Ethical Food Links
Herewith a growing selection of internet website links with information that is useful, interesting and inspiring. If any links don't work, if you have others to suggest, or questions, please let us know.
We begin with one that lays out a general stance on sense and sustainability : Sustain http://www.sustainweb.org/ A really useful site on food and farming which we would recommend highly: see more.
Links listed in alphabetical order
Biodynamic
Chocolate
Food miles
Local
Coffee & Tea
Eggs
Fairtrade
Meat
Organics
Raw, Live and Fresh Food
Seasonal Food
Vegan and Vegetarianism
Vitamins and Supplements
Wholefood
Biodynamic
The website is for food which carries the Demeter label.
Demeter foods are all grown/produced biodynamically (needless to say, this
is also organic).
http://www.biodynamic.org.nz/food.html
Chocolate
Divine Chocolate
Produced by the Day Chocolate Company, which produces a wide rage of fair
trade products.
http://www.divinechocolate.com
Green & Blacks
Famed for their organic, fairtrade chocolate (they were the first company
to trade chocolate fairly), although all their chocolate is organic, only their Maya Gold and Cocoa powder is actually fairtrade. Their site gives good information about
chocolate, especially the article From Bean to Bar. They have been bought out by (sold out to?) Cadbury's, and as a result have far greater distribution and far more packaging. Many folks now boycott the company, not wishing to add to Cadbury's profits, even if it is through an ethical product.
http://www.greenandblacks.co.uk
Hotel Chocolat
This, I think, is the best chocolate in the world. They have eggs, slabs, hampers, gifts: yes, lots of marketing mumbojumbo. But they do special vegan products. And if you are a chocoholic connoiseur, you need to check out their Purist selection of bars from different plantations and beans : taste the mud and the sunshine. They aren't registered as fairtrade, but have a comprehensive ethical policy which they explain on the website.
http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk
The Purbeck Chocolate Company is in Dorset
and manufacters handmade ethical chocolates. Apparently our motley crew of British 'celebrities' like this company, and sometimes Purbeck have trouble keeping up with demand, so if you want some for a special
occassion, book early to avoid dissapointment.
http://www.chococo.co.uk
Rococo Chocolate
An expensive but extraordinary product from a company that is clealry searching
for ethics in every way that they work. Well worth exploring, and especially
to try their many different combinations of flavours in their Artisan Bars.
Read their article on the company philosophy.
http://www.rococochocolates.com/
Serenata Chocolates
Some information on choosing Fairtrade - a link suggested by the students of a Vermont school.
http://www.serenatachocolates.com/All-About-Fair-Trade-Chocolate
Coffee and Tea
Cafedirect
Coffee is another industry with a filthy record on human rights and enivronmental
damage. Cafe Direct is a good source for tea, coffee and chocolate, with an
interesting website.
http://www.cafedirect.co.uk
Office Drinks Direct
"We
deliver a wide range of quality drinks to offices and caterers. We are
passionate about providing the very best service and offering a
comprehensive range of products. We care about where our ingredients
come from and offer Fairtrade and environmentally friendly options, to
satisfy the corporate need to source ethical products.!!"
http://www.officedrinksdirect.co.uk/
Eggs
The Vegetarian Society has some clear and provocative thinking about free range and battery eggs, which can be found at : http://www.vegsoc.org/info/laying.html
Fair Trade
The British Association for Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS)
A network of independent shops around Britain selling fair trade
goods.
http://www.bafts.org.uk
The Fair Trade Foundation
A richly informative website about developing fair trade around the world.
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk
New Consumer
One of the only magazines which focuses entirely on fair trade.
http://www.newconsumer.co.uk
Traidcraft
A charity worth supporting, with an inspiring website, and c aompany that
has an on-line shop selling everything from tea to pasta. One of the few sources
of ethical sugar.
http://www.traidcraft.co.uk
Meat
Meatrix is a neat site about the horror
of factory farming, with plenty of information that leads you on from there.
http://www.themeatrix.com/
Organic Lifestyle
Organic Food
Everything you need to know about organic lifestyle in the UK and cyberspace.
