It tastes better, obviously this is subject but many people buy organic products because of the taste. This is because organic fruit and veg is grown slowly (as they should) and has a lower water content, which attribute to a fuller flavour.

It’s healthier; on average organic food contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals compared to non-organic food.

Helps the environment and wildlife; organic farming supports wildlife and the environment because they don’t use sprays and chemicals. Organic farming also has higher levels of animal welfare standards than system farming.

No additives; food additives have been associated with rashes, headaches, asthma and growth retardation. They’re best avoided.

Antibiotic additives are routinely added to animal food in conventional farming to speed growth even though these have been linked with bacterial resistance in humans to the same or closely related antibiotics. 

Foods that have been certified as organic provides a guarantee that the product have been grown, handled and distributed while avoiding the risk of contamination, and can be traced back fully along the supply line.

Health advocates recommend oils in our daily diet, but too many polyunsaturated vegetable oils like safflower, soybean and sunflower can result in oxidation and free radical damage to our bodies. Now, monounsaturated vegetable oils are better for you, and certain types, like fish oil, provide a higher level of protection and are more nutritious for our body.

Why it’s important to use organic oils?
It is worthwhile looking for organically certified oils to use in your kitchen for a number of reasons. When organisms are exposed to pollutants, we process and eliminate them according to metabolic capacity while what is left is stored in fatty tissue. After a while the fat-soluble metabolites of herbicides, pesticides and other plant agents are subject to build up within the plant oils.

If you purchase organic oils, it is the best way to ensure you are getting pure oil, since the yielding plants would have only had minimal exposure to these chemicals. Unless the label indicates, cooking oils extracted from intensive crops like canola, soybeans and corn are likely to have material from genetically modified stock.

If you purchase an oil with organic certification, it will give you assurance that the product contains only natural, unadulterated ingredients. If an oil is organic, it comes from well-nurtured soils with balanced nutrients, that support healthy plant growth- the kind required to produce premium quality oil yields.

As well as giving our body more nutrients, organic oil protects our crops and land. While commercial oil crops can deplete soils from high volume production and trace mineral and organic component absorption, organic oils do not. Synthetic fertilisers used with commercial oil crops lower the quality of oil and vitality in forthcoming crops.

But before you rush to the local farmers market to get the best fruit and vegetables, you should know a bit about organic foods and what it is that makes them the best food choice.

Farmers and food producers- produce organic foods without using synthetic chemicals like pesticides and artificial fertilisers. They don’t use genetically modified components (GM) or expose the food to irradiation, making them a truly natural source.

Organic foods are grown naturally and are not necessarily completely chemical free, but have a considerably lower pesticide residue than modified foods. Less chemically effected foods makes them a more reliable, safe food source.

There have been a number of studies on organic foods to compare the nutritional content. There are no significant differences in vitamin and mineral contents, but organic vegetables have lower nitrate levels, higher vitamin C, and higher levels of selenium.

As well as not using harsh chemicals and artificial fertilisers, animal welfare is a priority for organic farming. Organic foods can also include animal produce like eggs, which would be free range rather than caged (also known as battery) hens.

Organic foods include fruit and vegetables, grains, meat and meat products, eggs, dairy foods and honey.

Although organic products are better for you and the environment (and the animals) it is often far more expensive than other foods. This is because the labour to grow the food is far more intensive, it doesn’t have herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals, making the yield generally smaller.

Getting fresh fruit and vegetables doesn’t mean you have to travel far; in fact there are many fresh fruit and vegetable ‘box schemes’ that deliver straight from the farm. You probably don’t even know it, but there may be a farm in your area that will offer this service.

There are differing schemes that will work in different ways, but most will involve weekly delivery of local grown and in season, fresh fruit and vegetables. What items are in the box will depend on the farmer and their ‘box’ deals. Some fresh box deals will offer meat and dairy products also.

This home delivery service is a great way to get fresh food to your home (and know that it came from an actual farm). The best thing about this is that the farmers and yourself are benefiting from the organic products taken to your home.