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 always buy organic dairy products, milk, yogurts etc as they taste better and I beleive are better for us than those made from milk that has been "mass produced". We sometimes buy organic vegtables eg carrots and lettuces but only if UK produced. I think it is important to consider full environmental impact of what we buy. I think British farmers stick to the rules and would rather buy non organic British produce than organic from overseas.
We also grow some of our own fruit and veg to ensure fresh organic produce. I'm not sure I fully trust overseas organic labelling...

I think I understand what organic is and how it is classified.

I occasionally buy organic food. We have a wonderful organic farm now us as we shop there from time to time, as well as eat in their cafe. If I were to prioritise which products to buy as organic I'd choose meat, milk and veg. My reasons for buying organic produce are the improved taste of the food and also the fact that organic agriculture is much, kinder to the land and those that farm it.

My main reason for not buying more organic produce is the expense. If it were cheaper I would buy more.

I'm happy that the produce that I buy is organic, so have no concerns re. classification.

We always buy organic meat and dairy and buy as much of our fruit and veg organic as we can get locally. If we are buying something that isn't locally grown (bananas!) we always buy organic.

We also have our own chickens that we feed on organic feed, so our eggs are organic too.

Mainly, we feel it is important because of the lower impact that organic farming has on the environment. There are some foods where we notice a difference in taste between organic and non, carrots and tomatoes especially.

I do know what organic means. I wish that the certification wasn't so expensive for farmers to get though, I know of a few small producers that farm organically but can't afford the certification.

I generally dont buy organic food as it is always the expensive option. However, I am very much against loading cows with hormones to make them produce more milk and therefore when I can, I buy organic milk and similarly, organic eggs. I do know the arguments for and against organic products. So if we had a lot of land, and ideal weather, no predators etc, we would all be organic farmers like in the old days. Organic is better for the ecosystem. I dont know whether it is better in taste or not as sometimes it is, and sometimes it is not. Thats okay. Thats how nature is meant to be. Therefore it would be nice to be able to afford and promote organic food.

MoreBeta I think your idea of VAT on processed food is genius. It would contribute to reducing obesity as the price of processed food increased.

I wouldn't normally buy organic food unless I can't find the item I want then I would consider an organic alternative. On saying that I do often buy organic milk which I consider to be different to other organic products because it has been proven to be better for you and it's said to be better for asthmatics which my husband is and we notice a difference in his health when we buy ordinary milk. I consider milk to be different to other organic products.

I don't usually buy organic food. I like the idea of organic food that its natural and doesn't have the pesticides and harmful chemicals on it but I know that there are many organic farmers that cheat this system by using unnatural quantities of so called natural found products to add to their produce. This leaves me feeling that I don't know how to differentiate between good suppliers and so called cheaters so I would rather not buy any at all. I am not looking to start a debate but I also believe there is a place for gm produce as this irradicates the need for harmful additives. We have been made to think that gm is adding in harmful things which it isn't it is just choosing the strongest, resistant and best produce to create better varieties like Maris piper potatoes and seedless grapes.

My ideal would be to buy produce that is grown locally, has a good price and that I can be sure is really organic i.e doesn't have anything on it not even naturally found things, it's just grown and tended to with water! Then I would be all over it and would have my money straight out!

I am not sure that anyone could tell you 100% what organic is as everyone seems to have their own idea, and I think that is part of the problem. I know that there are restrictions and regulations that are to be followed and that here in the uk they are quite advanced compared to the us however as stated above I feel there are people cheating the system to make money and take advantage.

To summarize I like the concept of organic I am just not sure that what we see in our supermarkets is always truly organic and so that makes me wary of it.

I like well farmed or well grown food, but I think organic labelling is a bit of a fad. I buy a weekly veg box on grounds of local origin, taste and variety, but not because it is organic. People fuss too much about all this, given that 25% of the country can barely afford to eat fresh food at all.

I try to buy organic meat and dairy produce, fruit and vegetables, particularly for the children. I don't particularly bother about dried/canned etc food being organic.

There is an organic food shop very close to us, so it is very convenient for me - I'm not sure I would buy if I had to make lots of effort to find it.
If there isn't any available, then I just buy whatever there is, but I will make more of an effort to prioritise buying organic milk for the children.

It's more expensive, so in particular we eat meat less often. My husband is more vocal about wanting organic meat than I am, I tend to be a bit more pragmatic about it.

