Organic September – a month long campaign, hosted by The Soil Association that celebrates our amazing organic food, farmers and producers within the UK. We were proud to be a part of this incredible movement last month, but even with September at a close, we want to show you how eating healthy organic plant-only food can not only benefit you, but also our planet.
But why we hear you say, what’s so special about this organic malarkey?
Creating nourishing food with organic ingredients has always been the Tideford way, making delicious homemade-style soups for over 25 years now. Being organic is important to us, not just because of its benefits to the environment, but we think it tastes better too!
There’s a lot more to organic than just a higher price tag
IT’S ABOUT KNOWING WHAT’S IN YOUR FOOD
They say you are what you eat, right? So what about when you can’t be 100% sure of what you are eating?
- All organic ingredients are fully traceable from farm to fork so you can be exactly sure of what you’re eating.
- The use of genetically modified crops and ingredients are banned under European Union and international organic standards
- Choosing organic is an easy way to avoid pesticides, herbicides, and many additives and preservatives
IT MEANS FEWER PESTICIDES
We don’t know about you but here at Tideford we like to know what’s in our food, and that means eating more of the good stuff and less of the nasties. Many pesticides remain in some of the food we eat, despite washing and cooking!
- A test by the UK government in 2015 detected pesticide residues in almost 43% of British food
- Organic farming is produced with virtually no pesticides, and those that are used are based on naturally occurring substances and are carefully selected and approved by the EU
- Research suggests that if all farming in England and Wales was organic, pesticide use would drop by 98%!
IT’S BETTER FOR WILDLIFE
- Organic farming works with nature. Currently the total mass of insects is falling by 2.5% a year, suggesting they could vanish altogether within a century! Organic farmers don’t use herbicides at all! Fungicides and insecticides are also severely restricted which means organic farms are havens for wildlife and provide homes for bees, birds and butterflies
- On average, plant, insect and bird life is 50% more abundant on organic farms and they’re also home to 30% more species
IT’S BETTER FOR THE PLANET
Perhaps one of the most important reasons for why we are organic. Organic farms release less greenhouse gases per hectare than non-organic farms, helping to combat climate change.
- Organic farms have higher soil carbon levels than non-organic and overall use less energy
- They do no rely on artificial fertilisers made from finite fossil fuels
- Organic farming enhances soil life, natural soil fertility and water quality
- Choosing organic, local and seasonal food could help reduce your carbon footprint
So it’s a no brainer – the more people buying organic, the larger the demand and the more organic farms. But if only it was that simple! We recognise that buying organic food can be a little heftier on your wallet so we’ve come up with a few top tips to help you get started:
- Look out for the logo – where you do buy organic make sure that is it certified, that way you know that its food you can trust – look out for the Soil Association logo on pack.
- Make simple swaps – we know that you’re not going to be able to afford to change your whole shop over to organic anytime soon, but you could start by swapping out some of the main culprits. The Pesticide Action Network UK have come up with ‘The Dirty Dozen’ which showcases the top twelve fruits and vegetables which have been found to contain the highest pesticide residues.
- Enjoy a soup or two – one thing we know is that every time we tuck into one of our delicious soups, we’re having a positive impact on the planet and helping ourselves in the process.
The environment has always been at the heart of everything Tideford does. That is why we have always been a dedicated organic company, and why three years ago we made the switch to vegan. With increasing evidence that making the change to organic has a positive impact on our health and a significant benefit to our planet it seems more important than ever to #chooseorganic.
All information correct as of September 2019 and taken from The Soil Association.
