What should you buy organic?

Plus one of the best fertilisers is said to be made from pigeon droppings. which evidently was the purpose of all the pigeon houses we see here.

I buy mostly organic veg, around 80%, but since I read that lettuce and cucumbers absorb the highest amount of pesticides and other nasties (something to do with their having a high amount of water), they are always on my 'organic-only'list. Perhaps the more people buy organic fruit & veg., the less expensive they'll become...

Some of the farmers here spray with pig muck as a fertiliser, which complicates things. It might be ok if the pigs hadn't been given too many antibiotics. It gets complicated!
They used to use human waste but that's been banned now.

I buy organic veg/eggs/meat (for DH - I'm a veggie) whenever I can afford (do sympathise with Phoenix re. cost of obtaining organic status - totally excessive charges made by Soil Association at the expense of the producers). However, I always buy organic milk because I find it tastes the same as full-fat regular when I use it in tea and on my cereal.

I buy mostly organic everything edible, if possible. My rationale being that I want to avoid ingesting pesticides, antibiotics and hormones, as much as possible. Any improvement on flavour is just a bonus! As organic is usually more expensive, I'd rather eat less, but know (hope!!) that what I'm eating is more natural.

I was brought up on an organic farm. My father refused to use pesticides or fertilisers despite being given free access in the 1950s and 1960s. His view was that nothing should go on the land or into the food system that was not intended. Clearly he was a man with vision it would be said nowadays, but not at the time I can assure you. I suspect that the vast majority of good farmers do not use excessive amounts, but I cannot vouch for factory farms that is something else completely. So my advice would be to buy from small local farms.

I read a very interesting article on organic foods. It said that organic farmers can still use certain pesticides that are deemed safer or natural ones. So you still need to be careful. I used to buy everything organic if possible but having a re think. We have an Egg shed near us which is free range. They definitely taste better.

The animal welfare as far as I can see is thus

Meat with nothing that talks about its welfare - animals may well suffer Inhumane treatment
Farm assured - better treatment than above
Free range - next best treatment
Free range and organic- best treatment to date, but not necessarily how I would prefer but best we've got.

Being an ex chef and nutritionist, I would say organic every time. I don't think you'll notice much difference in taste but you're sure of not ingesting all those chemicals and fertilisers which I believe are the cause of many of today's ills. Certainly they are far more nutritious. Organic Meat however doesn't taste of much - as long as the animal is reared humanely I'm ok to buy any well cared for and well hung products.

I buy organic eggs in the hope - can't get as far as belief these days - that the hens are not full of antibiotics.

Our hens eat maize and their eggyolks are a deep yellow. Their flesh is yellowy too.
Usually bought chicken flesh is white, so I don't know what they've been fed on.

Phoenix free range can be scarcely better than the old system for hens. Only organic guarantees that the hens won't have their beaks trimmed and that the birds can get outside.

www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinkadvice/11411975/What-are-the-most-ethical-eggs-you-can-buy.html

We buy free-range eggs,(but not organic ones), organic potatoes onions and milk,

The organic vegetables do seem to last much longer.

PS.

When with exdh, we kept ducks, chickens, bantams and sheep (also had an ancient pony and a donkey, who was known locally as "attention all shipping" but perhaps that isn't relevant to the current topic) however especially with the sheep we came up with what we felt was a good compromise.

The hoops that we would have have had to jump through to get organic status were prohibitively expensive, especially considering we only had a flock of 50 ewes, and would have restricted certain types of feed, medicines (wormer, vaccines etc) so we used such stuff as and when necessary for animal welfare, but doubled the withholding period.

I think that especially with regard to eggs, there is some confusion between free range and organic.

I only buy free range, on welfare grounds, but the "organic"aspect isn't my priority, I'm afraid.

I've decided I'm switching to organic eggs. I've bought free-range for many years but my dd recently told me that free range doesn't guarantee that the hens have good welfare. They may be in such massive flocks that although there is outdoor access, there are so many HMS that it's impossible for them all to get out. Also, they have their beaks cut to prevent the, da,angling each other.

Organic hens don't have the beak-trimming done and they live in smaller flocks.

Buy what is easily available. DD1 who buys her eggs next door says really organic natural eggs have a pale yolk. If not then the hens have been given something but that doesn't mean they are not running around.
I was buying organic eggs at a Farmer's market and a customer wanted to know if the hens were outside. The farmer answered No because its foul weather and they're like us. they want to be inside.
We have famous organic pigs in the area and I can indulge in good tasty pork, then I buy vegetables grown by prisoners who are working before they are released. It is a farming area and I could buy everything organic but I buy about 50% of our food.

Our house is surrounded by a field where the farmer grows a variety of crops. This year he's growing buckwheat, and has spent ages going up and down the rows with his tractor to dig up the weeds. I asked him about it the other day and he said he's not using pesticides or herbicides because they're harmful to health, ours as well as his ( he lives at the farm at the back of the field.)
But there are still lots of weeds and I should think the amount of harvest will be much lower than if he had sprayed. So that's why organic is dearer.

Yes jam I try to always buy organic animal products as I hope that their oh so short life is as good as possible before we destroy it and then eat it.. I know it is a lot more expensive but I eat less meat only 2-3 times a week.

I have been faithfully buying wild salmon as I thought that was the best for the fish. Not so!!! Best to buy organic farmed salmon. Oh well you live and learn

Anything that comes from an animal, the only way to ensure high welfare standards. Organic milk tastes SO much better and pays the farmer a proper price. I know the meat seems more expensive but the flavour is so much better that small portion sizes are fine. Healthier for us and for the environment.

Essentially meat and vegetables grown in enclosed conditions are the ones best bought organic.

Generally speaking the more covered and controlled the growing conditions the greater the danger of infection and infestation so the more frequent the use of antibiotics, insecticides and herbicides to control them. On the animal side the more enclosed the conditions the less likely they are to meet what are considered the best animal welfare standards. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in one of his books argued that the only justification for eating meat was if we gave the animals a better life than they would have in the wild, followed by a quick humane end. Caged hens and battery pork falls in that category and, of course, eggs.

The other class of crops heavily sprayed is field grown leafy crops; that is brassicas including cauliflowers and berrys.

I find organic meat is of far, far better quality and taste than supermarket meat. It is less watery and shrinks less. I compensate for the increased price by making meat portions smaller and bulking up with vegetables (much healthier as well)

For fruit and vegetables, the taste difference is less obvious but scientific analysis has shown organic fruit and veg have higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals.

Always (if available) eggs, milk, carrots, butter. Meat when the budget will stretch to it

I buy always buy free range eggs and try to buy free range meat wherever possible.

I've read that carrots are the veg that are likely to have the highest concentration of chemicals in them so I buy those. Also organic milk although I'll use 'normal' milk if that's all that's available. I think I started on organic milk because it has higher calcium levels or something, but I've forgotten exactly why, now!

I buy free range eggs and chicken. I have recently started buying organic milk, much prefer it. At other times I buy organic stuff "as and when".