Organic food in supermarkets

Edwardia

Fish and seafood are one of the most confusing things to buy, it has to be said.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) https://www.msc.org/ has a worldwide certification programme which certifies fisheries(fishing fleets basically) as well as fish products. You can find products, (over 11,000), and fisheries, watch videos etc on their website. It's a good starting point to get an idea of how certification works and what the MSC logo means when you see it.

Seafish is the UK government seafood authority and it's part industry focused part consumer focused http://www.seafish.org/

Fish is the Dish is Seafish's recipe website
http://www.fishisthedish.co.uk/recipes

FishFight is a campaign headed by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall which addresses consumer concerns about fishing and fish farming eg discards and !!!!!! are prawns fed on to name two https://www.fishfight.net

I've included fish policies of supermarkets where I could find them. So you can either check the policies of your preferred supermarket or look for the MSC logo on fish products or use certified fisheries.

Waitrose fish policy
http://www.waitrose.com/home/inspiration/about_waitrose/about_our_food/waitrose_fish.html

Sainsbury's fish policy
http://www.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/products-values/responsible-sourcing/sustainable-fishing/

Tesco fish policy
http://www.tescoplc.com/assets/files/cms/Seafood.pdf

Morrisons fish policy
http://www.morrisons.co.uk/corporate/policy/Fish/

Lidl fish policy
http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/SID-2E586BAE-881EEF7A/www_lidl_uk/hs.xsl/869.htm

Aldi fish policy
http://aldi.co.uk/uk/html/company/15435_16376.htm

The Co-operative fish policy
http://www.co-operativefood.co.uk/food-and-drink/food/Own-brand-fish/

ASDA fish policy
http://health.asda.com/sustainability/our-policies/sustainable-fishing.aspx

Marks and Spencer fish policy
http://plana.marksandspencer.com/we-are-doing/natural-resources/forever-fish/about

I couldn't find an actual fish policy for Ocado but if you look under The Ocado Way on https://www.ocado.com you can read about fish in the Ocado range. Also, the Waitrose fish policy is applicable because Ocado stocks a lot of Waitrose fish.

Abel & Cole fish policy see FAQs
http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/faqs#

Riverford and fish
http://www.riverford.co.uk/feed/wash/in:news/planting-fishing-amp-awards/

Planet Organic - sustainable fresh fish available in London only

Whole Foods Markets fish policy
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/catch-reel-big-news-no-red-rated-seafood

Edwardia

^If you want to keep reading to a minimum I suggest the fish policies of the shops/services you use or if you buy from a fishmonger, you will probably need to ask which fishery the fish came from and then check which species the fishery is certified for.

Friends of the Earth is a member of the Marinet network and here's a lin to get you started.
http://www.foe.co.uk/news/cfp_defra_35201.html

Greenpeace fish advice
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/oceans/what-you-can-do/better-buys-what-fish-can-I-eat

Greenpeace Red List
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/seafood/red-list-of-species/#a1

Iceland fish policy (scroll down)
http://www.iceland.co.uk/about-iceland/corporate-responsibility/

Personally I'm lucky that I can buy fresh fish from a MSC-certified fishery near my mother. I also buy fresh fish from Ocado (some will be Waitrose), organic farmed from Waitrose and ASDA, wild salmon from Ocado and Sainsbury's and frozen wild fish from ASDA. Oh and wild fish from Tregida via Abel & Cole.

I don't buy farmed non-organic fish, or wild tuna. like rufydoofyM I won't buy farmed prawns. I get wild North Atlantic prawns from a wholesaler, which aren't on the red list but hard to find in stores because being smaller than the BIG prawns people favour they tend to end up being used in prawn sarnies.

I'll only buy line caught cod now and prefer to buy other species of fish in preference to the ones more under pressure like cod, plaice, haddock.

I am concerned about the viability of wild Alaskan salmon because when you see how it's vacuumed up from rivers in Alaska I kinda wonder how long they can keep doing it.

Looking at the way prawns are farmed in the Far East is rather alarming.

Youtube is a great resource for fish recipes.

Edwardia

Fire Fox - re cook books, there are trillions of recipes online on websites from food magazines, newspapers, supermarkets, blogs, cook book authors etc then more on Youtube and when you run out then there's always photocopying them from library books and rummaging in charity shops and boot fairs

rufydoofyM can't say I've ever come across anyone with a lettuce intolerance but IMO it's about as nutritionally useful as cardboard. I will always choose watercress, rocket, wild rocket,winter purslane, dandelion, sorrel, samphire, spinach and radicchio in preference.

Kirri - yup I agree, journos bang on about nutrition and taste and seem to forget all about the chemical load.. makes me wonder if they even realise food gets sprayed ??

A lot of seafood is kinda chewy and doesn't taste of much but wild prawns are slightly sweet, firm without being rubbery, delicate flavoured and nothing like prawn cocktail crisps. The only seafood I'm not particularly mad for would be oysters although the ones I had in Canada were Canadian and I don't think they are really world class.

Callie22

Edwardia wrote: »

I don't use coconut milk myself but OH has been known to cook with it for himself so I may have some organic tinned. Anyone else know any good additive free or organic brands ?

My local wholefoods shop sells Essentials Organic Coconut Milk. I originally bought it because it was only £1.55 a tin which is a lot less than most supermarket brands, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it only has coconut and water in it. It separates beautifully (I often use the 'cream' on the top for frying) and tastes really good. The only problem is it's pretty hard to get hold of.

Edwardia

Callie22 thanks for sharing that, really useful, I will look out for it for OH.

