Organic food is omnipresent. Whether in the supermarkets or the discounters, people can no longer afford to ignore organic food stuffs. Organic is no longer a trend, but it has its fixed place on the shelves of supermarkets, announced the “food magazine” “Anuga” at the food trade fair. But what effects does the organic boom have on the quality of the food? Is it alright that a great deal of the organic food is now being sold at low prices or is it necessary to alter the course? The editorial office of new ethics spoke with the founder of new ethics, corporate consultant and organic expert Rainer Plum.
new ethics: Around 42,000 food stuffs bear the hexagonal state organic seal in the meantime. Are all these products truly organic?
Rainer Plum: There is an EU regulation on organic farming which sets down the rules for the production of organic products. All food stuffs bearing the seal have to adhere to these rules. From this point of view, everything is officially organic.
? Does this mean that the organic carrots from Aldi are the same as those from Demeter?
! Customers are not always able to recognise what is behind the organic products in a discounter because the products do not have to be labelled as such. Generally, though, there are several organic qualities. Those in accordance with the EU specifications and those that additionally have to meet the guidelines of the cultivation associations such as Demeter or Bioland.
? Does this mean we have two organic standards?
! There are significant differences. A farmer who produces in accordance with EU regulations can also do conventional farming, i.e. he can farm half of his land organically. There is a risk, however, that conventional products and those produced organically will be mixed. He is also allowed to feed his animals with conventional fodder and to use fertilizers, which means the animals do not only receive organic food. The differences in animal husbandry are also very extensive. According to EU regulations, double the number of chickens and one third more pigs are allowed to be housed in one unit of area than the cultivation associations permit. In some cases, the animals have very little space to move which in turn affects the quality. I personally feel that the EU organic regulation is more like a set of technical instructions for products that are to carry the organic seal than an overall approach.
? What do organic farmers do that is different if they are members of an organic association?
! Demeter, Bioland, Naturland, Gäa and the other cultivation associations have a completely different basic understanding with regard to the cultivation of food. They not only work in sections denoted “organic” but the entire farm is oriented towards ecological farming. The whole operation should work like a cycle as much as possible. This means: only so much food is cultivated as the animals actually require and, to a large degree, no extra food is procured. Only as many animals are kept as their manure can be used to fertilize the fields to prevent over-saturation of the soil with nutrients. A genuine organic farm will cultivate both plant as well as animal products in keeping with the basic idea of ecological farming. When processing the raw materials into food such as bread, meat and sausage or pizza, the associations specify the use of 100% organic ingredients, whereas the EU stipulates 95%.
? Then there is the “genuine” organic on one hand that has a certain tradition and certainly its price, too and on the other hand the cheap offer. Does this mean we are heading towards two-class organic food? With the premium products that only higher earners can afford and the cheap-cheap segment for the rest of those interested in organic products?
! Before we talk about two classes, let’s talk about prices. No other country has more reasonable food prices than Germany. The prices for many basic food stuffs have not changed in the last 20 years or only very slightly. The protest which is going through the population currently is proof of this where many products have become more expensive. An organic product which has to meet very high standards from the cultivation to its processing and marketing before it lands on our plates must have a price to justify this. The seeds are expensive, the yields are less, the workers’ tasks more intense; there is no genetic engineering in the process and the cultural landscape is preserved. In cases where only a fraction of additives and preservatives is used, traditional methods have to be implemented whether in the production of cheese, baking bread or producing juice through refraining from the use of enzymes and substances that expedite the maturing process. This also has its price because time is money.
It is difficult of course for people with less income to buy all their food products at an organic farmer’s. Nevertheless, the statement, ‘organic has to become cheaper’ is the false approach in the medium term from my point of view. Organic food has to have its price to justify the extra work involved with its production.
? Say that to people with a lower income who would like to consume high-quality organic food!
! But it is about the appreciation of food and eating. Only around ten percent of net income is spent on food. A large part goes into leisure activities, holidays, sports equipment, computers and Internet. Even if my means are not lavish, I can say, ‘it is important to me that my basic food is “genuinely” organic’ and therefore I shall put aside a certain amount to buy, for example, organic bread, milk, vegetables and potatoes. Instead, I shall do without convenience products that have organic labels such as pizza, ready-to-serve meals or cake mixes, and are often more expensive anyway.
? Cheap organic is still in. Every discounter offers it. Will organic products be sold off cheaply?
! Yes and no. On one hand, food retailers are becoming increasingly involved in the whole organic theme. All discounters offer at least a small assortment in the meantime. On the other hand, the traditional organic suppliers are distancing themselves at the moment from cheap organic, whether it be the organic wholesaler Denrée, Alnatura or Erdkorn. They are positioning themselves with quality and wish to get away from the anonymous mass-produced articles. Just recently, Alnatura has started supplying its super organic markets with products from four large regional wholesalers so that the origin of the goods is more comprehensible. And the “Bio Company” recently started an action with apples called „Gesicht zeigen“ (“show your true colours”). The cooperation with the Demeter fruit farm Augustin from the Alte Land wished to make the origin of the apples transparent in this way. The pleasing side effect was that the organic supermarket was able to increase its turnover with apples by two-digit figures and the fruit farm even by three-digit numbers. These are actions that are really exceptional in their effectiveness.
? Does first-class organic food have to show its “true colours” then just as the title of this action says?
