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

We used to buy organic when I was pregnant with DS1 and when he was small on as many things as possible - I wanted to give him the best start in life and felt organic was best. However the cost of three children, three maternity leaves, part time working and general financial pressures has meant I now have to look at the best value as keeping a roof above our head, food on the table and heating takes priority. I would love to buy all organic food and products but now only buy the organix range and similar for healthy snacks.

We buy an organic vegetable box from Riverford every fortnight and it's fab. It works out cheaper than going and getting the equivalent from supermarkets. We also grow some of our own and that is all organic. Apart from vegetables, we don't really buy organic, although we buy free range and fair trade. It hasn't really occurred to me to buy other organic stuff as I think that vegetables are the important bits. Tbh, most other organic stuff is too expensive to buy regularly.

I would love to buy organic in theory. In practice I rarely do, which is all down to pricing. On a near minimum wage, it just isnt feasible for more than the odd item. And the items I do buy from the supermarket that are organic, are nearly always ones being marked down due to sell by date. I can definitely tell the difference in taste in organic meat and poultry, but other things, like biscuits, milk and veg, I m not sure the difference is always discernible, although I know they have less chemicals in them. So no, nothing could persuade me to buy more organic, other than a smaller price.

For me, it's all about the taste. I'm prepared to pay more for meat that hasn't been intensively farmed because it tastes better, particularly if it's something like a roast, where the flavour of the meat is very important. Animal welfare is also important, so I buy free range eggs and chicken. In both cases I really don't care if it's organic or not.

Organic veggies on the whole taste no better than regular ones, and do not have any nutritional benefits, so I don't generally bother with them either. The exceptions to this would be locally-grown/farm-shop/Riverford-type vegetables, where the varieties of vegetable are not being selected solely on their yield, but are chosen for flavour and seasonality. These I do buy on occasion. The fact that they are often organic is incidental, but does tend to go hand-in-hand.

In my understanding, organic means without the use of chemicals/additives/pesticides etc. Unfortunately the cost will always be greater because of the smaller yields, and for that reason I don't bother with it.

I have a slightly different slant on things, having worked for a large herbicide/pesticide manufacturer in the past. I don't believe organic farming on a large scale can possibly provide a solution to the world's food shortages, and I am a supporter of GM. Sorry.

I don't buy organic food for one simple reason, it is more costly.
I do grow some of my own vegetables, if you could guarantee organic food was fresh then I might be tempted to buy seasonal vegetables.

I'm sorry but I really don't think anyone coud tell the difference in organic meat.

If I coud be persuaded there was a genuine taste difference, I might try buying organic produce for guests or special occasions.

Price is the determining factor for most people, if the produce were cheaper or on special offer people may try them.

I don't know much about what it means to be organic, other than no chemicals are used in the production. The cynic in me says, who checks anyway?

"So if you buy organic food, please tell us what you buy and why?"

We buy organic fruit and veg, alongside non-organic. I'll buy it if it looks particularly appealing or is on special offer. Can't afford to buy all organic.
But organic cheese sometimes, and organic milk fairly often. I much prefer organic dairy produce as I think chemicals are massively overused in dairy farming. I buy organic, fairtrade chocolate as a treat every so often, and boxes of organic chocolates as presents for friends, or maybe organic wine. Also many other organic products, if they catch my eye in the supermarket.

"Does buying organic only matter to you for certain items and not others?"

It's most important to me that food produced by an animal (dairy / eggs) is organic (don't eat any meat). Then veg and foods which aren't very processed. Then lastly processed foods.

"Or is anything and everything you buy organic?" Can't afford it sadly!

"Why is buying organic food important to you?"

• no chemicals in food - less risky to health
• organic more likely to be grown in a way which is sympathetic to the environment (although this isn't always true, especially (ironically!) now it's getting popular)

"If you don't buy (or don't always buy) organic food, why is this? What prevents you from buying organic?"

Money

"Is there anything that could persuade you to purchase organic food?"
More special offers for day to day items. Also I buy organic as a luxury item - e.g. when buying presents for friends, so more lovely chocolates and wines etc!

