What Is Organic Fish?

Is there such a thing as organic fish?  Surely all fish comes from the sea and eats whatever fish eat?  How can we control that?

As far as I know, fish caught in the wild cannot be marketed as organic in the UK.  However, several supermarkets and many independent organic retailers now stock organic trout and salmon produced in fish farms.  Several types of farmed mussels and shellfish are also likely to become more widely available in the future.

In organic fish farming, many of the pesticides, dyes and antibiotics widely used in conventional fish farming are not permitted and so these fish products are generally accepted to be credible organic products by both the soil association and consumers.

However, from an animal welfare point of view, there is some controversy about allowing farmed fish to be labelled as organic.  Organic principles demand that livestock (which includes fish) should be able to express its ''natural'' behaviour pattern and be kept as close to natural stocking densities as possible.  How can this be when they are kept in cages in either inland or in fish farms out at sea?

The true cost of fish farming

Fish farming seems like a practical solution to the problem of overfishing.  Fish farming, however, is the cause of many problems.  In the UK, its salmon thats most closely associated with farming -- and its shortcomings.  Public demand for cheaper food means that farmed salmon are often kept, for financial reasons, very densely stocked, with huge numbers of fish crammed into very little space.  In this state, the fish can more easily become diseased, and these diseases can spread to wild fish.  Huge amounts of antibiotics are required to keep the fish moderately healthy.  Also a confidential study for the UKs top organic body highlighted gaps between its principles and the standards it accepted, BBC Newsnight reported.

Is organic fish sustainable?

Other problems are escapes, when farmed fish interbreed with wild fish and potentially weaken wild stocks, as well as pollution to the water and seabed around fish farms.  Farmed salmon, which are carnivorous, eat three times their body weight in fish feed, which is made from other fish -- not the best use of resources from an environmental point of view.

What Is Organic Chicken?

We all know about organic fruit and vegetables but did you know that you can now buy organic chicken?

People must have heard about the nasty conditions which broiler chickens -- which are bred for their meat -- are raised in?  These chickens have no more floor space than a sheet of A4 paper.  Chickens are over-fed to reach slaughter weight in six weeks, when it would normally take four months.

Modem intensive systems of poultry production have produced cheap meat for the consumer -- but at a price.  Inside the intensive chicken houses, which are appearing in increasing numbers in the countryside, up to 40,000 birds are crammed, at 2 birds to the square foot, into a single windowless building, with almost continuous low levels of artificial light, they are then given drugs to speed up their rate of growth.  Keeping so many animals packed together in such a stressful environment can only contribute to their rates of infection.  It seems logical that the Chinese flu infections that we were seeing transmitted to humans comes from this same intensive farming.  It isnt necessary to produce food in this way.

Organic farmers do a number of things to ensure that chickens are reared as naturally as possible.  For starters, antibiotic growth promoters cannot be used but sick organic birds must be treated with appropriate veterinary medicine, so they can be given antibiotics if theyre very poorly.  But they cannot be given drugs on a regular and routine basis, something that almost all non-organic poultry have to endure.  Organic poultry is reared on a specially formulated feed containing only cereals, vegetable protein, a small amount of fish meal, and a vitamin/mineral supplement.  These chickens are often guaranteed to be fed on feed which is free from genetically modified feedstuffs (GMOs).  To be fully organic, chickens must be fed a diet containing grain which has been grown organically, without artificial fertilisers or sprays.  Such feed is expensive, and therefore organic chicken is more expensive as well.

Also, on Soil Association registered farms, the number of chickens housed in a single shed is restricted to 1,000.  A non-organic intensive chicken farm may have as many as 40,000 in the same shed.  Organic birds are kept free-range, having continuous daytime access to clean pasture, except in adverse weather.  Non-organic birds are almost always locked up night and day.

In addition, the Soil Association insists on full and clear labeling of processed chicken products.  They are able to trace back to the farm all ingredients used in any Soil Association chicken products.  Their organic certification standards state that food must undergo as little processing as is practical.

Organic standards are legally binding.  All organic businesses must be licensed by law, and are fully inspected at least once a year.  So if you want to see for yourself how organic animals are reared, why not visit an organic farm?

The Benefits Of Organic Milk Or Is It Just Plain Hype?

Organic food and milk was promoted heavily in 1999 and 2000 due to the number of health scares such as BSE and the misuse of antibiotics and pesticides by dodgy farmers and producers.

The government, producers, suppliers and retailers then began the shift towards going organic and the result of this activity was a surge in the number of farmers converting to organic production.  The supply of organic milk increased rapidly in response to market demand and financial support to convert to organic farming methods that do not use artificial pesticides (insecticides, fungicides or herbicides) on pastures where cows graze.  Organic cows are not fed GM cattle feed.  This means that there is no possibility of GM or solvent residues being found in organic milk.  It has been estimated that in the UK and the USA, our bodies contain traces of at minimum 300 potentially harmful chemicals absorbed from our food.  Eating organically grown food and drinking organic milk is an easy way for people to avoid these chemicals.

