How organic is "Organic"
I was harvesting some potatoes at my allotment yesterday when I dug up the above article. The irony of the word Organic and the soil association symbol displayed on such a decidedly non biodegradable material was so mind boggling that I felt the need to share it with you guys.
If you look at the label you can clearly read "British bunched beetroot. "which suggests to me that it found its way into the allotment soil via my kitchen peelings bucket via the compost heap and finally was spread on the ground as mature compost.As I follow J Jenkins composting protocol the above item could have been composted for a max of two years or a minimum of one year, as I always allow a whole year maturation period after the last addition to my compost heaps. If we assume that that application of compost went down just before planting the potatoes that adds a further six months, which gives us a minimum of a year and a half of exposure to quite a rigorous environment of biological assault. On the other hand it could have been in the ground for much longer maybe four or five years. While the elastic rubber band is showing signs of biological digestion, the plastic tab being still quite readable is not.
Also readable is the name of the retailers. Tesco. It suggests fairly strongly that while Tesco is willing to sell "organic" its heart is not really in it. Is it not fair to say that the "Tesco's" choice of a plastic label suggests their interest in selling "Organic "is in the financial premium that organic commands?
Apart from anything else this purely financial interest in Organic does not bode well for the Organic movement in as much as when companies who have no interest in the principals of organic growing, begin to take more of a financial interest in the movement, they will want to take a more active part in the decision making of the movement, which will inevitably lead to a dumbing down if those principals.(he who pays the piper calls the tune).
There are two outcomes I want to achieve with this article. I would like it if big distributors would show a real commitment to the principals and purpose of organic by 100% compostable wrapping and labelling. I can only see this happening by consumer pressure. That means you, getting informed about the planet destroying threat of plastic, and then writing letters and communicating with your retailers and each other.
I would also like it if you realise that big retailers can only be trusted so far, and start growing your own as far as possible then source locally.
