What is Organic?
Organic food, simply put, are food and drink producers in way that satisfies incredibly high standards of purity and food safety. Whilst the rules around organic food vary from country to country, it broadly encompasses practices that promote ecologically sustainability and conserve the biodiversity of the ecosystem in which the farming takes place.
This means that farmers will avoid the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO), man-made fertilisers and pesticides, and there will be no growth hormones or feed additives. Livestock will not be treated with antibiotics: if an animal falls in and is given medicine, it will then be sold as non-Organic.
Is Organic food better for you?
Views on whether organic food is better for you tend to vary. Given the lack of fertilisers and pesticides it is argued that the lack of residual traces are better for you, and as a result there are more micronutrients at the point of consumption.
What is known however, is that given the high standards required to produce Organic food, the farmers and producers are taking more care of their livestocks, crops and production processes, which will benefit their ecosystems.
Great Organic produce at Sasha’s Fine Foods
At Sasha’s Fine Foods, we have a lot of great organic produce in our store. Here are some of the highlights from a couple of our suppliers:
Organic by anything but name
It is important to remember that ‘Organic’ is a certification, which can cost quite a bit of money to receive from an accredited source (e.g. the Soil Association in the UK). There are a large number of farmers, fishermen & producers who will work to these standards but not look to go through the process of achieving organic certification.
The trick, as with all things related to food consumption, is to do your research. The likes of Mt Cook Alpine Salmon are examples of farmers and fishermen that I would, having visited them, thoroughly recommend you enjoy knowing that they take the utmost care.