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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

320 replies

KatieBMumsnet · 14/05/2012 11:18

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

OP posts:
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DaisyMaisyJessicaEmily · 14/05/2012 11:35

I would love to buy all organic mostly for the improvement in taste more than anything else I'm afraid Blush organic bananas and potatoes really do taste like they used to when I was a child. I just cannot afford to regularly buy organic fruit and veg, and meat/fish/poultry is completely out of my budget.
I buy organic flour when it's on offer. which isn't often, it's usually the naughty things that are on special offer

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SuePurblybilt · 14/05/2012 11:46

I buy organic milk - normal cow's milk made my daughter smelly! Strange but true. I also try for organic vegetables - Lidl's finest usually. I ty to think about how much the plant is likely to be carrying residue from pesticides etc and if I have to make a choice, base it on that. So anything I eat the skin of (eg carrots), I'll aim for organic. Bananas - fairtrade, yes, organic - not usually. I doubt it's a flawless plan but until I can afford all organic, it's the best I have.

However, having sold my own produce (meat and veg) before, I am aware that organic status is not always the best indication of welfare or environmental impact (in the case of food miles) so if I'm buying from a local supplier or the farmer's market, I don't worry about organic certification. I ask the producer annoying searching questions about their growing methods instead. I buy most of my eggs, butter and vegetables this way or grow them myself. I do think the cost of registering as organic could be waived or reduced for smaller producers.

I think I've a good understanding of the organic labelling system but I do worry about the imported organic food - are they produced to the same standards as UK produce with organic certification? I have always assumed not.

The organic food movement as a whole is associated too much with being 'green' IMO (though I'm all for the green) - I think if the health benefits were clearer, or more specifically the health risks of intensive farming and ingesting residues, it would encourage more people to pay the extra. Unfortunately, cheap food at any price seems to be the norm.

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BigBadBear · 14/05/2012 11:47

I get an organic fruit and veg box delivered most weeks. It tastes better and is seasonal. I also buy organic chocolate and meat, the latter definitely tastes better though it is more expensive - I balance this by buying less as the taste means it goes further.

I don't buy organic toiletries (well, I do occasionally, if they are on offer, but I don't search them out) or tinned goods (such as tomatoes). The rpice difference is just too much for something that won't make a difference taste-wise. Also, if I buy an ingredient for a recipe, I tend to buy the cheapest. I can't afford to go organic completely, and I try and balance it with other things that also matter - fairtrade, food miles etc.

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lumbago · 14/05/2012 11:47

i dont buy any organic stuff. It's not at all important to me.

I dont buy it as I seem to still be alive after not eating organic and I dont buy into all that crap vitamins, organic shit.

Re classification I dont really care.

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lumbago · 14/05/2012 11:48

( psst and sometimes i DONT EVEN RECYCLE!)

gasp!

now if i win the vouchers I will eat my mass produced eco unfriendly hat

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Pufflemum · 14/05/2012 11:54

I have a fortnightly fruit, veg, salad and meat box from Riverford. They are fantastic. The taste and quality is always so much better than the supermarket. My young children will now eat all types of meat and veg that they would not of entertained before. The milk is also proper milk, creamy and seemingly full of goodness. Yes it's a bit more expensive, but worth every penny for us and also very convenient as its delivered to the door.

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PeggyCarter · 14/05/2012 11:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

inmysparetime · 14/05/2012 11:59

I grow my own veg organically, but would rather support my local greengrocer and local farmers than buy supermarket veg, no matter how organic it is. I would like clearer labelling on a product's food miles or carbon footprint at the point of purchase, and more incentives for small, locally based producers of organic food, so I don't have to compromise between chemicals in my food or more food miles.

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lumbago · 14/05/2012 12:02

i can AFFORD to buy organic easy, i just dont.
i cant belive its not a huge 1st world hoax

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WowOoo · 14/05/2012 12:11

I always buy organic milk. I think it tastes nicer and has more cream at the top. i have done some taste tests as my friend thought I was imagining this.

When I can afford to I buy organic meat and vegetables. If the price is not too much higher I'll go for organic every time.

Buying organic is important to me because it just seems like a healthier, more natural way to produce food. I certainly would prefer my milk to have less antibiotics and medicine in it.

