Not all organic food is created equal -- huge differences in quality

I used to do all my shopping at a friend's organic coop. Delicious fruit & veg, bread super fresh and organic.

Then moved far enough away, and I had to rely on the big markets -- Tesco, Waitrose, etc. I always bought organic but found the food didn't taste as good.

Now I've found an organic farm shop 25 miles away and am _thrilled_ to find the same freshness and quality as at my friend's coop.

Now WHY Tesco organic clementines are tasteless while the private coops are scrumptuous I don't understand. I'd understand tasteless non-organic fruit, but not organic.

Any ideas?

Anybody else noticed these kinds of differences?

I don't know but I brought home an organic cauliflower this weekend and it had a GIGANTIC caterpillar on it! Yucky!

I don't know but I brought home an organic cauliflower this weekend and it had a GIGANTIC caterpillar on it! Yucky!

Ooh, nature, yuck!    I hate to think of creepy crawlies playing around in my food while it is growing in the fields.... the machines, hormones, pesticides and other chemicals need to eliminate all of that!

Another way of looking at that is, hey, that's free protein! 

I used to do all my shopping at a friend's organic coop. Delicious fruit & veg, bread super fresh and organic.

Then moved far enough away, and I had to rely on the big markets -- Tesco, Waitrose, etc. I always bought organic but found the food didn't taste as good.

Now I've found an organic farm shop 25 miles away and am _thrilled_ to find the same freshness and quality as at my friend's coop.

I don't know if all the major chains are the same, but I do know that one or two of them put quite stringent demands on their organic suppliers. A lot of UK-grown organic produce gets flown to eastern Europe to be packaged, then flown back here, then plopped on your local supermarket shelves. So it may be organic, but it's definitely not fresh. And as for food miles, even though it's grown locally, it's racked up quite a distance before it winds up on your plate.

If you can buy local and organic from a farm shop, kudos to you! I tend to favour local over organic, if I have to make a choice. I'd much rather something that was grown down the road, then sold to me the very next day. Organic is nice, but it's not my priority.

I'd much rather something that was grown down the road, then sold to me the very next day. Organic is nice, but it's not my priority.

Me too.   I'd prefer local over organic.

A lot of UK-grown organic produce gets flown to eastern Europe to be packaged, then flown back here, then plopped on your local supermarket shelves.

Are you serious? Do you know what fruit and veg would they do that for, and more to the point, why?

Are you serious? Do you know what fruit and veg would they do that for, and more to the point, why?

I'm afraid I am serious. I know for a fact it's done for cauliflower (the partner of a friend of mine grows organic cauliflower). I can't remember who he sells to, but it's one of the major supermarket chains. As for why ... I don't really know. It probably has something to do with having to package them a certain way and not being able to do that in the UK. But that's just a guess.

Me too.   I'd prefer local over organic.

Absolutely.

I suspect that it's actually cheaper for the supermarkets to send the stuff to Europe to be packaged and sent back than to have it packaged here. How that's possible, I don't know but I'm sure I've read that a few times.

I suspect that it's actually cheaper for the supermarkets to send the stuff to Europe to be packaged and sent back than to have it packaged here. How that's possible, I don't know but I'm sure I've read that a few times.

Much like how a lot of the frozen salmon in the US is caught in the Pacific Northwest, shipped to China where it's processed and packaged, then sent to stores in the US.

Another reason to always buy local if you can.

If you can buy local and organic from a farm shop, kudos to you! I tend to favour local over organic, if I have to make a choice. I'd much rather something that was grown down the road, then sold to me the very next day. Organic is nice, but it's not my priority.

This is my philosophy in life too!