I'm delighted to be working with Organic UK* for a mini-series of podcast episodes to mark Organic September - an annual month long awareness campaign by the Soil Association In collaboration with the Organic Trade Board.

Most of us are now quite familiar with the concept of organic food, and maybe even organic textiles, but (and I'm speaking for myself here) maybe we don't really have that great a handle on what it actually means. Is it a legal definition? What does it mean if a product is organic? Is it just about pesticides? Is organic really any better for me and the planet? 

In this episode we've put together a brilliant expert panel to answer all those questions and more! Lee Holdstock from The Soil Association, Harriet O'Regan from Organic UK, and Guy Singh-Watson from Riverford joined me around my virtual kitchen table for a cuppa, and we dived into all things organic. Even as someone who gets an organic veg box, and regularly seeks out organic produce in the supermarket, I'm not sure I'd have been able to explain the benefits to friends and family in a very articulate or persuasive way. But I hope that after listening to this episode, we'll all feel like we have a greater understanding of what exactly "organic" means, and the role it has to play in the health of the planet and feeding the world. 

Enjoy!

* This is a paid partnership with Organic UK.

Organic is...working with nature. It's stewardship. Handing the land over to our children and grandchildren in a fit state. It's about taking responsibility

The Soil Association

This episode was edited by Emily Crosby Media

• It's better for the planet - fewer pesticides, increased biodiversity, healthier soil and more!
• Better for nature and wildlife - fewer pesticides and more biodiversity means more insects, more birds, more wildlife 
• Higher welfare for farm animal
• Better for people and health

Image from The Soil Association

As with all things Sustainable(ish), organic doesn't have to be 'all or nothing'. No-one is expecting you to covert to 100% organic, and as Harriet points out in the podcast, you'd struggle even if you wanted to, as there are some products that there aren't organic versions of.
But I hope after listening to this episode, and to the others in the Organic September mini-series, you'll be a convert (if you weren't already) to the power that organic farming has to help us to pass on a healthy planet to our kids and grandkids. 
As consumers we have a lot of power to amplify the impact of organic by making some simple swaps. 
Next time you're shopping, can you swap one of your regular products for an organic one? Just imagine the surge in demand if everyone who was able to do this, did it! 

• Organic UK
  - Website
  - Facebook
  - Instagram
  - Twitter
  
• Organic September
• The Soil Association
  - Website
  - Facebook
  - Instagram
  - Twitter
  - Why Organic?
• Riverford
  - Website
  - Facebook
  - Instagram
  - Twitter
  - "In organic we trust" - article from Guy in the Riverford Wicked Leeks Magazine
  - "An uncomfortable truth" - article from Guy about the devastating soil loss they suffered this year that he references in the podcast
• Organic Trade Board
• 30 ways to join the organic movement
• The 'Dirty Dozen' and 'Clean Fifteen' - lists of fruit and veg with the most and least pesticide residues
• World Wildlife Fund Living Planet Report 2020
• The Sustainable(ish) Facebook group

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