A Lifestyle Shift: Going Organic
Once an individual makes up their mind to shift to an organic lifestyle. The rest will follow. Making that decision though takes a lot of research and careful thought. No one should be swayed in his or her thinking by scare stories in the media, or just by ‘cheap deals’ at your local store or supermarket. If a family is involved, this should be a project for the whole family, kids as well, with research brought together and shared.
An individual who makes this choice should consider that they will need more time than they did when shopping for regular food and household goods; sourcing organic products can be more time-consuming, but with research all the products can be found.
The Practicalities
As well as time, consumers will quickly discover that currently organic food and products generally cost more than regular goods. This is because the market is still small, in comparison to non-organic goods. And in many cases the production overheads, including certification, are higher than otherwise. But as the market increases, and currently organic products are a booming business, with roughly a 30% growth rate in the last few years alone, the cost of organic goods will slowly decrease and level out.
Unfortunately the Food Industry worldwide has also artificially lowered the cost of many items, which renders comparison difficult. For example, an ordinary pint of milk selling for 19 pence in a local supermarket, would have cost at least triple that in total production costs, including animal feed, labour costs, electricity, etc.
So given this ‘false accounting’ by the Food Industry, organic food really isn’t so expensive. Instead, consumers are actually paying the real price of production. If food comes from overseas, be it organic or otherwise, extra costs for the ‘food miles’ should be added on to the end price of the product.
Sourcing the Things You Want to Buy
There is no shortage of places to buy organic food and products, and the Internet is also a great place to go online shopping as well. Weekly vegetable boxes, organic soaps, and beers – virtually anything a consumer thinks they might want can be purchased online and delivered quickly in the UK these days. There are wonderful weekly farmers markets in most cities and towns throughout the UK. These are excellent opportunities to meet the people who grew the vegetable or fed the chicken, and they are usually happy to tell you about their experience of organic farming, and what it entails for them. It is very possible that interested individuals and families could arrange a trip to see the workings of an organic farm – ask the stallholders at your friendly local farmers market on your next trip there.
Going Organic: The Links in the Chain
Of course, going organic is just one of the links in the chain of caring for oneself and working as an individual and as a community for a better, healthier planet. Eating organic food and using organic products is a great start, and although there are no guarantees, most people find their taste buds notice the difference, and they do start to feel healthier. But it is the start of a journey, and keep researching and talking with friends, neighbours and experts to find out the latest developments in the world of organics. Explore issues like recycling, and sustainability, which with organics, are part of the total green revolution that’s happening.
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