I think that organic is better for the environment, for the soil and for wildlife so I support it.

I have heard that organic food contains more vitamins and nutrients, but am not sure about this.

I would love to be able to afford more organic. I am glad that that some prices are becoming more affordable.

I'm not 100% sure what organic is, but I did watch a Countryfile episode where they explained it all.

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Firawla · 14/05/2012 12:12

I don't make a point of buying organic, i get it sometimes but i dont really think of it that much. Our supermarket bill is huge already so not sure how much it would increase by getting all the fruit and veg organic. if I think about it, its probably better but mostly it doesnt cross my mind while doing the shopping. I do buy organix baby food though and some hipp organic etc

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nextphase · 14/05/2012 12:13

We have organic meat and eggs, but mainly because we get it from a local farm shop, where it has about 5 food miles, is free range, organic and about the same price as tesco mainstream stuff! But we mainly go there because it tastes amazing. I'd get it organic or not from there.

The rest isn't organic - I can't usually tell the difference, except for the time which it stays fresh in the fridge - the organic never seems to last as long.

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Dushenka · 14/05/2012 12:19

We've bought organic for decades, even when we were both unemployed and dirt poor--we find buying straight from the growers (as with Riverford's organic box scheme and others) is cheaper than supermarket veg. It's about 15 quid for enough veg for 2 greedy (mostly vegetarian) people for a week. Organic meat is more expensive but missing out the middle man helps and buying from organic farm shops hugely reduces the price. You can ask for the cheaper cuts and if you go at the end of the day they will often reduce the price just to clear the shelves. The taste and quality is just in another class from chemically grown food.

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ShatnersBassoon · 14/05/2012 12:21

I don't buy anything organic, unless it's the cheapest option.

I don't believe there's any advantage to buying organic produce, so I would only buy it if it was cheaper than everything else.

I don't understand how organic food is classified. It's on a need to know basis.

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Abzs · 14/05/2012 12:23

I buy organic food occasionally, but not usually deliberately. I think I am generally more inclined to spend the extra money on Fair Trade products, rather than organic.

We did have a veg box delivery for a while. Knowing where the food came from was the draw to that, but we found it was not economical for us as we had left over veg every week.

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Kveta · 14/05/2012 12:23

I don't buy organic due to the price. I feel that a lot of the organic produce available in the UK is simply a way to part fools from their money.

we occasionally buy organic meat, and it rarely tastes so much better that we feel the cost was worth it. Actually, it never does. That may be more to do with organic providers in our area - my parents only buy organic, and they get all their pork from a farm called Puddledub, and it tastes AMAZING. but we are in the SE, and they are in the west of scotland, so it's easier for them to buy!

I also get confused between free range and organic in terms of meat and veg. We buy free range eggs, but am not sure if they are organic. To me, animal welfare is far more important than what chemicals are used.

With vegetables, I don't think there is enough difference in flavour/quality between organic and normal, so will stick with normal. Plus I grow a lot of my own veg, and will happily use pesticides (and felicides if the bastards don't stop crapping on my garden) to deter slugs, snails, aphids and the like - so it would be hypocritical of me in the extreme to do that to my own plot, then insist on purchasing organic only veg from the shops.

Also, and I know I am a pedant, I HATE the term organic to mean prepared without chemicals. To me, it means 'contains carbon' so I get irrationally angry at organic salt. And the term organic is the opposite of inorganic, so I may have been heard to mutter about the idea of inorganic meat more than once whilst walking down the meat aisle in the supermarket.

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OvO · 14/05/2012 12:28

I only buy organic when it's on offer. I can't afford to otherwise. When I have I've never noticed a difference in taste between organic and good quality non organic. I was very fussy about all organic when weaning my DS1 but it soon wore off. Grin

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CMOTDibbler · 14/05/2012 12:28

I prioritise local food over organic, but tend to buy organic dairy and meat if I am buying supermarket produce.
We used to get an organic fruit/veg box when we lived in an area where local veg was harder to get, but here it is very easy from the farm shops or butcher/greengrocer/market.

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hackneyzoo · 14/05/2012 12:30

if you buy organic food, please tell us what you buy and why?
I tend to buy organic meat when I can afford it because it genuinely tastes a lot nicer.

