organic certification, fair trade and air miles

Here's my take on the debate that's raging at the moment, on air freight and organic, which I've also briefly covered previously (Soil Association and Financial Times links available there). My own opinion of their move only really comes on in the last 2 paragraphs, where I deal with the protectionism or otherwise of the Soil Association's move. In the 2nd week of January, I'll have an article in the Examiner on the topic which gives it a specifically Irish slant: it will feature the opinion of IOFGA and an Irish organic importer and wholesaler.

The UK�s largest organic certification body, the Soil Association, has come up with an innovative but also controversial way to deal with the environmental impact of air-freighted organic food.

In a move being implemented over the next few years, air freighted organic food imported by the Soil Association will have to meet the organisations own ethical trade standards or the Fairtrade Foundation�s standards.

According to the Soil Association, �these standards apply to the whole supply chain, and require fair trading arrangements, ethical employment relationships including fair pay, and concrete social and cultural contributions to the local community or society more widely�.

This policy position comes after a large consultative process on the issues around air-freight and organic food, involving numerous participants: 100 representatives from industry, NGOs, and government were directly consulted; respectively, these organisations made 28 (industry) 24 (NGOs), and 5 (government and international agencies) submissions.

In addition, the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations, commissioned research to look at the social and economic implications of the Soil Association implementing an air freight ban.

The organisation claims that they are �also looking at how we can reliably and fairly assess the full carbon footprint of all organic products and are working closely with the Carbon Trust. We want all organic products to have a minimal or even mitigating contribution to climate change. Aside from air freight, we are reviewing our standards for heated glasshouse production and actively encourage people to eat less meat.�

Air freighting organic food implicates a range of environmental and social justice issues. According to the Soil Association, �Less than 1% of organic imports come by air freight, the vast majority coming by sea, but air freight has the highest global warming potential of any form of transport. Although less than 1% of the total UK food miles, air freight is responsible for 11% of the CO2 emissions from UK food transport.

�Air freight can generate 177 times more greenhouse gas than shipping�, they suggest.

They also point out that the oil supply may have peaked, and is thus too scarce to use importing food in such a wasteful way. Also, the negative effects of climate change are likely to be felt in the poorest countries first and hardest.

Others are not convinced. Some, such as the International Institute for Environment Development (IIED) think that focusing on such a minute cause of carbon emissions is wrong-headed.

It estimates that in the UK, passenger flights account for 90 per cent of emissions from air transport, and international freight for five per cent.

It also claims that air-freighting from sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 0.1 per cent of the UK's total carbon emissions, while around 65 per cent of emissions relating to food are caused by transportation within Britain. Production methods in Africa also involve lower emissions; in the UK, the use of production techniques such as heated glasshouses increases carbon emissions.

Others again have accused the Soil Association of an ugly type of protectionism. Under the amusing title �organic movement hijacked by Greens�, the Financial Times recently suggested that �attempts to impose such conditions on international trade is dressed up as a way of helping subsistence farmers in developing countries. In practice, it will penalise some of the poorest people on earth because they cannot adopt the same employment practices as their wealthy western competitors.�

To be fair to them, the Soil Association do seem to have many of their angles covered: they claim that this step is part of a broader process of investigating the entire carbon footprint of organic food; likewise, the synergy with fair trade isn�t so much a ban of air freight as a reward for air-freight that also carries some socio-environmental benefits. So what could be called protectionism could also be called value-adding through partnership, depending on your perspective.

It is also the case that, while they are the largest UK organic certifier, they are not the only one. This limits economistic fears of a protectionist monopoly: there will still be organic air-freighted food available that involves no guarantees of improved conditions for workers, the environment or the locale from which the food is flown, if that�s what you as a consumer really want.

Ollie's Christmas list: santy calling....

Dear Santy, Ollie again. I know some people think I�m a bit old for all this Santy stuff, but after last year, I can say with absolute conviction that I am a believer!

I mean, I wanted an overall majority for the Greens, and a Minister for as opposed to against the Environment. Now, I didn�t get the overall majority, but I did get a Green Minister in the Department of Ag with responsibility for organic, and a Green Environment minister.

And I wanted the Minister for as opposed to against the environment to at least watch the movie An Inconvenient Truth. Our new minister for the Environment met with Al Gore a few weeks back. I also asked for a dig out for the small organic growers. Fair play Santy, you really are a miracle worker.

