It was such a beautiful morning I took the dogs to Loch Fleet which is one of our favourite places. The weather forecast said it would rain later so it was the best part of the day. They both got filthy with mud/sand but had a lovely time. A friend and I are going to the MOD (no I don't know what that stands for) tonight. Folk come from all over the Highlands and Islands to compete playing fiddles, pipes and accordions there are lots of childrens classes, and its a good night. It is organised by a friend in the village and is apparently getting bigger every year. An event for all the family.
I got my Soil Association newslettter this week and was interested to see the results of an investigation into organic box schemes.
• Survey finds organic food in UK is excessively packaged
• Box schemes and farmers’ markets sell less packaged, cheaper organic produce
 A
recent survey of supermarkets by Friends of the Earth Scotland found
that organic produce is almost always more packaged than similar
non-organic. The same survey also found that organic box schemes offer
the same produce cheaper and with less packaging.
Despite claims
that the packaging is necessary in order to differentiate organic from
non-organic, Waitrose sells organic fruit loose. An Edinburgh store
manager said:
“We separate our organic produce from our non-organic, and clearly mark both with stickers.”
The
survey also compared the cost of a local organic box scheme - where a
box of fruit and veg is delivered to weekly to customers' doorsteps -
with the cost of the same items in supermarkets. As well as having less
choice, the shops also consistently came out the worst. Bottom of the
table was Marks and Spencer, where the contents of a £15 organic box
came out at nearly £20.
The survey also found that the Co-op had the lowest mark-up on organic produce.
Rosiaina Browning, Waste Prevention Officer at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:
"This
goes to show that supermarkets really aren't leading the way on organic
produce - their's is overpriced and overpackaged. As well as supporting
your local economy, an organic box scheme is cheaper, less hassle and
uses less wasteful packaging than supermarkets."
The survey was conducted in Edinburgh and Fife stores between 6-10 April. Survey data can be viewed here.
Local organic box schemes can be found here.
Rather an interesting if surprising result wasn't it? Whats the saying "Helping you to save money" ?? A friend gave me a huge bag of mixed salad leaves and herbs from her garden and the taste just did not compare with the stuff you buy in the supermarket. I can't wait to harvest my rocket and lettuce!
Linda
PS I've just clicked on the link and found a place in Inverness so I'm going to see if they deliver here!
|