! Yes, it certainly does. Firstly, it is necessary because organic food is more expensive. If the customers can understand the added value, they will also be willing to pay the extra. On the other hand, the food scandals of the past years in the conventional branch of the industry only resulted because nobody had an overview of where the products had come from and how they had been produced. Organic food has to offer an alternative. It has to disclose the path that food takes from the cradle to the grave, but also show that there are living creatures behind the whole process: people who give their utmost and have to live with the ups and downs in the nature. Animals, which are not meat factories, but are living creations, which give more and sometimes less milk or produce tender or sometimes not so tender meat, and plants, which are exposed to the climate and therefore do not always grow and flourish consistently well. The essence here is not to push as much organic food as possible onto the market, but to examine the topic of food honestly and critically. In the end, it is also about the care of what nature has to offer.
? Do we need a type of organic quality association?
! The trade with natural foods is the cradle of quality. Through the decades of experience, it is predestined to continue developing the values for which natural food stand. In the recent past, the branch has set a number of examples determining what is what. An example here is the aroma directive of the Bundesverband Naturkost Naturwaren (BNN) (Federal Organic Producers and Traders Association). For organic products produced in accordance with EU specifications, the so-called “natural aromatic materials” are permitted – the whole lot of them. These aromas have little to do with nature though. Nowadays, they are produced chiefly from micro-organisms in laboratories out of wood materials or waste from the food industry. The BNN did not go along with the mainstream and say ‘alright then, we shall approve natural aromas. The people want them.’ Instead, it stipulated that the pseudo-natural aromas were allowed to be used solely for a very few product groups. Today, aromas and aroma concentrates made from the fruits giving them their names have priority – the strawberry aroma in the Demeter yoghurt originates from real strawberries and not from the wooden fibres.
? The customers have to play along though and appreciate this high quality?
! They do, too. Many customers deliberately buy products in natural food stores because they do not want the standardised uniform taste of cheap organic food. It was also a fantastic sign from the customers too that they managed to stop the Basic Lidl deal. The Schwarz Group (owners of the Lidl discounter) wanted to acquire the majority interest in the organic supermarket chain Basic in the fall. A supplier of cheap goods would have entered the organic scene in a big way and would have played a leading role in controlling the happenings on this market. It was not only the different producers and wholesalers who refused to continue supplying Basic, but the customers also protested in a boycott, thereby nailing their colours to the mast and showing Basic their disapproval. This was a perfect example of a self-cleansing effect. In order to support these activities, namely the self-responsibility of the customers and the producers, manufacturers and merchants for overall ecological products, we founded the Internet platform “new ethics”. Our next step is to award a certified and controlled “new ethics label” from summer 2008 onwards. This will be available to all companies and products that span over other sectors as well and that are organic, ecological, fair, sustainable, considerate of the climate, CO² neutral, social, respectful, shape the conscience etc. (please refer to “new ethics” on the homepage under the point “rules”).
For more information on Rainer Plum, please visit: www.rainerplum.de
new ethics: Around 42,000 food stuffs bear the hexagonal state organic seal in the meantime. Are all these products truly organic?
They not only work in sections denoted “organic” but the entire farm is oriented towards ecological farming. The whole operation should work like a cycle as much as possible. This means: only so much food is cultivated as the animals actually require and, to a large degree, no extra food is procured. Only as many animals are kept as their manure can be used to fertilize the fields to prevent over-saturation of the soil with nutrients. A genuine organic farm will cultivate both plant as well as animal products in keeping with the basic idea of ecological farming. When processing the raw materials into food such as bread, meat and sausage or pizza, the associations specify the use of 100% organic ingredients, whereas the EU stipulates 95%.
and the cultural landscape is preserved. In cases where only a fraction of additives and preservatives is used, traditional methods have to be implemented whether in the production of cheese, baking bread or producing juice through refraining from the use of enzymes and substances that expedite the maturing process. This also has its price because time is money.
will also be willing to pay the extra. On the other hand, the food scandals of the past years in the conventional branch of the industry only resulted because nobody had an overview of where the products had come from and how they had been produced. Organic food has to offer an alternative. It has to disclose the path that food takes from the cradle to the grave, but also show that there are living creatures behind the whole process: people who give their utmost and have to live with the ups and downs in the nature. Animals, which are not meat factories, but are living creations, which give more and sometimes less milk or produce tender or sometimes not so tender meat, and plants, which are exposed to the climate and therefore do not always grow and flourish consistently well. The essence here is not to push as much organic food as possible onto the market, but to examine the topic of food honestly and critically. In the end, it is also about the care of what nature has to offer.
the branch has set a number of examples determining what is what. An example here is the aroma directive of the Bundesverband Naturkost Naturwaren (BNN) (Federal Organic Producers and Traders Association). For organic products produced in accordance with EU specifications, the so-called “natural aromatic materials” are permitted – the whole lot of them. These aromas have little to do with nature though. Nowadays, they are produced chiefly from micro-organisms in laboratories out of wood materials or waste from the food industry. The BNN did not go along with the mainstream and say ‘alright then, we shall approve natural aromas. The people want them.’ Instead, it stipulated that the pseudo-natural aromas were allowed to be used solely for a very few product groups. Today, aromas and aroma concentrates made from the fruits giving them their names have priority – the strawberry aroma in the Demeter yoghurt originates from real strawberries and not from the wooden fibres.
