The Soil Association has revealed its ‘top food swaps’ to mark the beginning of Britain’s biggest celebration of organic food.
Organic September, organised by organic certification body the Soil Association and renewable energy provider Good Energy, is calling on consumers to swap everyday items like carrots, chicken and yoghurt for organic versions of the products.
In an effort to protect the environment, support animal welfare and improve personal health, the annual awareness campaign will highlight the benefits of eating organic food.
Helen Browning, the Soil Association’s chief executive, said: “Swapping everyday items like carrots, chicken or yogurt for organic alternatives can all make surprisingly large differences.
“If everyone makes a small change we can make a huge difference to our world. Choosing organic means helping protect our vital wildlife and reducing your exposure to potentially harmful pesticides and chemicals.”
The certification body has calculated that if the 24 million households that buy yoghurt swapped to organic, even just once, almost 2,000 more cows would be free to range on organic pastures.
Meanwhile, if everyone who currently buys carrots switched to organic, an extra 17,500 football pitches worth of organic land could provide a safe haven for wildlife. And switching to organic chicken would allow around 487 million more trees to grow.
Demand for organic food is on the up, with sales of organic produce rising by 5.2 per cent in the 52 weeks to 18 June, according to Nielsen data. And various supermarkets have been brought on board, offering promotions on organic produce.