The popular press is going cow-wild over research that supposedly proves organic milk is healthier than conventional milk.  Lets look into this a bit deeper. ...

Organic milk has all the nutritional goodness of non-organic milk but due to the cows more natural diet, it also has some additional health benefits such as higher levels of vitamin A, E and antioxidants.

The main issue that the organic milk industry is advertising is the high content of omega-3 fatty acids, found abundantly in oily fish (such as salmon, herring and cod) and walnut and fish oil.  Omega-3s have been thought to protect against cancer and heart disease.  This high content is great news as most people in the UK are deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids, which are also essential for maintaining supple and flexible joints, healthy growth and strong bones and teeth.

But are these benefits just empty nutritional superiority claims?  Many commentators argue that the amount of Omega 3 is that small that people should eat fish at least once a month instead, and that buying organic milk for this purpose is nonsense.

The British Food Standards Agency says it will review the matter but has yet to be convinced that organic milk is any more nutritious than non organic milk.  The lack of conclusive scientific research on the nutritional benefits of organic milk could lead to negativity in the overall organic market.

My thoughts are this ... you pay an organic price premium but you could be getting extra Vitamins, Omega 3, non-GM contaminated milk plus supporting your green lifestyle and a traditional way of farming.  On that, I for one am prepared to pay extra and will continue to drink organic milk.

Organic Wine, Beer And Spirits

In the UK and USA, producers are increasingly making wines labeled organic or produced from organically grown grapes.  The meaning and legal force of these terms can vary significantly from one country to another.

A key point to add at this stage is the difference between organically grown grapes -- fruit from vineyards grown without the use of industrial fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides -- and wines made without synthetic preservative additives.

Organic Vineyards -- Where it all begins!

An organic vineyard is one where grapes are grown without chemical fertilizers, weed killers, insecticides, or other synthetic chemicals.  This prevents damage to soil and ensures that no chemicals end up in the wine as residue.  Organic farmers aim to maintain healthy, biologically active soil whose fertility is provided by plants that fix nitrogen from the air.  In the vineyard it means planting cover crops between the avenues of the vines instead of applying herbicide.  Naturally occurring plant or mineral extracts leave no residue in the soil, and weeds are kept down with the use of mechanical and hand hoes.  Biodiversity is promoted through the plants, which help regulate the vineyard soil by attracting beneficial insects, spiders and predatory mites.

The Role of Certification and the Organic Market

When a label says organic, it means the wine has met certain standards that are set by a government agency.  Different nations have their own certification criteria, so whats organic in one country may not be so in another.  In the UK the Soil Association is the most recognized and used certification body.

Many wineries that are technically organic still choose not to be certified.  There are many reasons for this.  Some do not want the added costs and bureaucracy of registering.  Others may disagree with their governments standards.  Whatever the case, they are not allowed to use organic on their labels.

There is a national government target for 30 per cent of all UK farmland to be organic or in conversion by 2010, and 20 per cent of the food consumed to be organic by 2010.  The UK grocery market was worth $206 billion in 2006 and USA 634.7$ billion.  This growth in the organic food market will have a knock on effect on the drinks industry and will meet the ever-growing demand from consumers for organic wine, which is better for drinkers and better for the environment.

Financial Incentives to Companies to turn Organic

In 2005, 39% of the world organic farmland is in Australia and New Zealand.  To combat this The European Union (EU) offers financial support to organic farmers as an incentive for farmers to convert to organic production and help the sector grow.  These grants provide farmers with assistance during the period of conversion to organic farming which usually takes three years.

Organic Beers and Spirits

While not so widely available as organic wine, organic spirits are available through specialist suppliers.  The production process for organic spirits does not differ widely from conventional production.  The main difference lies in the use of organic raw materials.  Organic beers are now available in a number of pubs and supermarkets and tend to use organic hops.

Fancy visiting an organic vineyard?

If you are into Organic wine why not visit Englands Premier organic vineyard.  In addition to processing fruit on site, Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard is one of the main tourist attractions in the 1066 Country region in and around Hastings attracting some 5,000 visitors per annum to its Vineyard & Woodland Nature Trail + Wine tasting.

Why Are Online Organic Food Delivery Services On The Increase?

After a hard week at work or looking after children or relatives, the last thing you want to do is spend time pushing a big heavy shopping trolley around your local supermarket or walking around the busy town or shopping centre.  Have you realized how much time you spend, and how much energy you use when shopping?

