Zoe Williams’ attack on all things organic (The Guardian 26/9/09) is comprehensive but incoherent. Does she really think we should condemn all organic farmers for the misdeeds of one criminal like Neil Stansfield of Swaddles Green? Or write off every organic buyer who shows a modicum of trust as a mug who deserves to be ripped off?
My 23 years of growing organic vegetables have given me a different view of organic buyers and growers (though box scheme buyers may be a little more considered than those snatching organic labels from the shelves of supermarkets or Fortnum and Mason). The vast majority are searching for a safer, fairer and more sustainable way of growing and enjoying food. Far from being unthinkingly compliant and accepting, or driven by fashion, they generally seem to me an argumentative, questioning and varied lot, making their own pragmatic judgements after balancing up a host of issues including local, fair trade, scale of production, use of packaging, animal welfare, food safety and environmental impact to name a few. Food safety and particularly the avoidance of pesticides (not covered in FSA report she quotes) often head the list of motivations for new organic buyers but, in my experience, this is soon supplanted by flavour. Few believe that organic is the only, or complete solution, but most share a belief that our food and farming needs to change and that in most instances organic offers a better alternative.
I have more sympathy with the second half of her article, condemning a perceived hijacking of all food issues by the organic movement. read more
2 responses so far ↓
Cathie // September 29, 2009 at 8:02 pm |
Organic is a choice we make, like turning off lights or deciding when to use our car. Don’t confuse media generated comment with your own life choices. Zoe was asked to write a piece to follow a charlatan’s attempt to deceive us, out of his own greed, to line his pockets. Welcome to our world.
John Lewis // October 7, 2009 at 11:15 am |
The response from Cathie sounds like an attempt to diminish the importance of this article.
If taken seriously, it is not clear whether it is intended to suggest that there is either no boundary or a huge gulf between “media generated comment” and journalism, however (ir)responsible.