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Organic Meat - where to get at lowest cost?

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  • gritts
    gritts Posts: 527 Forumite
    Same here, I do what I can, would never buy battery eggs, always free range. I do think in a way that organic would be vastly more popular if the prices were reduced a little, I understand they have a profit to make, but feel sometimes you have to speculate to accumulate.

    Good luck with the search x

    Give animals more freedom to roam, better and cleaner conditions, lower stocking densities, vastly reduced use of drugs, GM free feeds, etc etc and i'm afraid it's going to cost more.

    What is the reason why the OP wants to buy organic meat? Is it out of concern for the welfare standards of the animals or an enviromental issue or a concern about the use of antibiotics etc on her health, or a question of taste?

    I think farmers market with a local producer, who has no qualms about you visiting their farm, with meat that is properly hung and does not supply supermarkets is the best and cheapest option. And does not have to be organic.

    http://www.farmersmarkets.net/visit/default.htm
  • gritts
    gritts Posts: 527 Forumite
    howalsh wrote:
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt "organic" just another word for "expensive", & isnt this "Money Saving Expert"?

    Quite possibly. Just like chicken with the word 'saver' on it might mean 'tasteless pap, raised under highly dubious conditions'.

    In most cases with meat you get what you pay for.

    Plus this is "Money Saving Expert" and most of us hopefully save money to probably spend it on something else or use in another way- i could be wrong.

    The original poster was looking for the 'cheapest'.
  • howalsh wrote:
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt "organic" just another word for "expensive", & isnt this "Money Saving Expert"?

    Not at all. Organic is a standard for the meat you are eating. It tells you that the animal was raised with respect for the end product (what goes on your plate and then in your mouth) and that was the prime objective of the producer i.e. not just profit! You get a product that's been raised in a traditional way, fed no rubbish, not pumped full of artificial growth promoters and unnecessary drugs e.g. antibiotics to prevent infections that arise from "cheap" methods of rearing meat. More details from the Soil Association

    As already mentioned, the question was how to find Money Saving Organic Meat i.e. to buy organic at the best price.
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  • gritts wrote:
    From Tesco to Graig Farm Organics. Typically if the meat is Soil Association organic approved then you'll pay more.

    Actually, products can only be labelled Organic if they DO have Soil Association approval. If not approved, they can't be labelled Organic.

    However, it is possible to buy food raised using organic methods, but not labelled Organic as the producer has not applied for the SA accreditation. Free-range, naturally reared, traditionally produced .... can all mean "to organic standards" - you need to talk to the producer/retailer to find out what they mean.

    SA accredition is very costly and it means that absolutely everything involved in the production is organic (and much more). For example, for beef to have the SA Organic label, the actual soil on which the cattle graze must be organic. It takes at least 3 years to convert the land to organic, to allow any previous non-organic residues to disappear. During this time, the farmer cannot market his beef as "organic".

    This is one of the reasons that organic food, meat in particular, is more expensive - the farmer has to invest time and money upfront and can't recoup those costs until the process of getting accreditation is complete.

    If we want cheap food, then need to accept that the quality reflects the price we pay, as that's passed down the chain to the producer. If we want the producer to give us top-notch quality, then we have to pay.

    Regards
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  • squeaky
    squeaky Posts: 14,129 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    howalsh wrote:
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt "organic" just another word for "expensive", & isnt this "Money Saving Expert"?

    MSE is about shopping wisely and thriftily and getting value for money. What members spend their money on is entirely their own affair - we just try to encourage and help people to get a good deal for the whatever it is.

    One member's value product is another member's yuk and yet another member's buy of the month...

    ..so, as I say, we just try to help :)
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  • gritts wrote:
    Give animals more freedom to roam, better and cleaner conditions, lower stocking densities, vastly reduced use of drugs, GM free feeds, etc etc and i'm afraid it's going to cost more.

    What is the reason why the OP wants to buy organic meat? Is it out of concern for the welfare standards of the animals or an enviromental issue or a concern about the use of antibiotics etc on her health, or a question of taste?

    I think farmers market with a local producer, who has no qualms about you visiting their farm, with meat that is properly hung and does not supply supermarkets is the best and cheapest option. And does not have to be organic.

    http://www.farmersmarkets.net/visit/default.htm


    I couldn't agree more, just at present in my circumstances, unfortunately I cannot afford to be too choosy, as much as I would like too. I thinks its dispicable how some of the meat in the supermarket is sourced, like I said I do what I can, but I cannot afford to go 100% organic just yet.
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  • Lillibet_2
    Lillibet_2 Posts: 3,364 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I recently switcehd to majority organic produce and yes it is much more expensive but it is also much tastier, less water content & cooks much nicer. I do find it diffcuilt to find organic free range meat though, so much of it is jus tone or the other:confused: You would think the 2 would go hand in had wouldn't you:rolleyes: I am still looking for an orgainc meat box delivery scheme in my area but none available yet. As I don't have a car these sorts of schemes do offer the best value for money for me but if you have the transport & time then I think I have found the next best deals to be farm shops.

    HTH

    Howalsh : Yes, this is a money saving forum and the question is about saving money on a particualr type of produce. There is no limit on what we can save our money on, it's about having the standard of living we would like at the best price/price we can afford. It is not always necessary (or acceptable to some of us) to compromise principals to save money.
    This is a lovely forum, please can we all try to get along & support each other?
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  • Have a look at

    http://www.devonrose.com/

    we have recently started using them and their meat is fantastic. Their half lamb or pork boxes work out at very good value. Their sausages are so filling that you can make a pack stretch very easily. And the thought of their sausage plait just makes me dribble :drool:

    Hope this helps
  • I couldn't agree more, just at present in my circumstances, unfortunately I cannot afford to be too choosy, as much as I would like too. I thinks its dispicable how some of the meat in the supermarket is sourced, like I said I do what I can, but I cannot afford to go 100% organic just yet.


    we've found a local farm shop that sells free range rather than organic, and they don't feed the animals drugs or pump the meat full of water. We've found that we actually use what looks to be a smaller quantity (i.e. one chicken breast between 2 of us rather than one each) because it doesn't shrink and shrivel like the battery ones (which are crammed full of water!). If you haven't already, revisit your ideas about how much meat you should give each person in their portion.
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  • serena
    serena Posts: 2,387 Forumite
    There have been some interesting articles in the press about buying meat. It seemed to me that the general conclusion was to try to buy organic for intensively reared meat such as pork and chicken. Beef and lamb is still generally raised more naturally, and therefore less likely to be full of additives/pesticides etc etc.

    I would try looking for a local butchers who knows where their meat comes from and where it has been raised, or a farmers' market, and ask questions!
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