With recession biting organic sales are
With recession biting organic sales are down by Michael Smith (Veshengro) Not only are sales down but many farms are going back to “normal” ways of production and abandoning – though for the time being only, many say – the organic production methods. When money gets tighter people are not interested in the “organic” bit, in the main, but in food, though often still free-range and especially many shoppers want to have LOCAL foods. Local foods is one thing, as is free-range, but people are not prepared, in these hard times, and they may last longer than the governments are trying to tell us, to pay the premium for the “organic” label and I, personally, am often having a problem with the label. How, for instance, can we really be sure what we are getting under that title, especially when the stuff comes from abroad, such as “organic” French beans from Kenya. Lots of food miles too in that case. Read on: http://greenreview.blogspot.com/2009/04/with-recession-biting-organic-sa...
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With organic food prices going up ! It is hard individual to eat more healthier ! To many America are eating so unhealthily any way this one reason their are so many health problems . Many individual need to learn eat more healthier and choose more organic foods
This is an extremely complicated issue in the US. My counter argument would be that we cannot afford not to eat local and organic. My reasoning being that production agriculture as it is now practiced is heavily subsidized and also extremely damaging to the environment. Since the production and transport are paid in part by taxes and we are not paying to clean up messes like dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico and the Chesapeake Bay who knows which system is truly most expensive. Through in health costs associated with pesticide and herbicide use and I suspect that local organic could edge ahead in terms of total cost.
Being smart about food choices can help. By this I mean cutting down on red meat consumption and buying those items where being organic makes the most sense. For instance, buy organic cucumbers, apples and lettuce, but be okay with non-organic oranges or avocadoes. Basically, buy organic when you eat the skin and lots of chemicals are used and not be so stringent when you don't eat the skin.
Do the best that you can and don't lose hope. Hang out at farmer's markets and look for deals. Good luck.
Bob Ferris
And cook rather than hit the fast food places.
While I think a lot of folks are being more price concious than they have been in the recent past, I am not sure that folks or farms are abandoning organic. Here in Vermont, for example, a recent Northeast Organic Farming Association meeting was filled beyond capacity and support for our Valley's localvore movement has never been stronger. Likewise, interest in Permaculture and the Transition movement--both heavily into local organic production--are perhaps the only growth areas we are seeing in the environmental arena.
What studies are you refering to in this post?
Bob Ferris
With respect, Sir, I must say that I do not care whether you agree or disagree. The fact is that in the UK a great number, if nor indeed most, organic farmers are packing it in and are concentrating on providing people with local food rather than organic food and that is what the people too are asking for. What is happening in the USA is not something I was writing about nor could I. The situation in Europe is, it would appear, rather different, and it from that angle that the article is written. Fact not fiction.
Green (Living) Review
http://greenreview.blogspot.com/
Part of Tatchipen Media, The Romani Publishing & Media Company
You are posting to a US website with a mainly US audience, therefore, if you are speaking about trends in the UK you should be clear about that. Because of the costs and rigors of becoming a certified organic operation in the States farmers do not just jump in and jump out of being organic. If they leave the system, they may not be able to get re-certified for several years because of the issue of pesticide residues.
Bob Ferris
In the UK people have stopped buying organic that's why farmers are leaving the organic field, period. Oh, and reading profiles is also a good idea.
The issue here is the same as to leaving the system when it comes to certification. You may find that the Soil Association certification is a little harder than the US version. A bit like the difference between the Fairtrade Association and the Rainforest Alliance. That is why so many companies chose the Rainforest Alliance over the Fairtrade Association.
Seeing your comments "You are posting to a US website with a mainly US audience" I guess you think it best I'd not post on this site then. I thought Internet sites were for a global audience but, alas, I guess I was wrong.
I did not realize - my apologies - that this was a US American club. I guess I best leave then.
Green (Living) Review
http://greenreview.blogspot.com/
Part of Tatchipen Media, The Romani Publishing & Media Company
I think you missed my point. Placing comments in context is important and makes these sites much more useful. You were remarking on a trend in your area. Someone reading your post out of the blue would think that you were making a global comment. We are really talking about the who, what, when and where of basic journalism. Reading anything into it beyond that would be incorrect.
Bob Ferris