NOW CLOSED Talk to Organic UK about about buying organic food and win a Neal's Yard 'pamper hamper' worth £100 plus 10 runner up prizes

[KatieBMumsnet]

As part of the new "Organic, Naturally Different Campaign" the folks at Organic UK would like to know Mumsnetters' opinions on buying organic food for your family. Here's what Organic UK says: "The campaign wants to encourage all of us to think again about the benefits of organic, and support organic producers. We all want good, natural food and that's exactly what organic is all about."

So if you buy organic food, please tell us what you buy and why? Does buying organic only matter to you for certain items and not others? Or is anything and everything you buy organic? Why is buying organic food important to you?

If you don't buy (or don't always buy) organic food, why is this? What prevents you from buying organic? Is there anything that could persuade you to purchase organic food?

Also, are you 100% sure on what organic produce is and how it is classified? Or are you not too sure?

Everyone who adds their comments to this list will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a Neal's Yard 'pamper hamper' worth £100 and 10 runners up will each win one copy of the Discover Organic cookbook (worth £14.99).

Full T&Cs can be found here.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

I buy organic when I can justify the cost, I do think it tastes better and do try to buy it as often as possible, but when it gets to the end of the month and the money is running low, then I will purchase non organic produce. Food miles also make a big difference to my shop as I prefer to purchase what is locally in season than something that has been flown half way across the globe.

With meat I tend to purchase locally produced rather than organic, because typically we see the animals growing up in the local fields and can see they get a good quality of life (I believe most of it is organic as well - but I couldn't be sure)

I grow a lot of my own veg, and that's all organic (home made compost etc)

As for classification, I'm a little unsure about what it means when it comes to meat, and like some others have commented, I never know if imported organic is the same standard as UK organic.

I only ever buy organic chicken and milk. I read a few years ago (can't remember where - in a woman's magazine I think) that these were worth buying organic as fewer hormones in them whereas fruit, vegetables etc can be peeled and/or washed even if not organic so not worth it costwise. No idea if this is accurate but it stuck with me.

The main reasons for me not buying organic food are the lack of availability where I shop (mostly Aldi, sometimes Tesco) plus uncertainty about the benefits of buying organic and whether they are really worth the price difference. Definitive and specific information about the health benefits to me and my family would probably convince me to buy more organic produce, as would wider availability in the places I shop.

We buy organic where available and when the price isn't too significantly different - mainly fruit such as bananas, veg, milk and meat. This is our choice as we feel that the food is free from pesticides, etc and reared to better std. Things like weetabix are over a pound different in price and hence we would buy the non organic variety.

We do however prioritise local and British produce over it being organic. Why buy Israeli organic tomatoes when there are British ones available? Saying that we do shop at our local market, farm shop and local fruit and veg shop.. Where this is less of an issue.

I have bought organic carrots for many years after reading that carrots and parsnips are particularly good at accumulating pesticides. And we do eat a lot of them...

I don't buy organic anything else as a rule, but do grow some of my own veg and they never see pesticides etc.

I don't notice much difference in taste between organic/non-organic which are shop bought. In both cases, things are sold by weight and so the bigger the veg, the more expensive so the tastes are both watered down, as it were. Now home-grown organic veg is totally different, as it's not usually grown for size and then I do notice a massive difference! Especially in carrots.

I have checked organic codes occasionally, though not all the time. I tend to trust Waitrose...

I tend to think of organic as veggies not meat, so I don't look for the latter (not that I eat much of it anyway! I leave that to the family carnivores...)

I don't bur organic at all, and probably wouldn't even if I was rich. In fact, I'm not even sure what it means.

I did buy some of the Organix baby meals when DD was young, does that count?

I tend to think it was a very good marketing idea at the height of the boom when everyone pissed money like water, and 110% mortgages were being given out willy nilly. It worked though, loads fell for it.

I bet I don't win.

