With the credit crunch in full swing more of us are using price as a determining factor as to whether we choose organic over non-organic. Be it in your morning cuppa or on your cereal, milk is one daily staple in most of our diets worth writing on the organic side of the shopping list.

Cow's feed that is grown without pesticides will provide more nutrients for the cow, increasing the nutritional value of their milk that is ultimately passed on to us. Grass and clover fed organic cows (as opposed to grain fed, conventionally reared cows) have higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) alpha-linoleic acid (ALA), alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) and three carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin), according to a study this year from Newcastle University. The fatty acid CLA was found to be 60% higher in organic milk and may protect against cancer and other health problems.

The university study also revealed that nutritionally desirable fatty acids and antioxidants were highest in milk produced during summer, when the cows are eating fresh grass and clover. Though some conventional farms allow their cows to forage for feed this is by far a more common practice of organic dairy farmers.

Organic cows are also not treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH), a hormone which is used to increase the amount of milk a cow produces. It is believed that these hormones could raise the risk of certain cancers. Organic dairy farmers also avoid antibiotics where possible. If a cow does fall ill it is separated from the herd for a period of time so as to avoid contamination of the whole milk supply.

It's comforting to know organic milk doesn't only taste better but is packed with more nutrients than conventional, non-organic milk. One supermarket sells organic milk for just 8p more than regular milk!

Researchers from the University of Siena in Italy recently looked at the carbon footprint of organic wines compared to non-organic wines from two farms that lay just 30 kilometres apart in Tuscany. According to New Scientist, the researches measured the resources used to grow, package and distribute the wine.

Guess which wine came up trumps? One bottle of organic wine had an eco-footprint of 7.17 square metres, whereas the non-organic variety had a footprint of 13.98. The reason for this is that most of the operations on the organic farm were performed by hand rather than using oil intensive conventional methods of production.

Organic farmers are likely to better preserve their land's soil and water resources as they depend on the natural environment to get the most from their vines rather than relying on heavy chemicals to accelerate growth and boost capacity.

Grapes used to make traditional wines are heavily sprayed with fertilizers and pesticides. This is one of the reason's organic wines are better for you. Another is that they contain less sulfites (salts or sulfurous acid). Traditional wine makers add sulfates for preservation but wines that are wholly organic should not have any sulfates added to them.

Better still, organic wines have bolder, brighter flavours. Organic wineries don't tend to add flavours like oak chips, instead opting for very basic techniques involving yeast to ferment the grapes.

A number of studies have indicated that drinking one glass of wine a day (particularly a glass of red) could decrease a person's risk of heart disease. It's reasonable to expect the less harmful chemicals in a wine would decrease this risk even further.

A glass of organic wine a day keeps the coronary doctor away, perhaps?

Organic Fortnight is organised by the Soil Association and is the biggest European event celebrating all things organic.

This year's themes is 'Love Your Planet, Choose Organic' and the Soil Association is encouraging everyone from businesses, communities, schools and individuals to help spread the word on the benefits of organic production - be it of food, drink, beauty, or textiles.

The Soil Association are offering schools free materials from the Food for Life Partnership in the hope teachers will adopt activities and ideas in their curriculum to help reconnect their students with where their food really comes from.



The fortnight kicks off 6-7^th of September with the Organic Food Festival on Bristol's harbourside. Three hundred companies will be at the festival providing them with the perfect opportunity to showcase how fabulous and eco friendly their products are. There will be food markets; fashion, skincare and homeware products; a green planet pavilion; a demonstration kitchen; lectures; food cruises around the harbour; and children's activities, music and street theatre.

Admission is £4 for adults. Gates will open at 10am on both days.

Organic Fortnight will close with the Scottish Organic Food Festival on the weekend 20-21^st of September.

Despite the current economic downturn it seems those of us who believe in the virtues of fair trade and organic goods have not drifted from our values or changed our good habits. A recent eco shopping report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers found that we are in fact spending more on Fairtrade and organic clothes and Fairtrade food (up 17 and 20 per cent respectively in last 3 years). There has been no indication from retailers of slumping organic sales - in fact quite the opposite. The Soil Association forecast that organic sales will be up 10 percent this year.

According to MoneyExpert.com a Virgin Money study found ‘80 per cent of green shoppers remain committed to ethical purchases, even though it means adding an estimated £12 to the monthly food bill.' These figures highlight that on the whole we are prepared to make sacrifices for the sake of the green movement.

With more people interested in the sustainability agenda and plenty of coverage in the media companies are pushing their green credentials more than ever. If the cost of carbon and other non-eco friendly activities are one day incorporated into the cost of products we may just end up paying less to support our eco/health conscious lifestyles.

Would it be terribly naïve of me to believe local and organic products could turn the economy around?