Organic Food News

New Organic Food News Web Site Coming Soon

2007-05-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of updates recently, have been slaving away of a new website, it's beginning to look pretty good.

There's going to be lots of new sections including organic recipes, farmers market, farm shops and local butchers guide.

I'd love it if a few of you could have a look around and let me know what you think by commenting on this post.

It's a long way from being finished but we'll get there eventually.

The Best Local Organic Butchers, Farmers Markets & Shops

2007-04-05T03:10:00.000-07:00

As some of you might have noticed we've started a series of posts here reccomending the top organic butchers from around the UK. So far I've stuck to those I've tried personally and had a couple reccomended by readers.

In an ideal world we would love "Organic Food News" to be the first stop for anyone looking for a great organic butchers, farmers market or shop, green grocer or anywhere you can get organic produce because I know a lot of the shops don't have their own websites.

So I'm turning to you our lovely readers for your top tips. So if you know a local butcher you think everyone should know about drop us an email or a comment and we will do a little write up.

Specifically we are looking for the towns and cities below so if you know any good organic shops even if they are local please do let us know.

London
Birmingham
Liverpool
Leeds
Sheffield
Bristol
Manchester
Leicester
Coventry
Hull
Bradford
Stoke-on-Trent
Wolverhampton
Nottingham
Plymouth
Southampton
Reading
Derby
Dudley
Newcastle
Northampton
Portsmouth
Luton
Preston
Sunderland
Norwich
Walsall
Bournemouth
Southend
Swindon
Huddersfield
Poole
Oxford
Middlesbrough
Blackpool
Oldbury & Smethwick
Bolton
Ipswich
York
West Bromwich
Peterborough
Stockport
Brighton
Slough
Gloucester
Watford
Cambridge & Milton
Rotherham
Exeter
Eastbourne
Sutton Coldfield
Blackburn
Colchester
Oldham
St. Helens
Woking & Byfleet
Crawley
Chelmsford
Basildon
Cheltenham
Gillingham
Worthing
Rochdale
Solihull
Worcester
Southport
Basingstoke
Bath
Maidstone
Harlow & Sawbridgeworth
Grimsby
Darlington
Hartlepool
Lincoln
Hastings
Harrogate & Knaresborough
Birkenhead
Halifax
Hemel Hempstead
South Shields
Bedford
St Albans
Stevenage
Wigan
Warrington
Chester
Stockton-on-Tees
Gateshead
Weston-super-Mare
High Wycombe
Wakefield
Redditch
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Chatham
Burnley
Salford
Scunthorpe
Hove
Carlisle
Tamworth
Barnsley
Bracknell
Nuneaton
Chesterfield
Mansfield
Guildford
Gosport
Aylesbury
Lowestoft
Doncaster
Crewe
Shrewsbury
Beeston and Stapleford
Ellesmere Port
Cannock
Epsom and Ewell
Grays
Stafford
Waterlooville
Torquay
Kingswood
Bognor Regis
Rugby
Royal Leamington Spa
Bury
Wolverton & Stony Stratford
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Runcorn
Bootle
Ashford
Maidenhead
Wallasey
Margate
Taunton
Aldershot
Great Yarmouth
Cheadle and Gatley
Farnborough
Bebington

Organic Apples Better For You - It's Official

2007-03-29T04:10:00.000-07:00

While you normally have to take anything you read in the Daily Mail with a pinch of salt its nice to see them covering a story about how organic apples are more healthy than non organic apples. The Study published in middle englands favourite paper on monday found that organic apples from around the world contained more vitamin C, polyphenols, betacarotene and flavonoids. I Not to sure what a flavonoid is but it sounds alright to me!

The report of Warsaw Agricultural University tested apples, peaches & Kiwis from the UK, France & not surprising Poland to gain there findings which made there way into this Monday's Daily Mail.

It's nice to see these state the obvivous reports as they help deal with the organic food misinformation spread by people who ought to know better.

A New Organic Food Column

2007-03-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

I love a bit of a tipple with my grub, so I was very chuffed with the new ethical wine column coming from newconsumer.com. In the first column Tom Forrest from Vinopolis picks his top five organic & fair trade bottles of plonk. Well worth a read.