Thanks to everyone who has posted comments so far, Organic UK have found your comments very useful and have asked us to post this response:

?There is a growing body of research that shows organic food can be more nutritious. Put simply, organic food contains more of the good stuff we need ? like vitamins and minerals ? and less of the bad stuff that we don't ? like pesticides, additives and drugs. Organic milk is the most researched organic food with significant findings in its favour. Research has shown that organic milk and dairy products contain more beneficial nutrients than non-organic - omega-3 fatty acid, Vitamin E and beta-carotene - because organic cows eat more grass (and conserved grass in winter). Organic standards also ban the use of hydrogenated fats and controversial additives including aspartame, tartrazine and MSG.

We know that the presence of pesticides in food is a huge concern for consumers, and is the number one reason cited for why people choose to buy organic. Research by the Government's Pesticide Residues Committee revealed that these concerns are well founded, with over 40% of all non-organic fruit, vegetables and bread tested containing pesticides. The results for particular fruit and vegetables were much worse, and pesticides were found in all oranges tested, 90% of bread, 72% of grapes, 95% pears. Washing, peeling and cooking can do nothing against the new and increasingly common class of systemic pesticide. These chemicals are introduced to plants and animals as seed dressings or sprays and can remain in every part of a plant for its entire life.
With all of this in mind, buying organic offers a simple solution and remains the top reason for consumers to do so.?

Research has shown that organic milk and dairy products contain more beneficial nutrients than non-organic - omega-3 fatty acid, Vitamin E and beta-carotene

That is quite interesting but does that mean you can get all of your vitamin etc requirements via a usual serving of say organic milk within a balanced diet, and that you can't via normal products? Or really, does it matter that there are more in organic products because normal products can provide a balanced diet anyway and the extras in organic aren't actually missing so are just spare? If that makes sense?

I suppose that depends on whether you are currently eating a diet which gives you everything you need, notactuallyme. A lot of people don't - if you are eating the recommended 5 fruit and veg a day you are not really getting the nutrients you need - my understanding is that to do so you would need to be eating 7 or 8...

So you would need to eat less of them to get your full whack, I mean. Hasving reread my post I am not sure I was quite clear there!

I get you! I am veggie and eat loads of fruit and veg - I just wonder if the amount needed of, say, betacarotene is really so hard to reach via non organic produce, and that it is a bit misleading?

I tend to buy organic baby foods and milk to ease my conscience when giving my baby ready meals and Formula milk, I am mix feeding for convenience as I have a beautiful yet demanding toddler to contend with as well as my baby!
And as much as I love to feed my baby the best in home cooking I don't always have the time or motivation to cook amazing meals from scratch. Buying organic baby produce makes me feel that I'm providing the next best thing to freshly prepared food or milk straight from the breast!
If money were no object my family and I would eat organic at every meal as I love the thought of food being produced the most natural way with the least processing and chemical interference.
When I have the rare opportunity to eat fruit and veg fresh from the ground or tree I notice that on the whole the taste is better and more true to the expected flavour.

try to choose organic skin care, root veg, cooking oil, thin skinned fruit, meat, milk etc, however due to household budget we buy those organic items 50% of the time, alternating with cheaper non organic - better than nothing and what we can afford!

I know that organic skincare doesn't need to be 100% organic to say it's organic

We get organic fruit and veg boxes from Riverford. They taste loads better than most convential veg and last forever (I think because they leave mud on the root veg). I know that they make some genuine environmental benefits and some of the chemicals used abroad can really harm farmers, eg. Banana growrs.

Since losing our chickens we buy organic eggs on welfare grounds (and still feel guilty knowing what stocking densities organic allows). We try and buy as much organic meat as the budget allows. Again on welfare grounds and a slight suspicion of the reality of "free range."

Don't buy a lot of dairy as I think our standards are ok. FIL is a dairy farmer.

I think organic makes a genuine difference having visited an organic farm and speaking to my MIL who is an organic inspector. I know they have to jump through some pretty rigerous hoops to get there.

After being ill recently, I have done loads more research on various ways to make yourself healthier and that obviously includes what you eat. When I was younger, I wasn't too bothered but things change!

