A Health Expert’s Take On Eating Organic In 2019

Whether you’re concerned about the environment, trying to clean up your diet, or want to support local farmers, there’s no shortage of reasons to make the switch to organic produce this year

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

With terms like certified organic, organic, spray-free and natural swirling around the dialogue of eating organic, it is little wonder people are left bewildered about changing up their eating habits.

According to Richard Lees, Huckleberry CE and spokesperson, much of this confusion has stemmed from a lack of clarity, little education and no national standard for organics in New Zealand. “Certified organic is a product that is verified to a set of rules and guidelines by independent auditors,” Richard explains.

“By knowing a product has a certification mark on it, a consumer can feel certain that product has been independently verified to a high standard.”

This is where things start to go wrong. In Richard’s opinion, any product that claims to be organic should be verified and tested, but in New Zealand that’s not the case.

Other terms like spray-free are more of a “guide or indication that no ‘nasties’ have been used in the production of the product, although this term in itself can also be misleading,” Richard says. With all our growers, if the term spray free is used, we request a signed document to confirm no chemicals are used in the production of the produce. In some cases we get the product tested. “Natural has very little meaning in the wider organics sector, and is used more as a marketing tactic in a conventional retail environment.”

But it isn’t all bad news. The government recently gave weight to the argument of increased clarity around the term ‘organic’ by expressing interest in creating a national standard for organic produce in New Zealand. Exciting news for a term so shrouded with confusion.

Huckleberry has taken the guesswork out of shopping organic by implementing certification charts in each of their stores. Green means certified organic ( meeting certified organic standards), yellow is non- certified organic ( grown organically but not certified), and white is non- organic (which can also include spray-free or conventional product that’s naturally produced).

SEASONS OF CHANGE

It’s news like this that has stores like Huckleberry abuzz. It’s been 37 years since New Zealand’s largest wholefoods retailer opened doors to its first Harvest Wholefoods store in Grey Lynn. They’ve been pioneering the organic, wholefoods retail movement ever since – with their core philosophy being to make organic accessible and affordable for everyone. Huckleberry has since grown to encompass six stores Auckland wide, as well as three outside of Auckland in Tauranga,

Mt Maunganui and Napier.

There’s no denying the farm-to-table movement has risen in popularity in recent years, but Richard explains there’s still plenty of room for improvement in the retail space. “Food service has taken great strides in this area and retail is catching up, supporting local, ensuring provenance and helping to improve quality of product,” he says.

Education around organics plays a major role, Richard explains, adding that the level of understanding of organic produce is still very much in its infancy. “There is a lot of work to do to allow the general consumer to gain a clearer understanding of the personal, social, economic and environmental benefits of organics,” Richard says. “But this also needs to be led from a government level, supported by grass roots growers, manufacturers and the increasingly large number of innovators in the organics products sector.”

FIVE REASONS TO OPT FOR ORGANIC

Ditch conventional products by making simple foodie swaps and reap the rewards:

1. HEALTH

The most obvious benefit, yes, but reducing your intake of pesticides and herbicides will mean your health and wellbeing will benefit in the long term, with the potential for reducing illnesses related to ingesting these chemicals.

2. ENVIRONMENT

Organic farming methods reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility and use less energy.

3. ECONOMY

If you’re an avid supporter of shopping for ethical brands, then your stance on food shopping should be no different. Huckleberry is moving to become a living wage payer as of May 1, 2019.

4. SHOP LOCAL

Support your local growers, organic farming communities and artisan producers by opting for their seasonal fare over imports. Plus, you’ll be pleased to note that organic produce is harvested when ripe, making it fresher and full of flavour.

5. ANIMAL WELFARE

Organically raised animals are not fed antibiotics, growth hormones or fed animal bi-products, reducing the risk of mad cow disease and other antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

“Many people start with some key products and gradually move towards converting to more organic produce items in the weekly shop,” Richard says.

“At Huckleberry, we buy 99% of our fruit and vegetables direct from the grower with the aim of making organics affordable.”

The writing’s on the wall – much of Huckleberry’s pantry staples are available for less than $20, while some on-the-go snack options cost less than $20.

“Another big difference between organics and conventional is the seasonality and availability – for example, a customer will not find some products outside of the normal growing season,” Richard says.

A good starting point for those wanting to transition into organic include switching out fruits and vegetables that have the highest pesticide levels – the worst offenders include grapes, celery, nectarines, oranges, strawberries and broccoli. Generally foods that are peeled or skinned before eating are the cleanest – bananas, melons, avocados, mangoes, onions and kiwifruit are among the conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that are generally low in pesticides. For more information, visit www. huckleberry.co. nz/organicproduce