York Organic Butchers

2007-03-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Another of our posts to point out some of the top organic butchers in the UK. This time the stop is York. While I don't venture that far north very far I've had it on a very good authority that if your looking for organic pork chops or a nice roasting joint you can visit J H & M Burton, Manor House Farm, Wilberfoss, East Yorkshire.
It's a farm thats been run for years by the Burton family who you can contact on properbutchers@hotmail.com. If you contact them in advance they'll even make up any sausage recipe you so wish.

Oxford Organic Butcher

2007-03-20T05:27:00.000-07:00

Continuing our series of posts about the top organic butchers around the UK our next stop is Oxford. And our reccomendation for the city behind everyone's favourite boat race team is David John Butcher, who can be found in Oxford's covered market.

Like every good organic butcher they focus on local produce and their sausages are the thing of legend and supply the Big Bang Sausage Restaurant in the town. They've even been official endorsed by Oxford Brooks Student Union. It seems students nowadays are a little different to my day. I would have loved to pick up the fancy bangers you can pick up at David John Butcher in Oxford.

David John Butcher
93-95 The Covered Market
Oxford
Oxfordshire
OX1 3DY
01865 249092

Rachel's Organics Changes the Packaging

2007-03-16T02:17:00.000-07:00

Rachel's Organic range has proved a great success in the supermarket. It's not that different from you usual supermarket fare in appearance but offers the benefits of organic produce. So not surprisingly they've been raking it in.

It's not quite as good as if people went out and supported local organic producers but all the same it's a great step forward. Perhaps somewhat buoyed by their success they decided to have a bit of a redesign on the old packaging front.

Apparently they had the old style for over ten years, so after a decade it probably was time for a bit of a refresh. The new designs should already be filtering there way down to the shop shelves.

Neil Burchell, Rachel's Organic managing director says, "This exercise is a major investment for Rachel's Organic that is designed to substantially increase brand awareness and generate new consumer demand for our product."

Whether it will do the trick we'll have to see, however it's likely you might have a slightly different design in your shopping trolley on your next trip to the supermarket.

Via Design Week

Organic Slap: Waitrose to Launch Organic Cosmetics Range

2007-03-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

It's easy to forget sometimes there is more to Organic than just food. Any product which relies on natural ingredients can benefit from a more organic style of production. Waitrose have been one of the few supermarkets in the UK to really push quality organic food, so it's no huge surprise they are launching a health, bath and beauty line in partnership with their department store chain John Lewis.
Initially there are eight products in the range, though it's safe to assume they will be more if they sell well. The products have been certified by our friends at the Soil Association and contain about three quarters organic ingredients and are lacking in artificial colorants, fragrances & any genetically modified materials.
Another added bonus is the products are coming in fully recycled packaging so it's almost a perfect package karma-wise. As a bloke who probably ought to pay a bit more attention to my appearance this might be a perfect product line.

Tip

Cambridge Farmer Market

2007-03-05T23:21:00.000-08:00

Cambridge has it's very own farmers market every Sunday morning near the tourist information office. It runs from 10 till 4 though it's best to get down as early as you can to get your pick of the organic produce.
An added bonus is the arts, crafts & antiques stalls are there if you are dragging along the kids or someone not to into their food. The handmade jewelery comes particularly highly recommended by my better half. You can find out more details on the farmers market's basic website.

Brighton Organic Butchers

2007-03-04T23:33:00.000-08:00

We had lots of questions via email from readers asking us to reccomend local butchers, famers markets & other places to buy your local organic produce. While we've got a good idea about the shops around Brighton & some of the regional farmers markets we don't know everywhere. So consider this a plea for you to reccomend your favourite organic food shop.
The plan is to post up as many of those reccomendations as we can to help share your expert knowledge.

First up we have an organic butchers in Brighton. The Archers Family Butchers is my local & I can't reccomend it highly enough. The service is impecable, the staff are knowledgable and best of all the meat tastes great. Brighton is mspoilt for options when it comes to organice meat but if you live anywhere around the Lewes Road or Hannover areas of Brighton you'd be mad to go anywhere else.