I'm definitely not rolling in the cash, but I still make a point of buying organic/free range/local whenever possible. I started off making sure meat and dairy was organic because I read somewhere that that is where you get the most bang for your buck. I've also recently found a local farm that provides weekly boxes of organic veg and it isnt too expensive so am happy to send my money their direction.

I think some organic stuff, meat and dairy specifically, tastes better but that isn't the main reason why I buy it. For me, the thought of all the chemicals and pesticides slowly accumulating in my body over years and years and all the symptoms people start to exhibit later in life due to exposure of these chemicals, mean that I am just trying to reduce this. Thesenew chemicals simply have not been safely tested on humans long enough. I also trust the centuries of old-school farming methods as compared to the farming methods being used now. And don't get me started on E numbers, sulphates, aspartame, food colouring, etc!

As a side note, I actually hate that the whole organic thing has become such a class issue. It feels like it can be an 'us and them, rich v poor' issue because it is generally the middle class who go on about the organic thing and I think this gets people's backs up. I totally get that we don't all have the spare cash to go the organic route. I guess I'm hoping that in the longer term as organic becomes more mainstream that hopefully the prices can get more competitive.

I love organic food and try to buy it as often as possible. It really makes difference in taste and it is much healthier than non organic food.I always buy organic milk, it taste better, and isn't so full with antibioticsa and other crap which cointain non organic milk.Fruit and ved also are delicious and taste like proper vegetables nad fruit. About meat.We try to buy organic meat in our local organic meat shop, and meat is so wonderful, smells like proper meat, and taastes delicious too.I also try to buy organic butter, it tastes better too:)))
iF I could afford I would buy organic food all te time, but as I'm stay at home mum and only huby is working and renting in London is so expensive we can't buy organic every time but I try! Because it is worth it!

I use an organic veg and meat box scheme but would never buy organic from the supermarket. The costs are overinflated and I'd rather buy from the farmers where possible without the supermarkets taking a huge portion. Also supermarkets seem to stock organic but flown half way round the world rather than british or european organic.

I don't buy organic milk but am thinking about it. I buy eggs from friends.

We use A LOT less meat now that we buy organic.

I would love to buy organic food, but really cannot justify the increase in cost. If I am visiting a farmers market I always support the local growers, but supermarket organic products seems unreasonably more expensive.
I do however always buy free range eggs, they taste so much nicer and the hens are better looked after.
I like to use organic skincare product whenever possible and have come across some excellent products that cost very little more than mass market products.
I really wish organic products in general were more affordable, it seems to be that when something has organic in the name the price automatically doubles!!

I buy organic food mainly for my son whenever I can afford to. Most often I ensure he has organic milk, fruit and vegetables. When first weened, all of his food was organic. When it comes to snacking I like brands such as Plum, Organix, Hipp, Ella's and Goodies. I would like to be able to go organic 100 percent for the whole family, but our budget won't stretch to that. We do have a lot of basic staples such as pasta and rice that tend to be a similar price to regular. I don't like the idea of highly processed foods, and try to maintain a healthy balance.

I'd love to be completely organic but we just can't afford it. In the past year or so we've had to cancel the veg box delivery and it's often more expensive from the supermarket too.

We're down to the one's I won't swap now so we still get Organic milk and I try to buy organic veg if they're high in water content and will have taken in more chemicals - peppers, cucumber etc. I'd love to get organic grapes more regularly as I've heard that they can be high in pesticides as the grapes come from vines used over and over for years but getting green, seedless organic grapes seems to be quite tough at our usual supermarket.

So if you buy organic food, please tell us what you buy and why?
"We get a weekly fruit and veg box from Riverford and i tend to buy organic food stuffs from my nearest supermarkets. The only thing i dont buy organically, on the whole, is goats milk as, as far as i know, there is no organic milk on the UK shelves!"

Does buying organic only matter to you for certain items and not others? Or is anything and everything you buy organic?
"i try to buy organic as much as i can, however, we also grow our own veg and starting to do some more fruit too, so i do also try to buy local and seasonal food from our village as i know where its grown. However, whilst i am more inclined to local and seasonal fruit and veg, i will try to only buy organic meat."

