NOTE : The term 'biological' is a European term synonymous
with 'organic'.
by Liz in Amsterdam
Almost every single day our world gains a vegetarian. Most people become a
vegetarian out of respect for our animals, some because just don’t like
meat.
But we live in a world where meat is consumed on a daily
basis and in large quantities. A world where chickens spend their entire life
in a room the size of an A4 piece of paper and where calves are held in boxes
from 0.71 x 0.31 inch in which they can barely move. Every year over 15 million
chicks die due to rapid growth.
So what can you do if you’re not a vegetarian? For
starters you could buy biological (organic) food. But what does this mean?
Is it really biological, where can you get it, does it cost more, why would
you buy it?
First of all, biological meat is better for the environment.
The animals at biological farms have a better life, they can move around freely,
get outside and eat proper food. Furthermore, biological farms do not use
fertilizers, chemical supplies or gene technology, so the meat you are buying
is actually better for your own health! Just think about mad cow disease or
salmonella; these are serious issues.
Today you can get biological meat at wholefood and healthfood
stores, some farm shops, and biological butchers and even the better supermarkets.
The environment department of the Dutch government is supporting supermarkets
to get biological food and to set up a good campaign, because biological food
is still more expensive. In the Netherlands we find that people do not mind
the extra eurocents, but they do want to know why and what they are buying.
Just because it says ‘biological’, doesn’t mean it has to
be true.
This is why we have Skal. In The Netherlands Skal has been
assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality as an inspection
body for the organic production. Skal performs this task by means of inspection
finally leading towards certification. Skal also informs the organic farmers
and processors about the legislation concerned. Organic production is based
on EU-regulation (EEC), which is very strict. Skal’s work involves farm
visits, examination of samples taken from the soil, crops or products and
administrative assessments. If a company fails on just one of these subjects,
it can loose its certificate.
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If you want to make sure you’re buying biological food
in The Netherlands, look for this logo. It is the EKO quality symbol. This
symbol stands for organic production certified by Skal that meets the requirements
of the national Dutch legislation, this means the EU-regulation for organic
production. In the past Skal also allowed the use of this symbol by organic
producers outside the Netherlands and by producers of sustainable textiles,
forest and wood and of specific inputs for organic production. This is no
longer the case. The EKO Quality symbol can only be used by organic producers
that are Skal licensees and have been certified by Skal.
The British equivalent to EKO is The
Soil Association.
So just to refresh your memory, a quick summary why biological food is just
plain logic :
- Healthier (no mad cow diseases for you!)
- Tastier, due to proper feeding
- Good for the environment (biological manure can be recycled instead of
regular manure getting dumped in our lakes)
- More humane for animals (no gene technology, more moving space, outside
life)
- And just a bit more expensive!
How is the last one a plus? Actually it is, because it will make you think
before you buy, so you become more aware of what you are eating and will appreciate
your food.
We still have a long way to go. You have to find a supermarket that sells
biological meat or drive a few miles before you locate a biological farm or
butcher, but slowly, we’re getting there. And when you take into account
that even McDonalds has decided to sell only biological milk, than you know
we’re on the right track. So think about what you put into your mouth
: put the logic in biologic!
Lisa
April 2005
donderstraal [at] zonnet [dot] nl
