Archive | 9:45 pm

Making the switch to organic

1 Mar

I’m in the process of switching to organic food. This was brought on by seeing the documentary Food, Inc. and growing increasingly concerned about the corporatisation of our food supply. My reasons for organic are multiple – reducing pesticide exposure, avoiding GM foods (for political reasons), and supporting organic farmers, who are (generally) smaller producers.

We have been getting our fruit and vegies, dairy, meat and some groceries from a great company called Lettuce Deliver. They have so far been reliable and responsive to feedback. Every week I get a seasonal fruit and veg box that I can modify, 6 litres of biodynamic milk, various cheeses and meat. I have also been buying organic flour in 5 kilogram bags (mainly for breadmaking). I love the fact that I know where my food comes from. I knew, for example, that Maurice Franklin had literally picked my bananas up off the ground at Mission Beach after Cyclone Yasi.

It is more expensive. But having such a great range of fresh food in the house is making us eat better, and eat less. I am also using animal products less, because organic butter, cheese and meat are really expensive. Normally I need to put P on a diet after Christmas each year to keep his weight down, but this year it has been trending down without even trying. Considering we have been eating meat only 2-3 times a week, I guess it’s not surprising.

I hope that over time as my garden is producing more I will need to order less, but so far, so good.