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![]() Providing information on organic food and farming in Wales | ||
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Price and quality![]() What about the price of organic food?Organic food may cost more because: • labour costs can be higher because of organic farming methods; • yields may be lower; • organically grown feed for animals can be expensive to buy; • processed organic foods can be more expensive than conventional equivalents, because ingredient costs are higher and other organic restrictions can lead to higher costs; • smaller quantities and longer distances usually raise the costs of distribution and marketing; • as with any product, when demand is high and supply is low, the price goes up and the farmer has very little control over this! How can I find organic food at a reasonable price?• You can often buy direct from the producer. This might be by box schemes, from farmers' markets, online sales, mail order or farm shops. • Produce can be cheaper when it's in season. • Most supermarkets and wholefood shops stock organic produce: if you can't find it, ask for it! • By preparing your own food and avoiding highly processed foods, you may find that you are not paying any more overall than you would for non-organic food. • to find out where you can buy organic produce, download our booklet Local and Organic. What about the quality of organic food?![]() • Organic food contains fewer residues of the pesticides used in conventional agriculture, so buying organic produce is one way to reduce the chances that your food contains these pesticide residues. • There are indications that organic fruit and vegetables may, on average, contain higher levels of vitamin C and other important minerals. • The routine dosing of farm animals with antibiotics is not allowed. • Only about 30 additives, such as salt and baking powder, are permitted in organic processed food, compared with more than 290 additives permitted for use in non-organic processed foods. • Hydrogenated fats, linked with heart disease, are not allowed in processed organic foods. • Milk from organic cows fed on high proportions of grass and clover has a higher content of Omega 3 and other essential fatty acids. • A healthy diet should be well balanced and should contain plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. A diet dominated by highly processed foods may contain unhealthy levels of sugars, saturated fats or salt, whether or not it is organic. <Prev:What are organic standards? Next:> The wider context |
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Organic Centre Wales, IBERS, Gogerddan Campus Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, SY23 3EB T:01970 622248 E: organic@aber.ac.uk |