Organic food in supermarkets

Edwardia

Hi GeeG and welcome to the thread I'm sure we'll be able to benefit from your knowledge of organic food. So many people praise Riverford but I can't get their boxes here

You raise a very interesting point about the ownership of organic producers. It's not just Abel & Cole, Green & Black's and Innocent that have been gobbled up.

Rachel's, the organic yogurtmakers, started off on a Welsh farm in the 80s, was sold in 1999 to Horizon (probably the American dairy giant) then sold again to Dean Foods, an American company from Dallas. In August 2010 Rachel's was purchased by French dairy giant Lactalis, otherwise known as LNCD or Lactalis Nestle Chilled Dairy. In May last year, LNCD started a consultation process to consider moving production of the yogurts away from Aberystywth at a loss of 150 jobs, to other Lactalis factories in UK and Ireland.

By the way, if you travel economy on one of the fourteen airlines serviced by Gate Gourmet's kitchen in the UK, you'll probably get a Rachel's organic yogurt or pudding.

Trioni, the Welsh dairy behind Daioni organic flavoured milks exports to Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore and now China so that could be sold.

Yeo Valley is still family-owned and that has been the subject of speculation in newspapers about a possible sale.

We just have to hope that multinationals don't get to influence organic food in the same way that they do in the USA.

Edwardia

Kallo organic milk chocolate rice thins now £1 to 27/01/13
Whole Earth organic smooth peanut butter now £2 to 27/01/13
Green & Black's organic chocolate 150g 2 for £4 to 27/01/13
Food Doctor savoury seed blend bread now £1 to 13/01/13 organic ?
Biona rye pumpkin seed bread now 1.25 to 27/01/13
Biona rice cakes with quinoa now 75p to 27/01/13
New Zealand bio active beech tree honey now 2.50 to 27/01/13 organic ?
Dorset Simply Fruity Muesli now £2 to 13/01/13 organic ?
Green organic tea 20 pack now £1 to 13/01/13 er pity they didn't put the brand name on the website
Pukka herbal tea bags 20 pack was 2.19 now 1.69 to 13/01/13 organic ?

Innocent orange/apple juice 1.35 LTR 2 for 3.50 to 27/01/13
Innocent juices 900ml 2 for £3 to 03/02/13

Innocent is additive free rather than organic and the major shareholder is Coca-Cola. Dr Robert H Lustig MD says better to eat the fruit but some people (my OH amongst them) like a glass of fruit juice.

Morrisons has offers on Evian, Badoit and Buxton bottled waters if you buy them.

miss_emmajane

I have been lurking in this thread reading all your comments whilst doing reading online about the pros of organic food/the dirty dozen etc - I would really like to start buying more organic foods but am on a tight student budget, normally shop at ALDI. However I made my first small (but permanent) switch this morning - organice apples from Morrisons for £2

Edwardia

Hi miss_emmajane and welcome to the thread and well done you :TOrganic on a budget isn't easy but everyone on this thread is really friendly so I'm sure that we'll give you as much help as we can.

If you eat that student staple, baked beans, the cheapest I've found are Sainsbury's SO organic baked beans 57p.

From today, Lidl has 750g Oaklands organic carrots £1 and 500g Oaklands organic onions 67p in their veg promo.

Personally I've not found organic fresh anything in my local Morrisons but you may continue to be luckier and get great prices.

ASDA's website has some good prices on organic fresh produce (not bananas or lemons though) but again I've not found much. ASDA organic Extra Virgin olive oil 500ml at 2.48 is the cheapest I've seen and what I use most of the time (sorry Quasar).

It might be worth having a look at the membership offers page of The Soil Association to see if you could use the membership offers locally/online. As a student you should be eligible for the Concessionary membership rate of £18 per year (you too Kirri). Normally membership starts at 2.50 per month.

http://www.soilassociation.org/supportus/membershipoffers/

Also, Abel & Cole is not the cheapest but for 99p delivery and £10 minimum order it could be worthwhile ordering a few bits. The mature Cheddar 360g is cheaper than 350g Cathedral City when that's not on offer. The 2L organic fresh milk from a Guernsey herd is 1.92 which saves money on some other organic milks. Yeo Valley organic natural yogurt normal price for the 500g pots is cheaper than the supermarkets when not on offer.

GeeG re: Daylesford, I have to say that many of their prices are eye-watering. However I find their chicken bits are much better than others I've tried. Ocado, Selfridges and Daylesford themselves sell online but the prices differ quite a lot. If you have a Total Savings Pass with Ocado you can save 10% on the jam

Kirri

Will check out the Soil Assoc. link, thanks, didn't know they did concessionary membership.

I've seen organic broccoli/cauliflower pieces ready prepped in Morrisons but never buy it ready done anyway, they do org salad items ie toms, celery, cucumber but are not great for variety of org veg. They did used to do org lemons/limes but not sure if they still do. I'm stuck in a town with Morrisons and Asda and find them both fairly useless tbh especially for organic dried staples and both seem to have reduced variety of organic items lately.

Welcome GeeG, nice to have another veggie on board I fancy a trip to Infinity Foods now.. One of the small organic shops I use in London stocks Infinity Foods products, got some very reasonably priced sunflower seeds there the other week so I guess buying direct from the shop is even better value.

I get really disappointed when a small co I like gets bought out by one of the big ones I hope YV don't go!

and welcome also miss_emmajane - I'm also on a very tight budget at the mo.. I don't get 100% organic ie things like org bananas have only seen in a prepacked bunch and I'd never eat them all in time, and I do supplement with some veggie/vegan foods that don't come in organic but organic dried staples, mostly scratch/bulk cooking for meals including making own bread, cakes, biscuits etc, growing my own veg, even eating a bit less, no waste etc makes it possible. Also if Ocado deliver then set up an account and if you only order once in a while they will bombard you with ie 20% off offers so I only ever order at a discount and they have a good selection of organic items. Following items on MySupermarket by setting up price alerts is also useful as they email you when the price drops.

Edwardia

Just got it and the Bentley Organic salad fruit and veg wash had leaked over everything and made it sticky. The Bentley Organic frequent use shampoo and conditioner are only travel sizes. other than that am pleased and will be trying it all out.

Kirri

^ Hope they refund that leaking item. Asda used to stock Bentley organic handwash but again, think that's another item that is no longer stocked there. Prices were reasonable too.

Edwardia

Kirri, the phone number for the membership team to join with concessionary membership is 0117 914 2447

Doing my Abel & Cole and Ocado orders atm - Clipper organic teas are on offer at both, but different ones. Abel & Cole also has offers on Rude Health, Alara and Whole Earth cereals as well.
http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/offers

Edwardia

SuperValu 2 recycled kitchen towels was 1.49 now £1
if you're not fussed about recycled and live near a 99p Stores you can get 6 for 99p. I do this and my council allows kitchen towel in the compostable food waste collection.
New Covent Garden Soup Co 600g soups all varieties excluding minestrone were 2.12 now £1. Not organic but most are additive free, please check.
Evian 2 LTR 2 for £1 if you buy bottled water
Copella cloudy apple juice 750ml 2 for £3 not organic but no nasties in this one www.copellafruitjuices.co.uk
Anglia free range eggs 6 were 1.40 now 2 for £2 not organic but are free range

Edwardia

Kirri wrote: »

^ Hope they refund that leaking item. Asda used to stock Bentley organic handwash but again, think that's another item that is no longer stocked there. Prices were reasonable too.

My thanks to Michelle who emailed me this afternoon to say she has refunded me the 2.86 isn't that great customer service !