my friends don't do organic, Anyone else?????

[chipmonkey]

My Dad was an ag research scientist and "did" both sides over the years. In the 70's I remember him preparing lectures with slides showing the difference between veg grown "naturally" (very tiny!0 and drown with chemicals (huge!) At the time farmers and people in the food industry thought that this was wonderful. Years later he found that ounce for ounce the chemically enhanced food contained far fewer nutrients than the organic and completely changed to an organic mindset, opening an organic farm at the research centre where he worked. I try to buy organic where I can but if I'm skint, sometimes have to opt for the normal stuff.

[trinityrocks]

Can't afford to "do" organic, might try it if I could

[anchovies]

Well I did an "organic shop" in tesco, bought everything we would normally have in organic wherever possible and the result wasn't bad! Normally spend about £80-90 and it cost £100 instead. So much better than I was expecting, I think I'm a convert! Got loads as well!

[marthamoo]

I've found that one of our local farms runs a box scheme - I'm going to give it a go Stockley Farm

There you go, you've persuaded me to try something new!

[suedonim]

I was swithering over bananas today, Fairtrade or organic? The organic ones looked as if they would only keep a day or two at most so I ended up with FT ones. Tbh, the quality of organic fruit & veg round here is a bit of an issue for me. It often looks rather sorry for itself and I haven't been successful in finding an organic box supplier locally. I was happy to find that the supermarket organic carrots are now grown locally, though why that should make them more expensive than before, I don't know.

[HelloMama]

Another vote for Abel & Cole here (we too get the tall, friendly, handsome antipodean delivery man!) TBH, we didn't eat a lot of fruit and veggies before we started getting delivery boxes. And supermarket organic fruit and veg is far too expensive for me to afford. Our delivery box is just the right size. It makes us eat our weekly quota of fruit and veg and I can honestly say it tastes so good. We were introduced to this delivery scheme by a friend and we now get the odd bit of meat, susages, bread etc. Quite a bit more expensive, but worth it IMHO.

[Enid]

but I am not an example of budgeting I am afraid

[Enid]

also I buy girt big sacks of organic potatoes for about £3 - the sack lives in the shed and lasts for weeks and weeks.

[Enid]

organic farm shops are brill as you can still buy veg by the piece instead of in packs - money saving to only buy as many, say, onions/tomatoes as you need rather than a great big bag of them.

[Sonnet]

Thanks for the links Pupuce - much appreciated

[Gizmo]

Not sure about veggies (try to grow my own normally) but box scheme I use is this one . The small mixed meat box is around £52 and with some careful planning lasts us for a month. It helps to menu plan, definitely.

At the moment I'm having to buy veggies as I've just moved house so my typical weekly grocery bill (veg/bread/fish/eggs/cleaning etc) is around £40. That feeds three of us (evenings and weekends, plus bag lunches for work) with the occasional mate round for dinner and usually generates loads left over. When veg production gets back into full swing I expect weekly groceries to be in order of £30.

[pupuce]

Any vegetable that grows in the soil is better to be organic.
Organic is also a taste issue and I find some things REALLY taste better like carrots, eggs, chicken (well most meats actually - they are lesss fatty and water logged).
I read somewhere that organic milk has more omega3 than non organic.
"In 2003 Dr Richard Dewhurst, Joint Leader of the Nutrition and Microbiology Team at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, carried out a peer reviewed study that confirmed that organic milk naturally contains much more omega 3 fatty acid than non-organic milk. This is due to the fact that organic cows are often fed higher levels of natural red clover than non-organic cows. This is great news as most people in the UK are deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids, which are essential for maintaining a healthy heart, supple and flexible joints, healthy growth and strong bones and teeth."

[anchovies]

Just wondering, I try to make my family eat as organically as possible but am on a very limited budget so some veg/meat has to be the non-organic variety. Have heard mentions of which organic produce is especially worthwhile (veg/meat/milk/eggs?) just wondering if someone could give me their thoughts? Also where is the cheapest place to buy organic food? Do the box schemes work out much cheaper? Does anybody know of any up north where you dont have to have a set box?