I couldn't seem to find a web address for the butchers, so I'll have to double check next time I'm in there but the address & phone number is

Archers Family Butcher
128 Islingword Road,
Brighton.
01273 603234

The Air Freight Industry and Food Miles Debate - Guest Post

2007-03-02T03:11:00.000-08:00

The air freight industry is under attack by The Soil Association and other green campaigners who are worried about the environmental impact of importing out of season produce into the UK from abroad. They claim that the damage caused by pollution from flights transporting food around the world supports their call for a ban on the air-freighting of certain food.

The freight industry has responded strongly to this argument by explaining that the gases produced by air freight transportation only account for a small percentage of the UK’s total carbon emissions.
Plus the transportation of out of season food stuffs into the UK represents a small proportion of the total food produce flown into the country.

Furthermore, organic food which is being particularly targeted by The Soil Association requires around 15% less energy to farm than the same amount of non-organic food.

The issue is clearly a contentious one. Climate change is a very real problem as freak weather patterns around the globe are demonstrating. As a result, green issues are at the top of the political agenda of all of the major parties in Britain.

This is a reflection of the concern that the public at large has been shown to have for this issue. The government is therefore under pressure to address the electorate's concerns and make some changes which may affect the freight industry in a negative way.

One of the measures that they are considering is labeling food to show the amount of miles it has had to travel to get to the UK. These ‘food miles’ as they are called are meant to be an indication of the environmental cost of bring a particular item into the country. The other option that they are considering is the proposal put forward by The Soil Association to ban the importation of organic food by air freight.

GBS Freight is a freight forwarding company based in the UK that transports cargo around the world by air, sea and road.

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Air-Freight-Industry-and-Food-Miles-Debate&id=463067

Milford Farmers Market Hampshire

2007-02-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

There's a good farmers market to look out for in Milford this Sunday on Secretts Farm. It's located not far from Guildford and should have all the usual organic food suspects. If you don't fancy picking up any turkey it might be worth casting your eyes over some mussels, chicory and halibut as of which are in season at the moment.
Mussels might make a good alternative to Oysters if you are trying to get your other half in the mood this coming Valentines. I'd go for the classic French Moules et Frites. It's the perfect opportunity to eat chips and still feel classy!

Organic & Genetically Modified Don't Mix

2007-02-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

The government has rightly been getting a lot of grief over there somewhat crazy GM Food Labeling plans. They have suggested any Organic food which contains less than 1% GM does not need to be labeled as genetically modified.

Not surprisingly a large group of organic food producers have got together to polite tap Tony Blair on the shoulder and mention what a stupid idea this is. While the debate around GM is big and complicated I can see very little reason to allow GM in organic foods. The appeal of organic is natural growth and I can imagine very few people wanting both the benefits of organic food yet still being keen on GM.

Organic Beef Skirt - Monday Meat Cuts

2007-02-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

It's not so common in most supermarkets but Beef Skirt is one of the most distinctive of cuts of organic beef. There are various spots of the body that your butcher can get Skirt but all come from the lean muscles inside the cow. It tends to be extremely lean and unless cooked slowly can be a bit tough.

It works well in a pie or minces well for a good ole spag bol. And if you had tough day at work you can tenderise it and score across the grain, pop it under the grill with a bit of marinade and it will taste a treat.

Egon Ronay - Is Organic a Con?

2007-02-05T05:45:00.000-08:00

Egon Ronay the well respected food critic has weighed in on the debate started recently by David Miliband. Ronay has suggested there plenty of confusion about what organic actually means & whether there is any scientific evidence to suggest that it is any healthier.

While the Soil Association have defended their studies on the higher level of nutrients in organic certified food, they too have suggested that Milliband and his department ought to clarify his comments one way or the other.

Here at Organic Food News certainly think there are plenty of benefits to organic farming. Not just for those eating the food but for the environment as a whole. Such debates can only harm organic food which seems to be making really headway in recent months into the shopping trolleys of familys across the UK. Egon Ronay is right to challenge Miliband and hopefully we'll hear a full response soon.

Farmers Market of the Week - Wimbledon London

2007-01-26T06:31:00.000-08:00

In the first Farmers Market of the week we throw the spotlight on to Wimbledon Farmers Market. (hopefully it will become a regular occurance every Friday) Located in the Wimbledon Park First school grounds, the gathering of some of the best produce London has to offer, is just round the corner from the home of British Tennis.