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

No, I'm not sure, as I think some things can be called organic when not actually 100% organic. I don't know what the detail is on this.

Also now that organic is being produced in large scale, I'd like some way of identifying those products which are still environmentally sound - e.g. low food miles and grown in a way which is sympathetic to the environment. (e.g. not grown in miles and miles of hermetically sealed poly tunnels).

HTH

So if you buy organic food, please tell us what you buy and why?

I buy most things organic that I can afford. I get my organic meat from local butchers, farmers or gamekeepers though, as it's the only way that it's really affordable to me. I think game meats like venison and pheasant are really under-rated and they often sell it very cheaply after shoots.

Does buying organic only matter to you for certain items and not others? Or is anything and everything you buy organic?

Not everything I buy is organic. Most alcohol is not organic, although I do tend to buy organic or biodynamic wine, especially red, because of sulphides. I also do not buy organic-certified fish or shellfish because I only buy wild-caught. I would not buy organic meat from a farmer without knowing the provenance because of welfare concerns. Organically-farmed animals have to have a much higher standard of diligent care to safeguard their health than do routinely medicated intensively-farmed animals.

Why is buying organic food important to you?

Mainly because of biodiversity concerns and taste.

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?

The main thing that sometimes prevents me from buying organic is a lack of availability or massive price discrepancies. I would not buy organic fish or shellfish as fish farming needs a lot of development to make it environmetally and ecologically acceptable, in my view.

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

Yes, I am sure. I used to work on an organic farm.

Interesting reading the thread to so how many people are concerned about the presence of chemicals in food as a motivator to buy organic.

I worry much more about chemicals in food that are put in by manufacturers, plus salt and sugar. Strikes me that eliminating all processed food from your diet will do more for your health than buying organic.

I would like Govt to put VAT on all processed food and only raw minimally packaged food be VAT free and use the money raised to increase the personal income tax free allowance and remove VAT from domestic energy so people on lower income can afford to cook and eat better food.

It has got to the point that eating fast food is 'cheaper' for many people than buying and cooking their own food once the cost of their own time preparing food at home is taken into account.

Maybe an idea the organic food movement might consider lobbying Govt about.

I should add that for me it's not really about taste it's more that I feel we are all contaminated enough with poisons, pesticides, chemicals etc etc etc.

I hate the thought that our food is also so poisoned and despair when I think of what we are doing to our bodies and also the land that we grow fruit and vegetables on.

I wouldn't assume that because someone isn't buying organic produce, they aren't buying any fresh produce at all [tuts]

I buy organic milk because I'm concerned about oestrogen in the food chain. I would buy all organic, but can't afford to.

So it's price that puts me off, above anything else.

Isn't it organic if it's certified so by the Soil Association?

I don't generally tend to buy organic food because of the price of it. I used to buy organic carrots and milk, because dh worked on a dairy farm and the land next door was used for agricultural farming. He said the amount of pesticides that are sprayed on carrots is obscene and that his mother made them all stay indoors with the windows shut when it was time for spraying. Also cows are fed huge amounts of anti-biotics that I don't particularly want in my milk.

I would very much like to go back to buying organic. The most important ones for me would be buying organic meat (because of the anti-biotic issue and other crap they feed animals, including ground up meat in some instances), some veg and milk.

I don't think that the food necessarily tastes any better or has a higher content of vitamins and minerals, but they won't have any chemical residues on them or traces of anti-biotic and I do believe that overall, organic farms are much better for the environment as they provide homes for wildlife that can be affected by intense farming.

If organic food, esp meat, was cheaper then I would of course buy it all the time. However I understand that you cannot compete against supermarkets who pay farmers less than the cost of growing crops just because they've decided to have a discount in store. So next time you are picking up a bargain bag of carrots for 50p, just remember that the farmer gets next to nothing for those carrots as the supermarket slashes the price they pay him so that they can still make a profit.

