Ethical Living is one of the most highly regarded natural and organic magazines in the UK, and every year they have their ‘Ethical Living Health and Beauty Awards’. So Organic was highly commended as the UK’s Best Ethical retailer.

What is even more pleasing is that voting was by the general public, customers who love what So Organic stands for and what we believe in. Organic is a lifestyle choice, and not a compromise.

With great products like Dr Hauschka, Green People, Lavera, NVEY Eco, there is something for every member of the family. We have a new catalogue coming out soon, so if you would like to place an order, then please do sign up now.

Soil Association Organic Fortnight, is the UK’s biggest celebration of all things organic. This year they are encouraging you to try something organic every day.

Get involved during the fortnight and discover why organic is good for your well-being and your planet, is kind to animals and wildlife and allows us make a big difference - simply through the way we shop.

We're offering 10% off with code CELEB to all customers old and new to try and encourage more people to try organic products.

Also we'll be posting an organic tip every day on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Finally if you're in the London area come and see us in our Greenwich store for free refreshments and 20% off this Saturday 11/09/10 between 10-12pm!

 

 

 

After the criticism that Organic Food has had in the press over the last 12 months, it is finally good to see a national newspaper come out with the truth...that organic fruit is both tastier and better for your health!

In the Daily Mail today, they quote that the most detailed research study of its kind has found that organic strawberries contain higher levels of anti-cancer nutrients than fruit sprayed with chemical pesticides. Naturally-produced strawberries also have a longer shelf life and a richer, more fruity flavour, according to the researchers. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that organic food is healthier than conventional fruit and vegetables. At So Organic, we know this already!

Here is what the Daily Mail said:

‘Dr John Reganold, who led the study at Washington State University in the U.S., said: 'We show that you can have high quality, healthy produce, without resorting to an arsenal of pesticides.'  Researchers analysed the taste, nutrition and quality of three strawberry varieties growing on 13 organic and 13 conventional farms in California, as well as 31 chemical and biological properties of the soil where they were grown. The organic fruit had ' significantly higher' levels of antioxidants - nutrients that mop up potentially dangerous and cancer-causing 'free radicals' in the body. They also last longer and have 'more strawberry in the strawberry', Dr Reganold reports in the journal PLoS One, published by the Public Library of Science. In blind taste tests, volunteers said they found organic strawberries sweeter and more flavoursome. And when they saw the fruit, they judged the strawberries from the organic farms to have a better colour. ‘

To all those people that criticise our belief that organic products are better for you, they better watch out...organic is back!

Making headlines in all the major newspapers last week was the result of a report on organic food that it is no healthier than non-organic food. The report in question, commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), found that "there are no important differences in the nutrition content or any additional health benefits, of organic food when compared with conventionally produced food".

Of course this created a frenzy in the media. The Times reports: "Organic food is no healthier than other produce, according to the Government's food watchdog". Joanna Blythman from the Daily Mail says it's "a cancerous conspiracy to poison your faith in organic food". Leo Hickman from the Guardian says "it's just a shame we can't ask the local birds, fish and insects for their expert testimony on which method they prefer."

Carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine this is an accurate report as far as the past research that was used to create its findings goes. But there is so much it misses out. It reviews 11 studies only and the FSA itself admits to a lack of research on which to base findings.

It is unclear in many of the studies that ‘certified' organic produce was used. It does not include contaminant content i.e. foods exposed to pesticides, herbicides and the like and it does not compare the environmental or ethical impacts of organic and conventional agricultural practices. Also 4 of the 6 human studies used 20 participants or less and 4 other studies didn't consider the overall diet of participants - "almost akin to feeding a doughnut-eating coach potato and a vegan cyclist organic apples for a week and then comparing the differences in their health" as Mark Anslow from the Ecologist aptly put it. Not exactly meaty evidence to draw strong conclusions from, is it?

The researchers concluded at the end of the report that the evidence base currently available "contains limitations in the design and in the comparability of studies... examination of this scattered evidence indicates a need for further high-quality research in this field." Hopefully scientists pick up on this and we'll soon see an influx of more detailed, comprehensive research undertaken.

Despite all the controversy around nutritional benefit of organic food there is strong evidence to support it's importance for animal welfare, a chemical-free environment, and the avoidance of genetically modified produce. Organic is the way forward for us however you look at it.

What do you think? Will you stop eating organic based on this report? Write in and let us know.

By the way the researchers did find significant differences in nutritional content of organic and conventional foodstuffs including higher levels of phenolic compounds, magnesium, zinc, flavonoids, sugars, dry matter, and phosphorus in organic food. A worthy find considering many of us in the west are deficient of zinc or magnesium.

The Soil Association released their Organic Market Report 2009 recently and it said that last year organic product sales increased overall by 1.7%. Given the turbulance of the economy that's good news for the organic industry because more of us are buying organic... right? Or is it simply that some of us are buying more and widening our organic purchasing scope.

The organic crusading charity also conducted an opinion poll and found that 48% of us are buying 10% or less organic goods. Thankfully, 25% of those consumers not currently buying organic food expressed they would like to know more about the benefits of organic. The Soil Association are intensifying their efforts to highlight these benefits by organising activities like visiting Greenwich Market (see blog on our Grow an Organic Pumpkin event) to talk to people direct - preaching to the non-converted so to speak.

New research is consistently appearing in the media about why organic is the answer to so many of our global problems. We're all on a continual learning curve. We have to be if we truly wish to engage in the all-important issues of climate change and diminishing non-renewable resources.