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Post by tj on May 10, 2009 18:53:02 GMT
Rachel Johnson (Boris's wife) writes in the ST saying that organic food has lost its appeal. Sales are down 20% and the yummie mummies in their 4x4's are abandoning high end organic food stores and flocking into Lidle's. Her view is that people will continue to buy food based on quality and ethical standards but not organic as it's now percieved by the consumer as organic=expensive; they don't want to spend money on luxuries, and it may be a long time yet before they do. Personally I think as standards in modern farming continue to improve, organic will lose its meaning for the mass consumer market and will eventually cater only for the needs of a few principled diehards. If you get into the mainstream consumer market with a product that is too expensive, and that has no tangible benefits, you are going to get found out, and you are going to get seriously hurt, and I think this is now what is happening to the organic food market.  |
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2009 21:38:12 GMT
Have never bought organic and never will. It's the biggest con ever perpetrated on the gullible british public.
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Post by basilseal on May 10, 2009 22:02:22 GMT
Have never bought organic and never will. It's the biggest con ever perpetrated on the gullible british public. how is it a con, exactly? |
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Post by matthew on May 11, 2009 6:54:42 GMT
I have a friend whose husband suffers from long term OP exposure. One of the side effects is his adverse reactions now, to ANY chemical. So she has to buy organic fruit and veg, because of the (even miniscule) residue on peeled, conventional produce, on his health and ability to function. As far as possible she grows her own, especially tomatoes etc.
Another colleague, similarly affected, grows most of his own veg for the same reason.
For them, it is not a life 'style' choice, it's their health.
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Post by tj on May 11, 2009 9:31:16 GMT
I have a friend whose husband suffers from long term OP exposure. One of the side effects is his adverse reactions now, to ANY chemical. So she has to buy organic fruit and veg, because of the (even minuscule) residue on peeled, conventional produce, on his health and ability to function. As far as possible she grows her own, especially tomatoes etc. Another colleague, similarly affected, grows most of his own veg for the same reason. For them, it is not a life 'style' choice, it's their health. I sympathise with your friends husband's problems, and I presume that his exposure to OP's has now made him hypersensitive to insecticides. 'All chemicals' however is too loose a definition and one widely used in organic food circles. Most materials you see around you are made up of chemicals even down to the keyboard upon which I type this message. But for example, a molecule of ammonia produced synthetically on a chemical plant is identical to that present in farmyard manure, there is no difference. I am no medical expert but I guess that some people's sensitivity to synthetically produced insecticides whether caused by over exposure or otherwise, is similar to others' allergy to naturally occurring chemicals e.g. in peanuts. It's really a trade off between using substances that might in some rare circumstances be harmful, or not using them at all, which could result in crop diseases, pest damage and food shortages. I was brought up in the farming industry, and I saw many farmers condemned to lives as invalids due to 'Farmers Lung' which was caused by breathing in (naturally occurring) fungal spores contained in mouldy grain and hay. It didn't affect every farmer but some were more sensitive to the spores than others. The way forward is safe, environmentally friendly, technologically advanced farming systems which to my mind should not necessarily exclude the use of pesticides, artificial fertilisers or dare I say it GM. The organic movement attempts to tackle our future challenges by going backwards and producing less food (mainly for the rich), while populations continue to increase. That is surely not the answer. |
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2009 11:35:56 GMT
there is some movement in the USA real food ,slow food can't recall the name any how they are not realy pushing the organic barrow but just good food ..
there has to be some middle ground i think it may lean a tad to the organic side tho
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Post by matthew on May 11, 2009 20:23:34 GMT
there is some movement in the USA real food ,slow food can't recall the name any how they are not realy pushing the organic barrow but just good food .. there has to be some middle ground i think it may lean a tad to the organic side tho I think the 'middle ground' is where most of us are JD. We only use sprays when necessary and not on grassland as a rule. (Weed control on maize etc.) And artificial fertiliser is too damn expensive to scatter around without knowing how much is neede, and how much comes from muck. tj. Not sure exactly what chemicals friend's husband has developed sensitivety to. It may be synthetic insecticides, but her hairspay causes him problems too . |
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2009 7:34:10 GMT
Have never bought organic and never will. It's the biggest con ever perpetrated on the gullible british public. how is it a con, exactly? Overpriced, undernourished second rate goods which look awful and taste no different to those grown in a responsible way, in being well kept, fertilised to keep them growing, and sprayed to keep out all the bugs and diseases. Organic carrots? Riddled with carrot fly! |
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Post by basilseal on May 12, 2009 8:23:52 GMT
how is it a con, exactly? Overpriced, undernourished second rate goods which look awful and taste no different to those grown in a responsible way, in being well kept, fertilised to keep them growing, and sprayed to keep out all the bugs and diseases. Organic carrots? Riddled with carrot fly! I imagine you must have bought organic food regularly to have become such an expert. |
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2009 8:36:55 GMT
I've seen (and unfortunately tasted) some of what is passed off as 'organic' to know, yes. And you?
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Post by tj on May 12, 2009 8:52:23 GMT
Organic Food is always a good topic to get a lively debate going. So come on lads and lasses, set this forum on fire, liven it up, get it off your chests, and show your colleagues on BFF that this is the hot place for some serious posting !!
;D
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2009 9:26:38 GMT
When I have the choice I buy local first, then British and then maybe organic.
Though local often is organic!
Joyce
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Post by basilseal on May 12, 2009 11:59:06 GMT
I've seen (and unfortunately tasted) some of what is passed off as 'organic' to know, yes. And you? Oh well, if you once tasted some, I've only been farminmg organically for ten years, what do i know compared with such expertise? Organinc certification is just one way of adding value to food, it doesn't suit everyone, it is however a valid method of farming, and if people want to pay a premium for produce grown under this system then that's up to them, organic standards are clearly laid out and rigorously enforced, so no one is being duped, or conned. As to whether it tastes better, that of course is a matter of opinion, in some cases it undoubtedly does. We find our organinc potatoes to be far superior in taste to oe bought in the supermarket, then again veg grown for the supermarkets will be grown for appearance rather than taste, and with potatoes they may have been over irrigated to improve the skin quality at the expense of taste. We certainly get alot of repeat custom because people prefer the taste of our potatoes. That's just one example bu tthere are others. I can't understand why people get so hostile to organinc farming, BFF is full of post slagging organincs off, but i'd chalenge you to find a single post from any of the numerous organic farmers who post there slagging off conventional farming. also, if organic techniques are so terrible, why are a number of key organinc farming practices being adopted by conventional farmers trying to cut down on input costs? |
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Post by 4wd on May 12, 2009 12:34:45 GMT
........ I can't understand why people get so hostile to organinc farming, BFF is full of post slagging organincs off, but i'd chalenge you to find a single post from any of the numerous organic farmers who post there slagging off conventional farming........... Are you kidding? The entire concept is based on 'slagging off' conventional produce as somehow contaminated and inferior when there's little evidence for it. The only area where residues might be a problem is fruit &vegetables - and then with imported stuff mainly. |
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2009 13:35:30 GMT
Have never bought organic and never will. It's the biggest con ever perpetrated on the gullible british public. how is it a con, exactly? organic lamb sold as chemical free when it has been dosed for worms,less than other lamb and only when it was needed granted, but the lamb has been drenched with chemicals contrary to the claim not to have been. Met the Shepard on a local organic farm last year buying enough dose to treat 10,000 lambs. Sold no doubt as organic-chemical free. |
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