And, while it�s tough for conventional farmers at the moment, with rising prices for all their agri-industrial inputs � the fertilizers, feeds, pesticides, fuel and all that, it just might encourage a few of them over to organic. Organic farmers� costs are also rising, but the playing field seems to be levelling a bit.

So it is with both hope and expectation that I�m writing this note to you. I feel a bit like the boy who has a fair bit and wants a fair bit more.

Anyway, the first one is fairly straight forward: I want the bits the Greens actually got into the programme for government to happen.

Especially 5% organic farming by 2012 and more support for farmers� markets. So if you could start working on that, Santy, great. I�d say the IOFGA manifesto is probably a good place to start, if you want to increase the organic acreage. There�s plenty of good advice in there; what�s more, I think the new Minister has already been listening to them. So, like most other kids these days, for me Christmas is just one big gift giving season.

You could add to his work by establishing a new organic development agency to kick start production, magic up a �20 million annual budget for the sector, encourage public institutions to provide organic food, and help out the tillage and horticulture sectors.

Minister Sargent, Santa�s little helper, has already done a bit for horticulture and tillage, but far more needs to be done.

He�s also started on the farmers� markets, but he really needs to start cracking the whip in a way befitting of a man with a double-barrelled authoritarian name; a minister and a sergeant.

He needs to get the county managers into a room, to tell them to tell their underlings to treat farmers� markets with the respect they deserve. And he needs to follow up on this by, with other Ministers like John Gormley, who has local government under his remit, setting local authorities targets to change their behaviour and attitude. In particular, all local authorities need to allow roadside advertising of farmers� markets. That way, you Rudolf and the rest of the Reindeers might actually find your way to one on your travels.

Here�s a real tough one for you now Santy: can you try to get some of our dusty old nutritionists to finally start accepting that, sometimes, organic food actually is more nutritious? What are they afraid of? There is so much recent research, especially into fruits, vegetables and milk, to suggest that it is more nutritious, that they�ll have to change their minds soon Santy.

In fact, if you could only stop them from trumpeting that ould broken record mantra �there is no evidence to suggest that organic food is more nutritious�, that�d be a start. It just keeps on popping up everywhere, so it does Santy, no matter what evidence comes out.

I know you have some sort of connection to Coca Cola Santy, which might colour your opinion, but even Coke are adding Green tea to a new product range of theirs, Diet Coke Plus. They advertise that this increases the antioxidants in the product, but really Santy, antioxidants are what all this new research is showing at higher levels in organic food.

So I�d recommend laying off the Coke Santy, and joining the reindeers in chompin on the organic carrots I�ve left out for you.

Yours in anticipation,

Dr. Ollie Moore

IOFGA Conference 2007

Leading food writer John McKenna has called for the resignation of Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) executives who recently described organic food as "a lifestyle choice".

Echoing ex-British environment minister David Milliband, the FSAI stated that organic food "is really a lifestyle choice. There is no bad food and no good food, but the key is a balanced diet."

McKenna, provocative and polemical in equal measure, labasted conventional agriculture, suggested that it was dressed up chemical farming.

These words and many more were uttered at the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association's (IOFGA) food seminar and AGM, held in Mellow's College, Athenry, Co. Galway, recently.

Well attended and upbeat, as many organic events are these days, it attracted about 150 people to hear an assortment of orators cover a diversity of topics, from GM and soil quality, to history, climate change and the benefits of the organic path.

Minister of State with responsibility for organic farming, Trevor Sargent, spoke of the need for better training to be developed in organic horticulture and tillage, of the fossil fuel dependency of conventional farming, and even of switching some departmental consumption of food over to organic. He also suggested at a recent local food conference that State institutions should consider serving some organic options. Dr Charles Merfield from Teagasc spoke about soil health. "Merf" � as New Zealander Dr Merfield prefers to be called � is knowledgeable and infectiously enthusiastic. Did you know that, according to Merf, a kilometer of ploughed soil contains 10 billion bacteria, 10,000 kilometres of fungal growth, and immeasurable levels of algae. And only 6% of soil life is categorised.

Considering how utterly dependent we are on soil, our understanding of how it functions is "heart stoppingly thin", said Merf. He suggested that soil science is only now coming of age. Previously it was just soil chemistry, whereas now it encompasses physics, biology, ecology and chemistry.

Soil is central to so much of what happens on the planet: the carbon cycle, life and ecoystems, maintaining landscapes, food production, water storage and filtration, and bioremediation (the locking away of toxins). According to Merf, science has come to agree with the organic movement's vision of soil; and society is hopefully following. "Never treat soils like dirt!" he concluded.