[pupuce]

Here are some useful links
Ethical ISAs Latest Rates
Ethical Fund Managers, Banks and Building Societies
Where can I compare ethical savings accounts? an article in the Guardian in January 2005

[motherinferior]

Fairtrade bananas, actually, are usually grown with fewer pesticides - even the non-organic ones- because the producers don't want the people picking them to be showered with pesticides. And I do actually have more concerns with the conditions people work in, than getting food grown without pesticides but in v dubious conditions (and then flown round the world) onto my table.

I do try with money, but am far from perfect. But decent working conditions really do bother me.

[Sonnet]

I don't binky betsy - and readily admit I need to.
I have been buying organic for the last two years. I started gradually and it has increased. I have just swapped over to all Ecover products and stopped using other chemocal cleaners such as polish (damp cloth instead).

Yes, it is expensive and although I have never been a ready meal buyer I do admit to buying crisps and buiscuits and some chocolate confec - I purchase this once a month and when it has gone it has goine!.
This is about to change - as to fund our move to total organic it has to go!
I would welcome any more info you, Pupuce or anyone else could give me or point me in the direction of re the areas you mentioned.

[tribpot]

I'm not too good on ethical banking (although have an ISA with Smile and a credit card with Co-op) but I do try and offset long haul plane trips through Climate Care .

[pupuce]

Binkybetsy - We have invested in ISAs managed by ethical funds.

[binkybetsy]

I'm working class and I buy organic! I think it's a question of priorities. I don't pretend that it's cheap and acknowledge that this way of shopping may not be within reach of everyone. BUT how many of you who say you can't afford to do so, then buy frozen convenience foods and oven chips, biscuits and crisps etc. We stopped buying all this rubbish and now we can afford to eat organic. Also the cost will come down the more peope who do buy it. Supply and demand. If more farmers converted and received sensible subsidies for their effort, more produce then available, lower price. Unless you go to supermarkets where a fair price will not be paid to the grower as their mark up is disgusting.
Didn't mean for it to be a rant, but this is something I feel quite passionate about.
BTW,I would always advocate organic banana's over fairtrade as the pesticides used in 'normal' banana's are horrendous!
Can I just throw this in, how many bank ethically, green energy, are carbon neutral, avoid certain companies because of their questionable ethics and practices etc?

[Mirage]

Thanks for letting me know Caligula-I do buy soy sauce,so will only buy Malaysian from now on.

I'm not at all happy about GM food,especially the way GM crops contaminate non GM.

[Sonnet]

To add a point about Iceland further up the thread.

In 2000/2001 when Iceland started selling Organic veg they were ahead of the game. They were too visionary for their customer base who as CD said perceived that the veg were more expensive and sales declined. Combine that with the fact that Iceland held their RSP of the organic to match the non-organic despite the increased cost to themsleves and the net result was a decline in profit.
When Iceland packaged the frozen veg as NON-organoic sales increased again. The interesting thing is that Iceland had committed to stocks of organic veg therefore at one point there was organic veg inside the non-organic veg packaging!!

It would be interesting to see what happened now in 2005 if Iceland were to introduce organic veg!

[Caligula]

Hmm, some good tips there Pupuce. I might get in my car and find a local organic farm shop (the emissions I make to get there might cancel out the environmental benefit of me buying organic, mind you!)

[sandycheeks]

Must try that with chicken, I'm teaching myself how to cook at the moment. Next step will be learning to to use less saucepans!!!!

[pupuce]

Sorry I meant granny not nanny

[pupuce]

I always plan ahead....
I buy a whole chicken and cut it in pieces MUCH MUCH cheaper than to just buy breasts! I can do 2 dinners or even 3 with 1 chicken. I'd rather eat a bit of a healthy chicken than a lot of a £2 one !
I waste very little (hence the shoopping list).
I have several recipes of food that don't costs too much and I do eat a fair bit of pasta - twice a week for example.
We try to eat fish once a week, sausages once a week, lamb once a week (though that can be beef sometimes too).
We make our own bread -quick and easy with organic Shiptyon Mill flour (delicious), we eat rice and potatoes.
I buy bottled water only as a drink... very little milk (4 pt a week - kids hate it!).
If I ahve more ideas I'll post them.
Again I don't spend more than £25 at the supermarket per week... I buy from local organic place.