Are you sick and tired of having to waste this precious time, when you could be spending it with your family, chilling out or doing something of your choice?  If so, then you need to start looking into deliver services in your area.  Delivery services are becoming more and more popular as the growth of the internet means that nearly everybody has access to a computer and can save time by ordering online.  You can even save money as its not as easy to get tempted into impulse buying when you cant see the packaging in front of you.  Just think, no more dragging young children around the supermarket and watching in dismay as they try to pull everything off the shelves!

At the moment nearly every region in the UK has a delivery service that is easy to find online, GuideMeGreen has loads of local and national organic, fair-trade and special diet delivery services with an increasing range of food and non-food products.  You often have to sign up or register with these sites and then you can begin your shopping right away.  They are easy and fun and so convenient that you will find yourself with almost too much time on your hands!

Obviously, different companies offer different foods for delivery but you can often buy most if not all of your favourite groceries and more from these companies.  You can find a vast selection of fruits and vegetables, both organic, locally grown and sometimes imported.  You will find exotic fruits and vegetables as well as the old staples like potatoes and carrots.  No matter what you need you can get it from these great food services.

You will also find a huge selection of organic dried and canned goods that you can have delivered right to your door any day of the week.  Canned soup and dried pasta are just a few of the great items you can have delivered to you each week.  Most of these services even have goodies like organic cookies and even some organic cakes!  Many companies have non food lines such as eco friendly washing and laundry products.

You will get a choice of delivery.  You may choose to have your food delivered after work or while you are at work.  Many people choose to have their shopping dropped off while they are at work so that they are there when they get home.  You can even ask that the goods be left in the back garden or with a neighbour so that they do not get stolen.

Organic food delivery services are flexible and convenient and they are something that every one can benefit from.  The increasing number of people using these services is testament to that.  The choice comes when you decide which ones to use -- should it be supermarkets where you can buy anything and everything in one go or should you support the smaller companies where you may not be able to buy everything that you are used to ... ill let you decide.

The Power Of Supermarkets And Changing Attitudes?

More and more concerns have been raised about the impact of the supermarket giants both on food production as well as on workers rights.

A recent report by War on Want and the British GMB, investigating the case of Wal-Mart (ASDA), shows how the relentless pursuit of supermarkets of the lowest possible prices has a negative impact on the supermarkets local communities as well as their suppliers, often based in the poorest countries of the world.

A few years ago, the supermarket retailer Safeway (now owned by Asda AKA Wal-mart) sent letters to their farmer suppliers asking for a contribution of £20,000 per product line, in order to improve marketing of the products.  They went on to invoice their suppliers for these sums.  Supermarkets have tended to only do business with the largest scale suppliers at the lowest cost wherever they may be located.  Next time you go to the supermarket take a closer look at the food labels, you will see New Zealand lamb and vegetables from Israel.  But this is not what most shoppers would choose -- when asked, they say they prefer British farm food.  Supermarkets are moving towards this as many are now offering vegetable and meat box schemes stocked only with local and often organic food.  Many small firms have spent years building organic box schemes and organic delivery into a viable business only for supermarkets to jump in on the act as it becomes more mainstream.

Britains supermarkets are damaging British business, are bad for consumers and bad for the environment.  Farmers and consumers are paying the price of its uncontrolled expansion here and overseas.  MPs must act now to curb the growing market power of supermarkets and ensure that Britains booming supermarket industry does not kill off farmers, consumer choice and the traditional British high street.

The UK Competition Commission has been called upon to look at the actions of supermarkets which many say are damaging almost everything that they touch.

Tesco controls nearly one third of the UK grocery market, setting the standard across the retail sector.  But while the company boasts about its commitment to fair trade and corporate responsibility, a new report from Friends of the Earth shows that Tescos practices are putting many UK farmers out of business;  while on the high street, some 2,000 independent stores went out of businesses in the last year alone, unable to compete with promotions and planning and taxation policies which favour the multiples over smaller shops.

One in five people think that supermarkets are most influential when planning decisions get made, over the council or local people.  Often people cannot get obtain planning permission to build an extension yet the supermarkets are often granted permission to build huge stores the size of football stadiums

But, things are changing for the better -

Supermarkets are trialing having tractors deliver goods straight to the supermarket door to save on food miles.

Tesco are installing solar panels and using renewable energy in certain stores to show how green they are becoming.

Waitrose has started its own fair-trade scheme.  The cash has been raised as part of the food retailers initiative to return a sizeable proportion of profits it earns on sales of citrus fruits to the farmers who grow them.

Ikea is to become the UKs first major retailer to regularly charge customers for plastic bags, to try and tackle waste and environmental damage.

The success of Marks & Spencers ethical marketing drive that urged shoppers to "look behind the label" has dwarfed all its previous advertising campaigns, according to research from a leading City brokerage.

