what is organic?

It's all about naturally grown food, from soil made fertile by crop rotation, manure and compost application. It's basically about the soil's health where we grow the same healthy produce.

It's about animals, too. From free range to animals not fed with a cocktail of drugs to keep them healthy but reared conventionaly with their welfare in mind.

In the end, it's making sure that what we eat is not ridden with chemicals and that our environment and wildlife do not suffer.

In the UK, organic also means non-GM (Genetically Modified). That goes GM crops and their products are not allowed.

why should i buy organic?

Because it's healthier for you and healthier for the environment. Many allergies nowadays have been linked to chemicals and pesticides routinely used in crops and animals.

Pesticides can contaminate ground water and is a big concern. They can seep into the soil. And improper disposal, accidents and leaks futher adds to the problem.

Some also says, organic food tastes better.

which products can be organic?

Most are products we eat. From fruits, vegetables and meat to animal products like eggs, milk and cheese. Processed foods can be organic too like a packet of crisp. Processed organic products have at least 95% ingredients that were produced organically with the remaining 5% on a restricted set of additives.

The less obvious ones are products made out of organic crops like cotton which is used in clothing, bags, beddings, and towels. There are also organic cotton tissues as an alternative to the relatively unsustainable virgin-pulp based ones. It might be helpful to note that non-organic cotton crops around the world account for 25% of the world’s pesticide use.

There are also organic beauty products ranging from shampoo to cosmetics. For products with several ingredients, 95% or more should be organic to be able to use the organic label. Less than that (between 70% to 95%), organic can only be mentioned in the ingredients list.