Health Food
Featured Articles:
The Organic and Healthy Food Market
by: Davinos Greeno
Organic produce is one of the fastest growing food retail sectors in
the country. Health scares such as BSE and foot-and-mouth, plus
fears of GM crops/food and synthetic dyes and ingredients such as
Sudan1 have led to considerable growth in the organic and the
healthy food market as worried consumers seek out more healthy and
natural products.
Recent research by market analysts nVision suggests four in ten
adults now choose organic options on a regular basis. Organic
supermarkets in England are booming and Europes biggest organic
event, the Biofach exhibition in Germany in getting bigger every
year.
Unfortunately, at the moment retailers are charging artificially
high prices. I was in Tesco last week which is a rare occurrence as
I shop locally where possible, and I nearly died when I saw the
prices being charged for organic yogurt and eggs compared to the
non-organic brands. Its about time that the government started to
investigate these organic suppliers and supermarkets to see who is
ripping us off! Encouraging competition is not always a good idea as
this can drives down prices (good for the consumer) which can put
organic suppliers out of business if they have small profit margins.
I understand that we have to pay more for organic produce because
there are more crop failures due to the fact that the farmers cannot
use pesticides, but what is an acceptable percentage and does this
vary from product to product. Should organic fish be 10 percent more
expensive than non organic fish and vegetables 20 per cent etc?
Once only available in small health shops or farmers markets,
organic foods are becoming much more widely available. In the past
10 years sales of organic food in the UK have increased over 10-fold
from £100m in 1993/94 to nearly £1.4bn in 2004/05. This large growth
is predicted to continue, and many companies are jumping into the
market. Sales through farmers markets and farm shops have grown
faster than any other retail outlet. Organic food and drink now
accounts for 1.2 per cent of the total retail market (Source Soil
Association).
There are two types of organic foods.
Fresh food
Fresh food is seasonal and perishable. Vegetables and fruits are the
most available type of organic, fresh food, and are closely
associated with organic farming. They are often purchased directly
from growers, at farmers markets, supermarkets or through specialty
food stores. Organic meat, eggs, dairy are also available.
Processed food
Processed food accounts for most of the items in a supermarket.
Often, within the same store, both organic and conventional versions
of products are available, and the price of the organic version is
usually higher as already mentioned. Most processed organic food
comes from larger companies producing and marketing products like
organic baby food, organic beer, organic pasta or other convenience
foods.
How do I know its organic?
The term organic is defined by law - all organic food production and
processing is governed by a strict set of rules. Look for symbols
such as the Soil Association symbol for your guarantee of the
highest organic standards. The Soil Association organic symbol is
the UK's largest and most recognizable trademark for organic
produce. Wherever you see it you can be sure that the food you have
purchased has been produced and processed to strict and rigorous
animal welfare and environmental standards. Other symbols to look
out for include the Organic Food Federation and Certified Organic
Ingredients.
Most people don’t have enough time to read the labels of all the
different food products that they buy to check for organic
ingredients. So look for the various symbols, you can then be sure
that the product complies with minimum government standards.
The use of such symbols is entirely optional and a product can still
be organic even though if it doesn’t carry the symbol of a
certifying body. That means if you want to be 100% satisfied that
what you are eating or using is organic always read the label or
speak to the vendor.
Where you will find the symbol? - Look out for organic symbols on
almost any kind of food and drink you can think of from fresh
produce like fruit, vegetables and meat to processed foods such as
bread or baby food. You can even buy organic pet food!
About The Author
Davinos Greeno - I work with the Organic directory
http://www.guidemegreen.com This growing green products directory
lists 100s of Organic and Fairtrade food and drinks companies, jobs
at http://www.jobs.guidemegreen.com and Campaigning Videos
http://www.videos.guidemegreen.com