Sir, A plethora of journalists (including your own Kevin Hawkins) have been gagging to write about ‘The End Of Organics’ so they can portray the move towards sustainable food as just another symptom of gullible middle-class
Guardian readers being ripped-off by cynical retailers. The reality is much more interesting. The meteoric growth of organic food over the past ten years has set the agenda for the food industry as a whole – natural, traceable and ethical are cornerstones of organic food production that are increasingly also part of the mainstream food industry. And therein lies the problem: organics is a victim of its own success. Organics offers so many “interlocking benefits” (in Peter Melchett’s phrase) that it is often difficult to select those most appropriate to a specific product and consumer group. However work is under way to explain to consumers in simple, motivating language the
benefits of buying organic. The government has a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80%, and in agriculture this can only be done by deriving fertility from sunshine and organic matter rather than from fossil fuel-based chemical fertilisers. Meanwhile, accounts of the end of organics are premature.
Simon Wright
http://www.organicandfairplus.com
[First published on letters page of The Grocer, 25 April 2009]
Sir, Kevin Hawkins correctly observes the recent performance difference between organic and Fairtrade certified product sectors, yet his final throwaway comment ‘it all comes down to plain old marketing in the end’ indicates a simplistic analysis that has missed the underlying consumer concern.
New-wave organic ‘me’ consumers, unconcerned by the long-term environmental benefits that convinced earlier pioneers, rightly joined the organic trail as a convenient one-stop solution for a healthier diet.
Now, in the downturn, they turn to cheaper products, relying on unsubstantiated manufacturer health claims that, unlike organic certification, have no independent third party assurance.
On the other hand, public suspicion of corporate greed and lack of accountability is deepening. CSR research has confirmed this ever widening gap between perception and practice.
This is clearly an opportunity for any business that actually walks the walk as opposed to relying on deep pockets and clever marketing.
Many marginalised small farmers invested in organic and Fairtrade certification as a safer yet more secure market access option. They are now concerned that supermarkets will look for cheaper, less sustainable options and drop their products in favour of other suppliers. I hope multiple distributors don’t undermine their commitment to the long-term Fairtrade standard.
Andy Good MD, Equal Exchange
[First published on letters page of The Grocer, 11 April 2009]
Simon Wright says the meteoric growth of organic foods over the past decade has set the agenda for the food industry as a whole . True, a rise from 3% of the total grocery market to 4% is a 33% meteoric improvement, but currently more than 95% of UK groceries are produced by conventional farming, with much of that food coming via GM commodity crops and most of the UK’s animals fed on diets that increasingly incorporate high proportions of GM soya and maize.
Surely it’s not unreasonable to ask how much longer The Grocer’s readers have to wait for the Soil Association and its members like Simon Wright to tell us just when organic farming is to deliver sufficient food for the world’s hungry (and growing) population, supplied at prices people are prepared or able to pay, and without using any of the accepted technologies that most of the world’s farmers rely upon?
Or is it perhaps the reality that organic systems remain too costly and unproductive, and that they will never deliver more than the few percent of global production they already deliver today?
When the yield from GM crops continues to exceed that of even conventional equivalents, is it not time for organic supporters to accept they will always be a welcome choice as a niche market – and enjoy whatever price premium they can achieve?
Tony Combes, via email
[First published on letters page of The Grocer, 02 May 2009]
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