I do think Lakeland is kinda aimed at women with Agas IYKWIM but as I'm going to Canterbury next week I had a recce on the website as there's a store there. Found this - three of the five spices in Delia's Spice Collection are organic. I'm not a Delia fan myself but anything that gets more people thinking about organic is good in my book.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/17773/Delias-Spice-Collection

Lakeland also sells Vitax organic pepper deterrent for gardens http://www.lakeland.co.uk/51967/Vitax-Pepper-Dust

And for bread makers
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/11682/Claybrooke-Mill-Dough-Improver

I intend picking up some of this organic chocolate to try too
http://www.english-heritageshop.org.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/EnglishHeritage/_18694/-/English%20Heritage%20Dark%20Chocolate

Fire_Fox

For those who are fish-free there are alternative sources of the nutrients, Opti-3 is the highest potency marine algae extract I have seen, also has vitamin D3. Not solvent extracted, not sure there is any such thing as an 'official' organic version. http://www.opti3omega.com/indexc.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algaculture

If you are simply avoiding pollutants but not avoiding fish products, Barleans fish body oils claim to be organic and contaminant free http://www.barleans.com/literature/2009/Lit%20214%20Fish%20Oil%20SS.pdf

Couple of full text studies of pollutants in different products for the geekly minded
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2009.01143.x/full
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2008.01020.x/pdf
Abstract only
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20692313
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20092867

Harvard's position is the benefits of fish outweigh any risks, again full text
http://www.myprorenal.com/images/media/Primarypreventionfishoil.pdf

sophlowe45

I had a really crappy response from Ethical Superstore, quite shocked, probably my worst customer service experience ever. This may sound silly, but I feel really upset about it, normally customer services in any store or online companies I use is great. Any query I have ever emailed Amazon, always had prompt informative replies. Even if I have gone into a store and been over the 28 days refund period, they say you can exchange for another product.

Perhaps I should write them a written letter and send via postal mail?

Wandering around Waitrose today and I noticed Green and Blacks cocoa powder 20% off, some organic olive oil 25% off, and Duchy milk 2 for £3. Organic Surge products 50% off. (Edwardia you have probably posted these already?)

Waitrose now do 12 free range eggs for £1.89, previously it was £1.99 for 9 free range eggs.

Kirri

^ Those eggs sound very cheap, would hope Waitrose FR would be more ethically produced than some other supermarkets but sounds suspiciously cheap? I have the G&B cocoa powder, is very nice.

Fire_Fox wrote: »

For those who are fish-free there are alternative sources of the nutrients, Opti-3 is the highest potency marine algae extract I have seen, also has vitamin D3. Not solvent extracted, not sure there is any such thing as an 'official' organic version. http://www.opti3omega.com/indexc.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algaculture

I have flax ground/oil for Omega 3, not sure how it compares and I probably should know/read up on other sources..

Have also got Vegan Organic Evening Primrose for Omega 6/9 - though admittedly they were bought for the guinea pig on vet suggestion.. I'm sharing!


Edwardia, I love Lakeland, didn't realise they stocked those organic bits though. (Those spices are also sold individually in Olivers).

Not tried dough improver, but what is flour treatment agent (E300) ?

Lazy journos probably, I just think they compare a carrot with a carrot and don't think about all the other things it covers.

Fire_Fox

sophlowe45 wrote: »

I had a really crappy response from Ethical Superstore, quite shocked, probably my worst customer service experience ever. This may sound silly, but I feel really upset about it, normally customer services in any store or online companies I use is great. Any query I have ever emailed Amazon, always had prompt informative replies. Even if I have gone into a store and been over the 28 days refund period, they say you can exchange for another product.

Perhaps I should write them a written letter and send via postal mail?

Waitrose now do 12 free range eggs for £1.89, previously it was £1.99 for 9 free range eggs.

Sorry to hear you have had poor service, I wonder if that is why the links to their store always come up as !!!!!!!!!!? I would say post on the vents/ warnings board but it's a lion's den TBH.

Good price for free range eggs, that market seems to have got tougher in recent months, Asda used to do specials of 15s or 18s that were discounter branded but not seen them in ages. The only place less than 16.5p an egg seems to be Aldi at 14.5p. Sainsbury have nothing below 22p an egg! :eek:

Fire_Fox

Kirri wrote: »

I have flax ground/oil for Omega 3, not sure how it compares and I probably should know/read up on other sources..

Have also got Vegan Organic Evening Primrose for Omega 6/9 - though admittedly they were bought for the guinea pig on vet suggestion.. I'm sharing!

Flax is useful but the conversion rate in the body of short chain ALA to the useable long chain format can be as low as 10% (men and veggies tend to be slightly higher tho) so the amounts you need to supplement can become prohibitive. And it doesn't deal with the potential vitamin D issue.

Can't comment on piggies but humans should not need to supplement omega-9, it's not essential and there is plenty in the diet (eg. olives, avocados). Borage is a better source of GLA than evening primrose, GLA is the only anti inflammatory omega-6 the others are pro inflammatory. Most of us make all the GLA we need from the omega-6s that are so (too) common in the Western diet, but a few do benefit.

To get the right ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 most of us need more 3s, preferably long chain EPA and DHA: the problem being fish is by far the biggest source. There is small amounts in grass fed meat and eggs from chickens fed a seed rich (not so grain rich, grains supply 6s) diet but few of us eat those either.

I encourage my vegetarian clients to purchase omega-enriched eggs plus a marine algae supplement plus choose seeds richer in short chain ALA because the algae and seed oil supps are pricey to get a decent dose. Supplements are always a minefield because you have to think about the processing methods, storage conditions and additives. But whole oily fish doesn't suit everyone so ....