One suspicion I have about 'organic' food is that it is often 'expensive' not because it is better but just because it is produced far less efficiently than normal food.

My friends who have an organic farm are really inefficient compared to many farms and just adding cost through inefficency does not do anything for the consumer.

I also do wonder if 'organic' is too high a standard and we would all be better off if all food met a higher standard like an 'appellation controlee' labeling scheme. I think I would be very happy with a return to more traditional farming methods with an emphasis on locally produced food, good welfare standards, minimisation of food miles, less packaging and stricter control of quality standards and production methods.

A lot of what we buy is organic (veg and fruit box, organic meat and store-cupboard stuff from supermarket or farm shop). Buying organic for me is a simple and quick way towards trying to ensure that our food is produced as naturally as possible, with fewer pesticides and better animal welfare. I also get the sense that organic producers are often smaller and on a less industrial scale, and I like to support small farmers.

Some of our bedding is organic cotton (probably should be all, and clothes too as there are a lot of chemicals involved in cotton production). I don't really go in for organic toiletries or make-up though.

50 years ago, a lot of the food produced would have been "organic" by default. So many pesticides and agricultural chemicals have been shown in the long run to be harmful, I'm happier not to take the risk.

Annecdotally, my DDs are very healthy (rarely have a day off school ill) and I wonder if that's in part due to eating a largely organic diet.

I have only just noticed this thread. Will it be around for much longer?

Only today I have done an online food shop and switched everything to organic. Well not quite everything, the price of the bacon is scandalous. I have done a quick bit of online reading into the benefits and it something we plan to try for a few months to see if we notice a difference. DD1 has recently been diagnosed with thyroid issues and also her asthma has begun to worsen. I feel utterly helpless and this is my attempt to try something that may prove to be beneficial.

Ordinarily I would buy non-organic and save my pennies but out of desperation to find things that might help DD1 I am going down this route. I have to admit that other factors alone (better for the environment) would not sway me.

I have been reading about The Soil Association, EU regulations etc so I am fairly confident I know what I am getting.

I doubt this thread will still be around for me to report back any perceptible difference.

I usually buy organic milk and also have a weekly delivery of organic fruit/veg. I would like to buy more organic food but don't because of the cost. I would prefer organic if I could afford it as I believe it tastes better and is likely to be better for the enironment. (However, I would choose locally grown produce over something organic from say New Zealand, because I think that it's also important to keep food miles down).

I'm not entirely sure how organic produce is classified but I'm fairly sure it means grown without pesticides/chemical fertilizers and so on.

Don't routinely buy organic - if an item is on offer / whoopsied I buy but never can tell the difference. Occasionally buy organic milk from local shop as they sometimes run out of the rest! It does seem creamier which is great in coffee but I'm not keen of in tea.

When DD was a baby / toddler I did buy a great deal more organic products - can't justify the expense in these more austere times!!

I probably would buy more if the difference in price was a few pence but it rarely is.

I understand the labelling. I think some treat it as another designer label they have to be seen buying.

Hi PuzzleRocks,

This thread will be active for the rest of the week, however Organic UK would love to know how you get on. If you'd like to let them know about your experience at a later date you can contact them via Twitter (@organicukfood)
Alternatively, if you would like to contact their PR agency directly, PM me and I'll give you their email address.

I buy organic occasionally e.g. fish, meat, veg, prepared sauces. I don't buy generally because I am not convinced there are any real benefits to buying organic either health wise or for the environment.

I buy Rachel's organic yoghurts and organic muesli regularly, but that is because I like the taste and I like that there are not lots of added ingredients to them that aren't so healthy.

In terms of environmental benefits being doubtful - I understood most organic fruit and veg is flown in from abroad and I prefer to buy locally. And taht to grow organic produce uses more land

Thanks Katie, I will do.

I try to buy organic fruit and veg where I can - ie where the price difference isnt too extreme. Priority goes on fruit for dc, so blueberries, bananas generally organic. I also buy organic snacks for them. I only buy organic meat - I am vegetarian but dh and dc arent. I dont buy meat often but when I do it must be organic, no compromise. I would buyorganic everything if I could, for the taste and beause anything that cuts down on use of pesticides etc seems to me to definitley be a healthier option,

Not 100% sure on criteria for being marked as organic, I know that some pesticides, non orgnaic stuff can be included, but much less than non organic food.

Oh and always organic milk for the dc when its availale.