Peter Melchett, a former minister in the Labour administration in Britain, who is a 900-acre farmer and policy director with the Soil Association, spoke about the threat of climate change, and the role of organic farming in its mitigation.

He also referred to the global threat of genetically engineered food and the need for direct action to halt it. According to Melchett, comprehensive research had not been carried out to evaluate the impact of GM food on the environment, or animal and human health.

Michael Hickey spoke about the previous 25 years of IOFGA, as well as the future. He was one of the first native Irish members of the organisation, founded in 1982. Most members back then came from other countries and were described as "blow ins". Michael and a brave few others joined this merry band of homesteaders by the mid-1980s, when the organic movement was changing.

Around then, Irish farmers started to join, an era of professionalism was initiated, and governmental recognition began to emerge.

As ever, one of the first items on the agenda was a split, with Michael in the thick of it. And yet, the organic movement carried on, developed, and now, as Michael said, "IOFGA will no longer be an organisation acting on the fringes."

With 150 people turning up on a Sunday morning in November in Co. Galway to hear people talk about the challenge, the politics, the science and the history of organics, who can argue with him?

report on local food conference Mullingar November 2007

Here's an article on a recent local food conference, published a couple of weeks ago in Irish Examiner.

Local food is sexy. Last March Time magazine ran a cover story featuring a big red apple with a green leaf and a sticker on its side. This sticker provocatively proclaimed �forget organic: eat local�.

Whatever about the veracity or otherwise of the statement, if the attendance at the Local Food conference last week in Mullingar is anything to go by, then local food is fast become sexy in Ireland too.

The conference, organised by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Bord Bia, was on on a Tuesday evening, free to attend and consequently packed. Not only that, this was no academic talk shop: there were an exceptional number of inquisitive conventional farmers amongst the 250-odd attendees, farmers eager to find out about their options.

They heard that, according to newly commissioned research by Bord Bia, seven out of ten shoppers prefer to buy local food, with 93 percent of those that buy local doing so because they want to support the local economy.

This research, presented by Helen King, senior business analyst with Bord Bia, suggested that authenticity was key: health, naturalness and freshness are primary consumer motivators.

Helen King also made recommendations to the many producers present: maintaining the personal touch, and the feel of local food, even as you expand, is important. To do this, it makes sense to emphasise tradition and providence, and to try to keep genuine connections with consumers.

There were other positive stories for those considering setting up small food businesses to sell locally.

Minister of State for Food and Horticulture Trevor Sargent opened proceedings, emphasising the importance of the agri-food sector, but also the growing desire consumers have for �speciality, regional local and organic food�.

Tim Schlitzer from the FoodRoutes network presented on the situation in the US, where FoodRoutes has helped many farmers maintain and indeed develop their livlihoods. FoodRoutes have over 45 �buy fresh buy local� chapters, which aim to empower local economies, create healthy communities and thus healthy people.

Tim suggested that research in the US found that 71% of consumers would be willing to spend more on local food; that a �buy fresh buy local� campaign and guide in Philadelphia doubled local food purchases amongst a range of institutional players, including hospitals, retirement homes, restaurants, grocers and colleges; and that even a 1% shift �in consumer expenditures to direct purchasing of local food products could increase farmers� income by as much as 5%�.

A panel discussion followed Tim�s presentation. Because of the size, diversity and knowledge levels of the audience, the contributions from the floor were every bit as interesting as what came from the presentations and panels.

Perhaps the most striking question came from Michael Connolly, from a sustainability group in Monaghan. Michael directed a query specifically to Minister Sargent. He asked the Minister how much of our food is imported and how is Ireland equipped for energy descent? Energy descent refers to the depletion of oil reserves; in other words, how is Ireland equipped to cope in a world with ever less available and ever more expensive oil? The minister was quite forthright on both counts. He addressed the specific gaps in local availability: yes, the majority of the meat, milk and their derivative products we consume are Irish. You could be forgiven for asking � so what�s the big deal with local then? The big deal is that fresh fruits and vegetables are in dire need of support, both from a consumer health and food security perspective.

There are less than a handful of large conventional carrot growers left in Ireland, and even fewer brussels� sprout producers. And that�s before energy decent. So at the moment, he suggested, we haven�t a chance of surviving energy decent. And if we loose local food providers, in a context of energy decent, we risk social unrest.

There were also presentations, and indeed short films with a more specifically Irish theme.