Unfortunately times are bloody tough and I just wish I could afford to buy local, organic food. But I can't

So do I know what organic means? I know that the soil and growing conditions are set by the National Soil Association or summat and the criteria is pretty strict. So basically the soil must be untouched for around 3 years. No chemical pesticides are allowed and fertiliser used must also meet organic standards. Cows and other animals are fed organic fodder. I'm not sure about anti-biotics, whether they are allowed some as long as the milk is not sold for a certain length of time or whether they aren't allowed to use any ABs at all, which would be a bit mean if the animals needed treatment.

Oh yes and I forgot about the hormones that they give the cows so that they produce more milk. Yes, they are not allowed to do that on organic farms.

SeventhEverything - good point about the increasing availability of processed or convenience 'organic'. To me, its not just about the ingredients being organic, but welfare, food miles and the process of preparing, cooking/baking are just as important.

For example, an idea that the organic movement might want to consider is teaming up with the Real Bread Campaign.

Modern bread made in the UK is one of the most processed foods available and has many chemicals and adidtives in that are quite legally not on the label. Buying bread made with organic wheat but baked using modern manufacturing methods is a contradiction in terms. There are no chemicals in the organic flour but the bakery may well be putting them in the mix to speed up the rising and baking times.

Organic bread made with organic flour using traditional baking methods is where we need to get back to. Problem is a manufactured supermarket loaf at £1.00 will cost £2.00 made with organic flour using traditional bakery methods. The traditionally made organic loaf will taste miles better but we are back to economics again.

I think the organic movement needs to team up with other movements that aim to improve the overall quality of all our food. Its not just about selling food by putting an organic label on a box or bag and charging 50 - 100% more.

To me it is about educating people so they can eat better, teaching them how to grow some of their own food where possible and how to cook it at home as well. I don't think the organic movement does enough of that. To me the organic movement has really just become too much of a marketing tool wheras when it began it was really about improving food.

I've started making my own bread and now I think I'll start using organic flour too.

I like to buy organic baby food and snacks, organic milk , veg, summer fruits, but other things are not so essential. , eg, bananas and potatoes, oranges,etc. organic chicken and meat taste much better, but is very expensive if buying for a large family. agree with organic food for health to avoid all the pesticides and additives, but the cost prevents me from buying everything edible organic. not so sure about organic beauty products for myself, but would buy them for my baby/toddler, especially for excema creams ,shampoos that go on skin.

I would like to buy organic but can't afford to do so. I do think that the governments take on organic food labelling is wrong and is open to abuse.
The food miles and seasonality of food I believe have greater impact: why fly apples in from South America when we can grow apples successfully in the uk?!
If money was no object I would prefer to buy from organic farm shop round my area that produce their own produce, as I feel this is a more sustainable way. However if the food from my most local farm shop was seasonal and their welfare standards were high, but it wasn't organic, I would shop there as I feel these are important too.

Rhubarb - cows in the EU aren't allowed hormones. It's routine in the USA though.
Some chemicals are allowed, and non-routine use of antibiotics. www.soilassociation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=l-LqUg6iIlo%3d&tabid=353 see 4.11 and 10.9

moreBeta I agree on the bread manufacturing methods being an issue, not just the flour. However I find that a couple slices of un'improved' bread are much denser and more filling than a lot more cheap bread, so even though a loaf is more expensive it works out the same price to buy better bread.

I tend to buy organic salad leaves, cucumbers and tomatoes - anything water rich really but I'm not sure why to be honest. I prefer to buy local veg where at least I know the farmer but that's not always possible.

I don't buy organic coffee because I think it's bonkers to pressurise people in those countries to work organically and make no money, go out of business etc. because of the costs of making certain foods organically (ie low yield ratios)

Also I strongly object to the idea that even if only SOME of the ingredients are organic something can be labelled organic.

And why on EARTH do people buy organic cotton pants? That just makes me boggle. Do they actually believe the pesticides on the cotton are going to survive the manufacturing process and give them gusset rash or something?

notcitrus, thank you, I feel very enlightened!

I used to make my own bread too but it always gave me the shits. Organic shits mind!