Organic food, can you afford not to?

Vegetarian, vegan or not, is organic food for you?

My childhood was spent eating 'ordinary' food.  We bought vegetables from my Auntie Jean's greengrocer's shop, fresh fish from my Auntie Vera's shop.  There was a Polish bakery across the road.  We also bought food from the local Morrison's supermarket.  Friday night was fish and chips (with scraps) which we would bring home wrapped up in newspaper. There was a local butcher's shop where we bought tripe for my grandma (it was one of her favourites!). Sunday lunch was a roast or my mum's special meat and potato pie followed by a pudding.

We didn't have to think about whether our food was organic or not, I suppose most of the food was pretty organic by virtue of it often being locally sourced.  I do remember that raw carrots tasted delicious.

Organic carrots

Things changed, the markets became more global, food was travelling from further afield, a greater use of pesticides became the norm.

Food scares shocked us, studies tried to prove that we were being affected by the food we were eating. Vegetarianism was no longer limited to the few.  

Today there is so much information available about the food we can buy.  Food labelling has given us the ability to analyse the contents of what we eat and there is a wealth of advice of what to eat to keep healthy.  Some foods have been demonised.  It can get very confusing.

A few years ago I started to get a regular weekly veg box from an organic farming business, Riverford Organic Farmers.  I started this as a result of visiting one of their farm shops while on holiday in Devon.  I liked what I saw, and I enjoyed the taste of the food we bought there.

Veg box

I will still eat most things, organic or not, but I do believe that the food in my Riverford veg box is doing me and my family good.  It always contains fresh produce that is in season, it looks healthy and more like the veg I had when I was a child.  The carrots taste like they used to!  It isn't always as perfectly groomed as you find on supermarket shelves, but I don't care about that.

Guy Watson, the owner of Riverford Organic, keeps me entertained with his regular newsletters written alongside recipe ideas for what to do with the vegetables in the box. He has very strong views on the benefits of organic food and I do tend to agree with his arguments.  He also works with his brother who provides organic meat so I occasionally get a combined veg and meat box, and if I'm feeling lazy I might even get a Recipe Box one week as this contains everything needed to produce the week's meals...

I have to say, everything always tastes good.  It is also interesting when a new, unusual, vegetable appears in the box.  Something I wouldn't have normally bought - like Jerusalem artichoke, kohlrabi or oca.  It's expanding my culinary horizons!

Kohlrabi

If organic food is free from artificial chemicals then it can't be doing any harm, whereas those perfectly groomed veg that have been grown intensively with extra chemical help must surely have the potential to absorb and impart some of those extras?

What about the meat too?  I understand that it must be more difficult to farm organically but surely the result is worthwhile, not only for the minimised risk of ingesting things we are not adapted to cope with, but also because of the taste.  Slower grown animals that have spent their lives in the fields eating 'clean' grass do seem to have a richer flavour.

Organic might cost more, so not everyone can make the choice to eat that way.  Non organic food (for example chicken) is really too cheap.  The farmers can't make enough money to take proper care of the animals I expect.  If we all eat a little less but of better quality maybe that would be better for our health and well being?

I'd love to hear your views on this, please feel free to leave your comments.