To some extent, this is where the messages from the podium started to get a bit mixed. The presentation by Sharon Buckley, (Trading Director Musgraves group, which includes Supervalu and Centra) was ostensibly about local food and the Musgraves group: in practice, the presentation simply outlined the history and current business development of the Musgraves group, with occasional references to local food sourcing. A short film of a new large Supervalu store in Kells Co. Meath, in the middle of her presentation, did little to expand upon the local food theme either.

Sharon did suggest that the local ownership of Supervalu stores allowed these stores to be more a part of the community. There are indeed some standout Supervalus, stores with a plethora of quality food of local provenance, such as Scally�s of Clonakilty. Likewise, the next presenter, Mary Kelly of Kelly�s Organics in Mullingar, sell some of the produce through their local Centras and Supervalus. Overall however, the presentation did little to convince the audience that Supervalu were in any significant way relevant to or committed to developing a local food culture. From speaking to delegates after the conference, many felt that the aforementioned standout Supervalus are more exceptions than the norm.

Mary Kelly�s presentation and short film presented a genuine good news story for local food, however, and is covered in more detail in the Organic Diary in this farming supplement. But briefly, the Kelly�s Moonshine organics business signposted the way for others to follow: if you are a struggling but open-minded conventional dairy farmer, the Kelly�s story should interest you. Converting to organic, and initiating value-adding through an on-farm production and local distribution of yoghurts, fresh cheeses and smoothies changed their farming lives for the better.

There was then another panel discussion, with more contributions from the floor. The main queries and statements revolved around retailer policy. One beef and lamb farmer stated, to applause, �we can�t donate food to you any longer�; he compared the price he gets (�3.50 per kilo) to the price the lamb retails for (�13.99 a kilo) on the shelves. Sharon Buckley responded by stating that they have been paying increased prices for some categories, but still need to compete with other retailers.

There was also some discussion on whether there was in fact a limit on the amount of local food supermarkets would take in: some suggested that there was a 5% limit on locally sourced products, however there was no clear answer from the panellists. Mary Kelly did reiterate that her local Supervalu did take her products, however.

Others criticised the effect of central distribution and own brand labelling on local provisioning of local, as opposed to just generic Irish produce. Potatoes were cited as a particular example. Peter Ward, of Country Choice in Tipperary was typically eloquent when he welcomed Supervalu into the local provisioning world, after �meeting St. Paul on the road to Damascus�. He pointed out that before centralised distribution, you could get local potatoes easily, and wished them well on the long road they faced ahead, in convincing people of their local credentials.

Following these presentations, Minister Sargent announced the arrival of a new guide, published by Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, to selling through farmers� markets, farm shops and box schemes in Ireland. Details of this guide are in the caption box.

All in all, the mood at this event was very upbeat. Yes, there are serious obstacles to face in guaranteeing local supply of the range of foods we need to be healthy, and yes there is sometimes a gap between rhetoric and reality with regard to local. However, this part of the agri-food sector has a committed and knowledgeable Minister of State in Trevor Sargent. And with some of what is sometimes called blue sky thinking, including the conversion over to local provisioning by creative conventional producers, a la the Kelly�s of Mullingar, we may start to develop a genuine, deep and embedded local food culture.

Note:
The newly published �Guide to selling through farmers� markets, farm shops and box schemes in Ireland� as the name suggests, features sections on each of these local selling options: farmer�s markets, farm shops and box schemes. There are also some interesting sections including getting started at a farmers� market; your first day at the farmers� market; a pricing appendix and useful contacts. This 64 page A5 sized guide will certainly prove useful as an introduction to the potentialities of and for local food selling. Much of this information ,and plenty more useful information too, is also available on a new Bord Bia small food business website, which is far more user-friendly than the main bord bia website. See here (www.bordbiavantage.ie.)

This Sunday, why not visit...

The Italian School of Cooking in Dublin, where there is a a Christmas Artisan Food Fair on Sunday 9 December from 12 noon-6 pm. The Italian School of Cooking is in Rathmines Park at the rear of 175A Rathgar Road, Dublin 6. (You will see Santa at the entrance of the School on Rathgar Road (across from the Esso Garage at the Rathmines end).

This is being held to launch this site: da-daaa!
This new site is affiliated to one of those linked over there on the left, greatfood.ie

food labelling : what can the marketeers get away with?

Another non-organic article folks, though one surely of interest to organic types. Below is the full text of an article I had in the Examiner recently on food labelling.

