Natural & Organic - what's it all about?

Natural Explained

The aisles of the modern supermarket where most people shop are stacked full of colour and choice. Groceries in all shapes and sizes with long shelf lives line every bay and, for almost all supermarkets, the only criteria for selection by their buyers are what profit the items will return for them.

Food manufacturers have responded by producing long-lasting products with all the right ingredients for profit margins- strong colour, taste and low production costs. To achieve this food manufacturers have had to turn to their research and development food scientists who have used the modern wonders of chemistry to produce what is needed.

The result to the consumer is foods produced today with ingredient names that most people can’t pronounce and few unbiased studies to show that those additives are actually safe to consume, not only in larger and larger amounts but also in cocktails of chemicals when different products are eaten together. The ingredient statements on the products will usually not list all chemical names, choosing instead to use E number standards which serve to make the ingredient list cleaner looking but actually more confusing. New Zealand allows a huge number of E numbers to be used here that are actually banned overseas for various reasons, usually because their detrimental effect on people has been acknowledged by regulatory bodies. All too often in New Zealand corporate lobbying and pressure is brought to bear on politicians and common sense on the use of many food additives is being ignored.

The most staggering fact is that “flavourings” are completely unregulated in New Zealand, and given that these do not have to be listed other than the word “flavouring”, a product could contain almost anything.

Many of these same issues apply to hair and bodycare products on the market today with a huge array of chemicals being used to artificially enhance or even completely substitute natural products.

Huckleberry Farms stores have strict criteria for all products. Nothing gets past our buying committee unless the ingredients have been fully examined and accepted or until manufacturers can answer the questions we put to them. We know what the e numbers stand for, we know which ones are acceptable and which ones are questionable. The fact is there really is no need to eat vast amounts of artificial additives, we have sourced alternatives to nearly everything on conventional supermarket shelves and we know the taste and colour of nature is better than that of the chemistry lab.

Organic Explained

Most people know what organic is but very few know why it is better. Modern farming practices have changed the way food is produced and New Zealand was at the forefront in developing those methods. Today conventional (non organic) produce is grown in nutrient poor soils with huge inputs of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides used to grow what appear to be picture perfect unblemished fruit and vegetables, but with chemical residues higher than ever before and lower and lower trace mineral levels. Often produce is flown in and kept in cool stores for weeks or even months, just so that you can buy a peach out of season.

Chicken and red meat is another industry with very heavy inputs. Up to 60% of all antibiotic sales in New Zealand are for the farming industry, with cattle and poultry being routinely fed these. This leads to the rise of super bugs which are antibiotic resistant and can infect humans. Furthermore hormones are often used especially in the poultry industry.
Organic produce is grown under strict guidelines as to what inputs can be used. Weeding for example is usually done with mechanical tillage rather than chemical sprays. The soils are more nutrient rich and studies have shown that most organic fruits and vegetables contain up to 60% higher levels of antioxidants than non organic. Tests have also proven what organic shoppers have always known, the taste is stronger and more intense. There may be more blemishes in some cases, but this is what nature intended.
Organic shoppers know that what’s in season is better for you and do not mourn the lack of peaches in the winter.

Organic meat and chicken is not only more humanely treated, it is again subject to very strict guidelines as to how it is raised. Organic milk has been found to have up to 90% higher levels of antioxidants compared to non organic milk.

Have a fresh look at Organic and Natural and the common sense approach will eventually win. More and more people are becoming aware of what they and their family are eating and finding an alternative is easy, especially with stores like Huckleberry Farms.