The market runs every Saturday from 9AM - 1PM and should provide you with the chance to pick up some Organically produced stock. Keep an eye open for Pear, Parsnips & Leeks which are in Season at the moment. You can find out more info at the farmers market website.

If it ain't Local it ain't Organic

2007-01-26T06:11:00.000-08:00

There has been quite a lot of debate recently about the transportation of Organic food. The argument goes, while organic food may be better for the environment where the food is grown if the food is shipped long distance the pollution caused by the transportation could be worse for the environment than non-organic locally produced fodd. It's a complex debate, with plenty of well reasoned arguments on both sides of the fence.

It seem's that the Soil Association has weighed up the various pros & cons and seems to be prefering the local option. Whilst on Radio 4's Today Programme Patrick Holden, Director of the Soil Association, presented plans to prevent foreign food recieving organic status.

Definately a bold move,the possibility that organic food was bad for the environment was leaving a bitter taste for many people. By making this move the Soil Association they would be ensuring that organic food remained the environmentally healthy choice.

However I can't help that worry that such a move would either drive the price of organic food upwards, discouraging those currently experimenting with organic food. Or more worringly the move could encourage the supermarkets, making small steps towards supporting organic food, to stop selling organicn food. At the moment the British Agriculture doesn't have the supply of organic food to meet the supermarkets demand.

While it's important to highlight impact of shipping food internationally the Soil Association should be careful not to harm the great work they and farmers have achieved already with organic food.

Cuban Unlikely Organic Hot Spot

2007-01-16T13:40:00.000-08:00

In the Independent's armchair guide to Fidel Castro has brought up an unlikely fact about the Cuban regime. The American embargoes have lead to a thriving organic farming market. A huge number of allotments have sprung up all over the Island and are now providing 90% of the countries fruit and veg, most of which is grown in traditional organic ways. So the healthy food might keep Castro going for a while more.

Via OrganicFood.co.uk

Miliband's Organic U Turn

2007-01-16T23:20:00.000-08:00

Last week David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, got himself in a bit of trouble over a flippant comment he made suggesting that despite eating organic food it was no better for you.

As you can imagine it didn't go down to well with the organic farmers or buyers leading to a slightly arkward back track. With his department releasing some figure proving the benefit of organic food for health.

British Organic Food Seling Like Hot Cakes

2007-01-16T23:06:00.000-08:00

Now we are in the new year it seems every few hours there is a new press release or report showing what a good year it was for organic food sales last year. The latest to land on our desk was from grocery think tank IGD, who report how organic & fair trade food are already making up 10% of the total grocery market. They also predict a rise in the market over the next couple of years.

It seems most of this growth is through supermarkets who slowly but surely are offering a wide range of organic products. And they are selling well which is just the language is companies like Wal Mart and Tesco understand.

Californian Citrus Crop Caught in Cold

2007-01-15T23:16:00.000-08:00

A huge number of Californian farmers have found themselves caught out by ever more erratic weather. Over 70% of the sunshine state's $1 billion crop has been damaged in the recent frosts. Oranges, Lemons, Avocados and Salads are all likely to feel the pinch and inevitable the cost of fresh fruit and veg is likely to go up in the states. Apparently some of the Oranges will be okay for fruit juice though. Which is good news if you got a smoothie maker for Christmas thats been thats been collecting dust.

Good News for Organic Orchards

2007-01-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

If you are large scale organic apple grower, or just have a tree with some healthy Granny Smiths on there is some good news from Wageningen University. They've found that a by-product of sugar processing could help cut the danger of Apple Scab by some 95%.

This is really good news, as in the past farmers where having to risk the fungus pest or resort to some not too pretty pesticides and miss out on organic status. So fingers crossed organic apples and scrumpy might have just got a bit easier to get your hands on.

Organic Doughnuts

2007-01-16T00:45:00.000-08:00

Seem's a bit of a contradiction in terms, but Seatle's "Mighty-O Donuts" is making strides forward in the brave new world of organic doughnuts. Ryan Kellner the owner is apparently proud to be "ahead of the curve". Although at first the idea of a healthy Doughnut does seem a little silly I think it definately has some scope. Everyone needs a treat now and then, if that treat can be a little better for them and a lot better for the environment, that's fine by me.

If you need me I'm working on my business plan for an organic kebab shop!

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2007-01-15T23:12:00.000-08:00

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