Contains interesting articles, facts, links and recipies. The organizers of
this website say that it is ..."a forum for free speech and an encyclopaedia
of knowledge, as well as an arena for e-commerce. Our intention is to give
you the facts and information you want, plus the opinions and experiences
of people who eat organic. Plus to direct you to more sources of inspiration,
wisdom, or purveyors of your favourite foods" ...
http://www.OrganicFoodee.com
A lot of organics is an organic search engine
with links to sites which sell organic or ethical wares and produce. It is
a UK based website which is a fabulous every day reference point/resource
for anyone wishing to pursue a more organic/green lifestyle and has some extraordinary
links - like the link to the company who make and sell soya milk making machines
and tofu making machines. Did you know that such a machine existed and that
to make your own costs around 8p/litre instead of the £1.30 charged
by manufacturers and supermarkets!
http://www.alotoforganics.co.uk
Gusto Guide
An excellent guide to organic food in Britain.
http://www.gustoguide.co.uk/
Links Organic
This is a website that lists organic food sources (and other products)
around the world, including local organic vegetable box delivery schemes.
http://www.linksorganic.com/uk/
NGFDS
An online supermarket for wholefoods and organic foods. Delivery in the UK
is free for orders over £75.00. If you live in Leicestershire, North
Warwickshire and Northants., you can have an organic veg box delivered too.
Delivery for anything is free to these locations.
http://www.ngfds.supanet.com/localindex.htm
The Soil Association gives a wealth of information
on organics, including tips on how to build community supported agriculture
networks and grow organic food.
http://www.soilassociation.org
Raw, Live and Fresh Food
The Fresh Network is the foremost organization that supports
raw foodists, those who eat all or a good proportion of their food raw. (For
more info and ideas, look at Raw Food
Heaven, an article and short recipe book on this site.)
http://www.fresh-network.com
This link is to LifeInsure.com - it contains many links giving information on raw food diets.
Seasonal Food
Eat the Seasons is a UK-based website giving information on seasonal food, with tips and recipe ideas. It's updated every Wednesday.
http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/
Veganism and Vegetarianism
The Vegan Society
Information on becoming vegan, vegan links, vegan shopping.
http://www.vegansociety.com/
The Vegetarian Society
Information on becoming vegetarian, products, consumer choices, environmental
information, catering pages, useful links, information on animal cruelty,
and lots lots more.
http://www.vegsoc.org/
Uncaged
Animal rights issues
http://www.uncaged.co.uk/links.htm/
Vitamins/Supplements
The Nutricentre is an online shop for vitamins and supplements.
Also has links to useful articles on alternative health matters.
http://www.nutricentre.com/Home.aspx
Thinknatural.com is an online shop for vitamins, supplements,
essential oils and other natural personal products.
http://www.thinknatural.com/
Wholefood
Homepage of Suma Wholefoods, a workers' co-operative with
a great repuation.
http://www.suma.co.uk
This is the homepage of Whole Earth Foods. Contains interesting
information about this ethical brand and where to get it.
http://www.earthfoods.co.uk/home/welcome.php4
Avoiding Food Miles
Because so many resources are wasted flying food around the world, or even motoring it across the country, buying local is critically important for ethical food shopping. Here are some ways of helping.
The National Association of Farmers' Markets
has a website that gives a directory of markets by county around the country.
http://www.farmersmarkets.net
Buy Fresh, Buy Local is specific to the SE of Britain.
http://www.buylocalfood.co.uk
Local Food Works
http://www.localfoodworks.org
Farm Shopping helpts connect consumers with farmers.
http://www.farmshopping.com
Local Britain
Local information from Network members and others. If you have local information to share, let us know (ethical [at] druidnetwork [dot] org)
Oxfordshire
A list of vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurants and eating
establishments in and around Oxford.
http://www.earth.li/~kake/vegan-oxford/
Lots of interesting articles about food, travel, food scares,
nutritional information, recipies and generally living a meat-free life.
http://www.ivu.org/oxveg/