Supermarket Sainsburys is to sell more than 500 of its own-brand products in compostable packs instead of plastic as it seeks to cut packaging waste.  It says the scheme, already trialled on some of its organic range, will save 3,550 tonnes of plastic a year.

Is this a genuine change in attitudes by the supermarkets or merely a change in public relations direction to ensure they get all the green pounds that tend to be spent in local markets and shops?  Ill let you decide.

What Is Fairtrade Food?

The Fairtrade Foundation exists to ensure that producers are guaranteed a minimum price for their goods irrespective of world prices.

This means that Fairtrade goods are often more expensive in the UK than those without the Fairtrade logo.  Although people are now arguing that supermarkets are fuelling their excessive profits by adding large mark-ups to these products.  This premium that the producer charges covers the basic food, housing, health and education needs of the local communities in countries such as India and Brazil.  The Foundation awards a consumer label, the Fairtrade Mark, to products which meet internationally recognised standards of Fairtrade.  It is the only such certification in the UK.

Examples of products:

• Fairtrade coffee
• Fairtrade Tea
• Fairtrade Chocolate
• Fairtrade Bananas
• Fairtrade Honey
• Fairtrade Sugar
• Fairtrade Fruit Juice
• Fairtrade Wine and Snacks

The list of goods certified Fairtrade is growing daily as is the range of products available.  The co-op changed all their own brand chocolate to Fairtrade a few years ago and now all the other big supermarkets are beginning to move into the Fairtrade market.  Nestle have just released a Fairtrade brand.  There has been huge controversy over this as many people are asking how a company that is subject to a boycott can pertain to have Fairtrade and therefore ethical principles?

Why buy Fairtrade?

Millions of small farmers around the world cannot get enough money to feed their families, send their children to school or invest just a few pounds into their farm.  This is because people want to buy the cheapest goods possible and don't think about the people that working in poor condition and often receive less than £1 per day in wages.

Buying products that display the Fairtrade logo ensures that the producers of products such as tea, coffee and chocolate receive a decent income.  Rather than being hit by the ever-changing price of their product on the world market, or being fleeced by a middleman who takes a chunky share of the profits, producers in a Fair Trade scheme are guaranteed a decent, stable price for their produce.

By buying Fair trade products that buy direct from farmers at better prices, consumers are improving the lives of producers all over the world.  In Eithiopia, farmers can often get more then twice the price for their fair trade coffee then those that sell it on the open market.  This extra money enables the farmers to educate their children and to break the cycle of poverty.

Many people struggle to find a reason not to support Fairtrade.  Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers.  Fair trade is not about charity, it is about settling the imbalance which exists.

How do I know its Fairtrade?

Look for the Fairtrade Mark when you shop and make the choice to support small farmers and workers in the developing world, and encourage your workplace to switch to Fairtrade tea and coffee.

Should I Buy Fairtrade, Organic Or Local Food?

Again, I find myself torn apart with choices when deciding which is the most ethical, eco friendly and/or healthy option when it comes to shopping for food and non-food products.

Should I buy food and products that support workers in Third World by buying Fairtrade labelled products even though these goods normally travel thousands of miles from Africa, South America or South East Asia?  What if these foods were produced with the use of pesticides and additives?  It makes sense then to look for and to buy Fairtrade, organic food to both help the producers in the Third World and fulfil my lifestyle choice to eat healthy and additive/pesticide free food.  Thankfully, many producers are now wising up to this dilemma by increasingly producing organic and Fairtrade labelled products.  I am currently using Fairtrade, organic t-bags at home!  Now comes another important question, should I buy Fairly Traded organic sugar from Kenya that has travelled thousands of miles, or should I buy apples grown in the UK (ideally from a farmers market) that have only travelled only a few hundred miles which means less carbon dioxide and other nasty emissions from the lorries that you see constantly on the motorways in the UK?  Buying UK products not only ensures less food miles but also supports local farmers, communities and economies.  Unfortunately, choice is often limited and can be more expensive then food produced in other countries ... ... ... Decisions, decisions, it's probably best to abstain from eating and give your choice making brain a rest!

But I can safely say that I make attempts to avoid food or products that have travelled from far away destinations such as Australia even if they are organic!  Next time you are in the supermarket or wherever you buy your food from check the labels and you will be surprised by how far your food has travelled.  Also look at the amount of unnecessary wrapping such as individually wrapped peppers, mushrooms and kiwi fruit in wrapped boxes.  When I buy from the local market I tell them to throw it all into one bag, the customer next to me often has 10 individually wrapped portions of fruit and veg.  That's 11 (10 plus one big plastic bag) bags into the landfill site that day.  For maximum eco efficiency we need to be using jute or other bags made from recycled materials and putting all the loose food into that.

For recycled bags, Fairtrade and Organic companies, products and food see GuideMeGreen.