Does buying organic only matter to you for certain items and not others?
I'd prefer to buy organic meat, veg and dairy products, but my budget restricts me. I like the idea of naturally and locally produced food, better for the environment, better for my family and me.

Or is anything and everything you buy organic? No

Why is buying organic food important to you?
Its not that important, if I had the money I would chose organic over non organic

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?
I would buy far more organic food if the price was lower. I have to feed five people on a budget of £60 per week, and out of that I need to buy nappies and dog food too. Organic tends to work out more expensive, especially at farmer's markets where the prices are really unaffordable...but the food is lovely!

Also, are you 100% sure on what organic produce is and how it is classified? Or are you not too sure?
I'm not a 100% sure. I think it is food that is produced naturally, not using any chemicals or pesticides or genetic engineering.

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AceOfBase · 14/05/2012 12:31

I buy organic as it tastes better. It also doesn't give me stomach problems as some non organic foods do. I like the fact that it helps the environment (due to the lack of pesticides etc plus the fact that I buy local produce so smaller carbon footprint) I do think though that some products are very expensive in comparison to non organic products and although I am lucky enough to be able to afford to buy them, I can see that it would put people who have less disposable income off.

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SpagboLagain · 14/05/2012 12:32

I buy food which is as local, with the lowest environmental impact and highest welfare standard I can. Sometimes this means it is organic, often it isn't.

Being organic per se is not of much interest to me, I think seasonality, food miles and ethical standards are more important for people and the planet.

I have tried organic boxes from a number of companies, not because they were organic but because it seems to be the only way you can get seasonal UK veg delivery round here. The quality of veg from all of them was awful. I don't care if things are knobbly and odd sizes etc, I do care if they are shrivelled, rotting, massively over-priced and come in a random assortment of stuff that is of little use to a family.

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Roseformeplease · 14/05/2012 12:32

Organic is expensive, not widely available where I live (remote corner of Scotland) and I don't notice the flavour being better once vegetables are cooked. However, meat is a different matter and I would love to be able to afford to eat only organic meat and animals from happy farms rather than mass produced miseries. Price is important but, all too often, there is not enough of a discernible difference in flavour to make it worth the extra. As for other things - well, it depends. I have an issue with the description of organic as not all things are and I don't trust the labels. Also, some shops (Tesco) don't make it clear enough which is which and I am always raging when I rush and end up with the expensive stuff instead.

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Belmo · 14/05/2012 12:33

I'd like to buy organic but I really can't afford to. I try to buy organic dairy and eggs; partly because I read there's more vitamins in organic milk and partly because I hope it's better from an animal welfare pov.
If there's a difference of a few pence I will get the organic option but it's usually loads more expensive.
Think I understand the labelling :)

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SpagboLagain · 14/05/2012 12:34

PS I am very sure what all the classifications mean for professional reasons, and people who think organic = good for the environment don't have the full picture

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Fillybuster · 14/05/2012 12:34

I buy a mix of organic and non-organic fruit, veg, dairy produce and fish. I would love to buy organic (and free range) meat, but am limited in options due to religious dietary restrictions, and unfortunately this isn't available at the moment.

We get a fruit & veg box every week from Riverford. The box is always high quality, with great tasting (mostly) seasonal produce and works out as a fairly cost-effective purchase. Having said that, it only provide about 30% of our weekly fruit & veg consumption - the rest comes from the supermarket and isn't always organic.

Bananas are always fairtrade, but rarely organic unless they come from Riverford, because of the price differential. On the whole, I buy organic fruit and veg where the difference in price is fairly low, but will not spend an extra £2 on a bag of carrots if that's the only difference. Mushrooms have to be organic or I won't touch them....I don't know why, really, its just a feeling :)

I tend to buy organic cheese from the supermarket, or cheese from Neal's Yard which isn't organic but is very tasty, and Rachels yoghurts for the dcs, but am quite happy to be distracted by a really good alternative offer or BOGOF on non-organic produce in Tesco if its worth it. I almost never buy organic milk, but probably should....Hmm

Finally, the organic label doesn't really convince me so much for fish...I'd much prefer to buy wild salmon, or sea trout, than the flabby organic farmed stuff. But I will buy organic farmed fish in preference to the non-organic stuff when it doesn't cost the earth.

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