Why is buying organic food important to you?
"mostly as it tastes better - milk, fruit, veg, meat etc all so much nicer organic. Also health reasons - i.e levels of antibiotics etc given to non organically reared animals and the conditions they are often kept in/food they are fed. We dont buy organic for environmental reasons, although i like the fact that Riverford ships food grown overseas in the winter rather than flies it in (which is why we alos look for local and in season in summer etc), unlike some box schemes, and also they work closely with small farms to encourage quality not quantity.

If you don't buy (or don't always buy) organic food, why is this? What prevents you from buying organic?
See above. If i cant get hold of organic i will always try to get local and in season food and/or Free range meat etc. also fsc certified fish and limit purchases of fish on the in danger list due to discards (i.e. Hugh FW Fish Fight etc etc).

Is there anything that could persuade you to purchase organic food?
Not applicable.

Also, are you 100% sure on what organic produce is and how it is classified? Or are you not too sure?
Pretty sure on what it is and how its classified, and why some meat (i.e. pork) isnt often organic but more likely free range.

So if you buy organic food, please tell us what you buy and why? Does buying organic only matter to you for certain items and not others? Or is anything and everything you buy organic? Why is buying organic food important to you?

We have organic milk and butter, and I try to buy organic meat (although not always sandwich ham etc). I buy organic veg about half the time, if it is not a lot more expensive.

It is important to me that the children, and me when I was pregnant, and whilst I am breastfeeding, am not ingesting lots of chemicals and pesticides.

If you don't buy (or don't always buy) organic food, why is this? What prevents you from buying organic? Is there anything that could persuade you to purchase organic food?

I don't buy it all the time purely because of cost. If it was equivalent price or even just a bit cheaper than it is, I would buy it a lot more.

Also, are you 100% sure on what organic produce is and how it is classified? Or are you not too sure?

I know that a farm has to have organically certified soil and water supplies and not use pesiticides/antibiotics etc and I think that this has to happen for something like 5 years before they are certified organic.

I buy organic milk, eggs and meat/fish where reasonably priced.

We used to get a fruit/veg box from Abel & Cole but stopped it as it became a bit repetitive. I hear Riverford is meant to be better anyway. I find organic fruit and veg doesn't last long if bought from the supermarket (obv no preservatives etc), but since I can't pop down to the field next door to get more it's not very convenient.

I've no idea what legally constitutes organic produce - would be interesting to find out!

We get a weekly organic veg box from Abel and Cole. I feel I should buy everything organic but don't, partly due to the high prices that organic food commands. I would choose to have some veg organic, such as carrots and anything that might be less pumped full of water if it's organic. I am less bothered about getting organic flour or tinned tomatoes etc. I'd also prefer organic milk as it might be better from an animal welfare perspective, and ideally anything my son is going to eat, though I haven't found any organic Philadelphia yet and some of our local supermarkets don't have organic cheese. Also I tend not to get organic butter which is not very logical as I prefer to get organic milk. We often get a few bits from the Coop in between our big shop and their organic range is limited. We also grow some organic vegetables.

I believe organic food is classified as such by the Soil Association so I look for the logo.

My grandad was a real language pedant and used to say "have you ever seen an inorganic carrot?"

To be honest I have never really purchased much organic produce. For me a lot of it comes down to price difference. I am not particularly fussy over a different taste as especially with fruits and vegetables I can never seem to taste any difference.

In today's economy as it is, it is becoming so much harder to afford a weekly shop so even though I might have considered buying organic before to maybe improve taste or ethics behind the product I just can't afford to think this way, so continue to pick up the bog standard non organic produce which fills the shelves.

Maybe on one weeks shop I should make the effort to pick up the organic produce to try the difference and see how much of a price difference there really is or whether I am just led to believe it is more expensive...

Used to have organic fruit and veg delivered weekly, but contents often included random veg I'd no idea how to cook, or needed lots of other items to 'liven up', ended up being very expensive as a lot was wasted.
If easy recipes were included, that might have helped, as I'm often too exhausted to research how to cook the random veg.