Leading supermarket bosses are blaming UK organic farmers for the increasing proportion of imported organic produce on offer, amid refuelled concerns over the true “greenness” of organics.
Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy said he was forced to import 70 per cent of his organic range from abroad since British farmers were failing to keep up with demand.
And Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King has made similar claims, according to former head of the Soil Association (SA) Lawrence Woodward.
The news comes as more consumers are demanding locality as well as pesticide-free assurance from their organic produce, according to a debate prompted by BBC radio presenter Simon Mayo yesterday.
Mayo disputed the idea that organic produce imported from Israel could be considered as “green” as its locally produced counterparts and suggested consumers would be better off buying locally produced conventional food instead.
Speaking on the Radio 5 Live show, Richard Jacobs, the director of Organic Farmers and Growers refuted the claim that imported produce is not as heavily regulated as UK-sourced organics.
But Hugh Raven, director of SA Scotland, said the association appreciates the growing concern around food miles and is looking to evolve its standards to include considerations of the carbon dioxide emissions involved in airfreighting produce.
He also dismissed claims made by Woodward and others that the organic movement has been “dumbing down” and may be succumbing to pressures to lower standards in a bid to satisfy commercial targets.
Woodward told The Guardian yesterday: “There are lots of loopholes in the regulations and in practice these are being heavily exploited,” he said. “Organics is increasingly becoming industrialised and the consumer will one day wake up and see this stuff is not what they think it is.”