Food labels and food labelling: the experts agree that it�s a minefield. Take E numbers. Legislation requires that they are listed on food labels.

According to the organisation that represents nutritionists and dieticians in Ireland, INDI, �contrary to popular belief, E numbers are additives that have passed EU safety tests. You should be more concerned if you see numbers without an E before them�.

However, a recent study has muddied the waters somewhat. Up until now, in the vast majority of cases, E numbers were tested individually, found to be safe and then labelled as such. But when a range of colouring additives and a particular common preservative were tested together for their combined effect, the results have proved to be worrying.

A recent University of Southampton study examined the effect of benzoate preservatives and the following artificial food colours: Tartrazine (E102) Ponceau 4R (E124) Sunset Yellow (E110) Carmoisine (E122) Quinoline Yellow (E104) Allura Red (E129).

According to professor of Psychology Jim Stevenson, who led the research; �We have now shown that for a large group of children in the general population, consumption of certain mixtures of artificial food colours and benzoate preservative can influence their hyperactive behaviour�.

In light of this research, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) have come out and stated that children who display symptoms of hyperactivity or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) should limit their consumption of these additives.

Whether all children or just those with these particular symptoms should avoid these additives is proving to be controversial. RedBranch is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes healthy lifestyle choices in Irish children and young people, primarily through schools. They suggest that the FSAI position doesn�t go far enough:

�The study found adverse effects in the general population, not just in children with ADHD, and this is not the first scientific study questioning the wisdom of adding cocktails of chemicals to children's food. We advise all parents to avoid these unnecessary additives�.

So even if it�s on the label, it may present a risk. So how exactly are food labels and labelling policed?

According to the authorities, labelling should not be false or misleading. The FSAI point to 11 key areas, some compulsory, some dependant upon other factors: Name of product, list of ingredients, quantity of certain ingredients, net quantity, date of minimum durability, special storage conditions, name and address, origin, instructions for use, alcoholic beverages and nutrition labelling.

Many of these areas are common sense. For example, the list of ingredients is in descending order of weight. However, there are provisos. Take origin. Origin only has to be labelled if it is considered that its absence might mislead the consumer. I asked Dr. Jeff Moon of the Consumer Protection Unit in the FSAI about this. Specifically, I asked Jeff about the Irish chicken:

�In simple terms, if you say something comes from somewhere it has to be from there. But where there is a lot of processing going on here then you would be able to say it�s a product of Ireland. Take for example Chicken Kiev. Chicken can be imported into here, and processed. A sauce can be put into it, breadcrumbs put onto it, it can be cooked and presented in a way that�s ready to eat; that can then be considered an Irish product. If there is an indication that the actual chicken was Irish, and it wasn�t, that would be misleading. Basically it�s to do with how much processing and transformation the product goes through�.

INDI�s factsheet, while claiming that food labelling shouldn�t be misleading, points out just how difficult to understand labels can be. They point out that sodium is often labelled rather than salt. To calculate the accurate salt level, the sodium figure needs to be multiplied by 2.5. �Salt should be salt� according to Margot Brennan of INDI: �if you are in a shopping centre, and suddenly you come across sodium, and you are trying to multiply it by two and a half, it�s hugely confusing for people�.

INDI�s factsheet also states that if a product is making an endorsed health claim, there are criteria. For example, a product must have less than 5% fat to be labelled low fat: so �90% fat-free� means 10% fat and thus high fat.

Marketers really do test the limits: According to Dave Burns from RedBranch: �If you look at breakfast cereals, they often advertise themselves as high in calcium. The calcium often comes from chalk�The manufacturer is then able to make a claim, by adding a very cheap ingredient to a highly processed food�.

But wait, there�s more: �some fruit drinks have only 10% fruit, but have fruit in the name, and pictures of fruit all over the packet. You�d have to drink 50 200ml bottles for one litre of actual fruit juice�.

As so often is the case, there is legislation on the way to try to catch up with these sorts of claims. But when, as Margot Brennan suggests, �the marketers will push it as far as they can� these very marketers seem to be leading the dynamic.

note: for more, see the new FSAI publication : The labelling of Food in Ireland 2007

Spot the hidden sugar:

Sports drinks and energy drinks are extremely well marketed. Sugar in the form of glucose and water are often the main ingredients. Glucose is one way sugar hides. Here are some others, all of which will raise your blood sugar levels:

Sucrose, fructose, glucose syrup, golden syrup, maple syrup, treacle, fruit juices, invert sugar, honey, dextrose, maltose.