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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye

Organic Food Stores

I set my friends a challenge. It was very simple. Go to he supermarket and buy your standard weekly essentials. But wih one proviso - you must make the contents of your shopping basket as healthy, environmentally friendly and ethical as possible and you are not allowed to spend too much. I watched as they struggled with the labels: organic, fair trade, GM-free, free range, recycled, with a green traffic light, a red tractor.... it was almost mesmerising. The resounding complaint was, what does it all mean?

Organic food can save

As we humans sleepily realise the damage we have done to our planet, these watchwords have become the media's mantra, with droves of us attempting to be more 'green'. New eco-friendly restaurants are opening in London, as are environmental consultant agencies (supported by die likes of Colin Firth), and warehouses are bursting at the seams with organic, fair trade products. But how much of what we do is a gimmick? Are terms like 'organic' the latest clever marketing ploy or does the movement truly help our bodies and the environment?

Can Organic food sores help?

Mary Alexander, author of Food: What are we really eating?, is struggling to answer these questions. "I don't necessarily think that it boils down to being just organic", she told me, and certainly, as documented in her book, there is fierce debate. The Soil Association says yes, eating organically is healthier, the Food Standards Agency disagrees. However, organic chicken will be Up to 25% 1ess fattY, organic milk contains more Omega 3 and, as Mary pointed out,"why else would the Government tell you to peel your non- organic carrots?" What it really comes down to is animal welfare.

Facts about organic food

Whether it is free range chickens or pig rearing, if the meat isn't organic, it is very likely the animals have lived in horrendous conditions. for example, a free range clicken will only be allowed a handful  of hours of sunlight each day, have its beak trimmed and be kept in sheds with up to 16,000 other chickens. Only organic chickens are allowed the freedom of the great outdoors. Added to this environmentally, organic farming uses, at most, half the energy of intensive husbandry. However, Mary understands the difficulties: "You can't tick all the boxes when it comes to food, as some of them are naturally conflicting. If your main concern is the environment, then you won't buy organic produce from New Zealand but will look for local foods"

Ideally, eating from local farmers' markets ensures organic produce and a minimal carbon imprint, Whilst supporting a rapidly-declining profession. food that is sourced close to you will probably have a Higher nutritional content than something flown half way across the world and sprayed. But some must-have items you simply can't get from your local farmer. Fair trade produce usually encompasses "things that you can't grow here", so Mary recommends making up for the carbon imprint by busing, for example, fair trade coffee.

Organic food GM

There is also huge potential in GM Crops, which, although embraced in the US, are entirely rejected in the UK. Mary points out in her book that "it can make some founds last longer... add additional vitamins and flavours", as well as increase productivity (without the use of external influences such as pesticides). Despite fears of 'Frankenstein foods' and damage to the environment, there has been no registered instances of mass poisonings or environmental Disasters attributed to GM farming. Are we missing out? Yes, in my opinion.

Organic food costs

However, at the heart of the eco-friendly, healthy eating debate is cost. Surely organic, fair trade or locally-sourced food is going to cost more? Well, yes, but it isn't as simple. According to Mary, supermarkets are now jumping on the organic and fair trade bandwagon, "helping reduce this idea that organic is a middle class nonsense that only wealthy people can afford. Obviously local farmers miss out, but all of this contributes to the development of the organic movement, which is good" In her useful summary, the main emphasis is on eating seasonally and locally to ensure high quality produce that won't damage the environment. People should get rid of the idea that you can have Whatever you want, whenever you want. If it isn't in season, then you have to wait.

CONCLUSION

Mary also stresses the need for 'reeducation', so that people can make informed choices when they go food shopping. This is an increasingly popular idea, so events like the Real food Festival are becoming more Frequent. Taking place next month, the sole aim of the festival is to talk to the general public about what choices there are out there, guiding consumers on how they can buy responsibly.