Why Organics?
Useful Organic Information here too:
Below is an except from Australian Organic Journel Summer 2004/2005:
"Can you afford to eat organic food?"
CAN YOU AFFORD NOT TO?
By SHANE HEATON
Regular readers of the Australian Organic Journal will know by now the many reasons I argue that people can't afford to not eat organic food. More nutrients, fewer toxins, less water, better for farmers, better for animals, better for the environment and so on. I don't consider organic food a luxury item, but rather how food is supposed to be, and the higher price is the real price of real food, paid now, not later in environmental and health care costs externalised by industrial agriculture. More and more consumers are realising that they can buy good food or cheap food,
but not good cheap food.
Many people fail to eat sufficient fruit and vegetables, not even eating the minimum five pieces recommended by most governments and food agencies. Mind you, new research in the UK shows that the healthiest people actually eat eight or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day. My belief is that orthodox food agencies like Food Standards Australia New Zealand or the Australian Dietetics Association refuse to endorse organic food, and are happy to support the narrow and scientifically invalid view that there's no evidence of a difference between organic and non-organic food, because of the following false presumption: “If people need to pay more for fruit and veg they'll eat less of it, and we need them to eat more, not less.”
But is this true? In my opinion, no. I believe the key issues here are consumer education and how households choose to prioritise their spending. It's assumed that household income is the main determinant of demand for organic food, yet the industry experience is that organic consumers come from all walks of life and all levels of the socio-economic spectrum. "But many people are struggling to get by and can't afford to spend more on food." they say.
To see just how false these assumptions are, let's take a look at the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data on household spending, published in 2000. The first thing to note is that the average Australian household spends only 18% of its expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages. As a percent of household spending this is less than the previous survey in 1994. We're spending less of our money on food than we used to. So how DO we spend our money? Obviously we spend it on a great many things.The average Australian household spends more on junk food than fruit and vegetables; More on fast food and take-away than fruit and vegetables; More on alcohol than fruit and vegetables. Alcohol and tobacco combined account for nearly twice the spending on fruit and vegetables. We spend five times more on recreation than fruit and vegetables. And the net result of these choices is that we spend nearly twice as much on medical expenses as we do on fruit and veg. Looking at the previous ABS survey (1994) shows that the proportion of household spending needed for medical and health expenses is rising.
It's no surprise. In the UK the failing health care sector is prompting many to advocate a paradigm shift in thinking to regarding agriculture as the primary health sector. This recognises the fundamental importance of the quality of the food we eat, and its influence on public and individual health. It is my firm belief that once people become more aware of the issues surrounding food production; the false assurances given regarding the safety of pesticide residues; the growing evidence of health risks associated with exposure to multiple pesticide residues; the declining nutrient content in modern foods; the abuses of animal welfare in industrial farming; the overuse of antibiotics to keep unhealthy farm animals alive; the overuse of food additives to make rubbish food taste like real food; rising cancer incidence and fertility problems; and the better taste and quality of organic produce; they will make more conscious choices of the food they feed themselves and their families.
Who knows? Perhaps, if spending increases on organic fruit and vegetables, people will spend less on junk food, take-aways, alcohol and cigarettes. Perhaps they'll need to spend less on medical and health expenses. This is the vision of the organic movement in Australia - that the health of the nation depends vitally on the health of our agriculture, and the intensive, agrichemical-based conventional system is taking us in the wrong direction. Experience in more developed organic markets like the UK also reveals that as the market grows, the premium on organics comes down to around 30%, making it even more affordable.
Consumer education is a key challenge for the organic movement in the years ahead, for the argument that people can't afford organic food is clearly not true.
'Can we afford not to go organic?'
is the real question to ask.
ABS 2000, Household Expenditure
Survey, Australia: Detailed expenditure
items, report 6535.0, 1998-1999
available on abs.gov.au
AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC JOURNAL - SUMMER 2004/2005