I buy an organic veg box each week, for a few reasons:

• It's better value than buying from my Sainsbury's Local (the only other viable alternative for me given my working hours)
• It tastes better than the above
• It keeps longer than the above
• It's all fresh and seasonal and I think that's healthier than veg that's been shipped in and possibly preserved for weeks on end.

I buy organic eggs and meat where I can, but it's expensive so there I'll settle for free range at a pinch as I'm mostly concerned about animal welfare. That said, organic meat generally tastes considerably better.

I'm pretty familiar with the classifications (a member of my family is a biodynamic farmer) and think organic is primarily important not for nutrition but to conserve topsoil viability in the long term. The taste and convenience of my veggie box is an added benefit.

I used to only buy organic. I am more flexible now because of the cost.

The reasons for buying organic are fears over pesticides etc that fruit and veg may have otherwise encountered. There is also a taste difference - organic celery and "normal" celery taste nothing like each other.

With meat, I find there is little taste difference, but I fervently hope that the animals providing the organic meat might have been pumped full of fewer hormones etc than the others. I must admit though that this not borne out of any certain knowledge so I am cleary not 100% what organic denotes.

Everything I buy is organic if it is available, including make-up, skin care, household cleaning products. Fruit & veg is always organic and meat too, but we do eat a bit less meat as a result since it is more costly. However, as I don't shop in the supermarket, we are able to buy cheaper cuts that the supermarkets won't sell and these often go a long way e.g. shin of beef, oxtail etc.
The only thing that we don't buy organically is wine.

It's no more expensive to buy organic (other than meat & wine) provided you shop locally with farm shops & at farmers markets (direct from the producers), not from the supermarkets who have to ship their veg in from places like Egypt at the wrong time of year! I know this because I did a price comparison to see if we could afford it. By buying locally, I am eating seasonally, contributing to the local economy and also not contributing to global warming by buying air freighted produce.

We eat organically because it is healthier (no pesticides in the food), better for the environment (no pesticides affecting birds, bees etc, no nitrate fertiliser draining into the water table and because organic farming methods contribute to biodiversity), animal welfare is first class (plus no routine use of antibiotics) and because the food tastes sooooo much nicer! Often the veg I buy has been harvested that day! Not only that, but generally there is less waste (both producer & consumer) and less packaging.

We use organic cleaning & beauty products because they are better for the environment (biodegradable etc) and because I don't want toxic chemicals in my body (e.g. sodium laureth sulphate is in every single beauty product you buy and I don't fancy using industrial floor cleaner on my skin!)

With regards to labelling, I always look to check the organic status of a product, as the different organic certifications do have different standards - Soil Association accreditation being the best (SA mark or UK5).

I have copied a section from the Organic UK website Home Page below. You will see that this essentially is a marketing campaign. Fair enough - but lets be clear what we are discussing here. It is about increasing sales of organic food. It is about money. It is about profit. That is where the organic industry is now focused. The 'organic' label is now about a marketing message.

The answers on this thread show consumers care about the wider ethical, health and sutainability issues. I suggest there is a disconnect. Look at the sponsors - we are not talking to individual organic producers here. We are talking to large industrial and retail firms. We are not talking to indvidual farmers or local farm shops or small businesses.

QUOTE

"This is a crucial time for the organic market. We need to increase sales and unite behind the organic brand

We did it!

So it?s great news that Sustain and the Organic Trade Board have been successful in their bid to the EU! The UK organic industry now has £2m over three years to run an integrated marketing campaign to help increase sales of organic products and promote the ?organic brand?. The main advertising campaign will start in January 2011 and will include significant press advertising in women?s and supermarket magazines. Our objective? A 15% increase in sales per year for the three years of the campaign.

I try to buy organic, especially meat because of the animal welfare angle. Local produce and fair trade come top of my shopping list, though.

I like the idea of organic and I try to buy organic produce if possible but if I'm after something that doesn't have an organic option it won't stop me from buying it. I'll snap up organic meat in the reduced to clear section but otherwise it's more expensive and I don't.

I think the two main reasons I don't stick to buying organic are firstly, the price difference, non-organic is cheaper on the whole and secondly, I'm not entirely sure of the benefits. I understand that they're grown without chemicals/pesticides etc but I've not researched into the effects that these could have long-term. I'm sure if I researched it thoroughly I'd be convinced and not touch a non-organic item again but I haven't so I blithely carry on buying what I always have.