Animals Australia have released a recent advertisng campaign to make consumers aware of the cruelty to pigs in Australia. You can donate to the campaign to keep it running for as long as possible.

Their website explains:

Most Australians are appalled by animal cruelty. This is why Animals Australia has launched an unprecedented radio campaign, ‘Lucy Speaks’, to alert caring consumers to the truth about how over 90% of pork, bacon and ham is produced in this country.

Pigs are social and affectionate animals. They experience fear, pain and many emotions, not unlike the family pet. Yet most pigs raised in Australia are confined in factory farms, where they are denied any quality of life. What they are forced to endure in the name of profit would be illegal if they were instead a dog or cat.

Despite advances overseas, Australian laws still allow a pregnant pig to be confined in a ‘sow stall’—a barren metal cage barely bigger than her own body. She is unable even to turn around. Trapped in a cycle of suffering, she is forced to give birth on a hard concrete floor; denied the ability to nurture her young; and will be continually impregnated until her body can no longer physically cope. Her piglets are subjected to painful surgical procedures—without anaesthetic.

Unlike ‘cage’ eggs there is no product labelling on Australian (or imported) factory-farmed pork, bacon and ham products to warn caring consumers.

More videos from Animals Australia

Although not strictly organic, here is an informative article at EcoTrekker. I thought readers of this blog would be interested in it. It lists 100 websites that makes it a little easier for the responsible consumer.

Amongst the organic related links is USDA Organic, A Guide to Organic Shopping, and an Organic Produce Guide, which ranks 43 popular fruits and vegetables based on their pesticide load.

Strangely enough this blog is part of a website that sells gasoline credit cards, I am not sure how it relates to tips on ethical shopping or even why ethical shoppers would be interested in such a product.

I am very inspired now after reading Adam Rees’ ebook called Organic Gardening. Even though I live in a rental property with just a small area to grow veggies, I know it is still possible and growing just a few plants will give me the satisfaction of knowing that I have grown my own extremely nutritious food.

My biggest obstacle, other than having a small back yard, oh and not knowing very much about gardening, is how to make the soil fertile enough to grow veggies. Matt covers it all in his book and it sounds really simple.

He has devised a simple 10 step plan to get your organic garden up and running and be producing amazing healthy produce in just a few weeks. Not only does it cost you next to nothing to set up, but you can save hundreds of dollars by not having to buy the mediocre produce you get from the supermarket.

Anyway, he gives you a complete rundown of what is in his ebook on his Organic Gardening website. He also offers a cool bonus package which includes organic recipes, organic skincare and making money from your organic garden.

There are an increasing number of resources on the web to help mums with leading an organic lifestyle. One I have just found is Ask an Organic Mom which also points you in the right direction for other good information and resources.

For those of you who have not gone organic yet because you think it’s to expensive, not worth it, or have family who think it’s a waste of time, I have found a great e-book that will convince you that that is just not the case. It’s called How to Go Organic or Natural…In 10 Easy Affordable Steps!

The authors believe (and so do I!) that eating natural and organic food is the best way to lead a healthy life. And you can do it on any budget. Just a few simple changes to your diet will make a huge difference to your well being.

They aim to achieve the following…

“We’re not going to tell you what diet you should be on…we’re not going to tell you how to get skinny or even if you should…we’re not going to tell you that you have to change every single aspect of your diet in order to be a healthy human being…and we’re not going to recommend any type of workouts at all. We are going to do one thing - and one thing only… Tell you how you can easily, affordably and quickly add more natural and organic foods into your lifestyle.”

To check out more information on
this downloadable e-book CLICK HERE

I have just had a interesting comment regarding my previous post on 10 month old supermarket produce from Steve Dawson who is producing a documentary on eating ‘real’ unprocessed food. It’s called Are You Gonna Eat That?

You can view a trailer which previews the documentary, but it hasn’t been finished yet as it is ‘viewer financed’, which you can find out more about on the website.

Best of luck with the project Steve, keep us posted on how it’s going.

I found a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald which has reported that the Sydney Postharvest Laboratory tested supermarket apples and found them to be up to 10 months old!

The test used Australia’s major supermarkets Woolworth’s and Coles; Analysis showed the Woolworths samples were about 10 months old while the Coles product had spent 9 months in storage since being harvested. The apples are pumped with a ripening hormone and coated in wax to give a nice appearance. What is the point of buying an apple like this, surely all the nutrition has left it?

The supermarkets say that they do it because consumers want apples all year round. But would customers buy this produce if they knew how old it was and what had been done to preserve it? I reckon they would definitely go for an alternative, something that is in season now.

This is where organic produce comes in. At Organic Angels, as well as other good organic retailers, you are most likely eating produce that was picked last week, if not a couple of days ago. If a customer asks us for some apples at this time of year, we suggest they should try a delicious peach or plum instead.

I am sure if supermarket customers were made aware of the facts and told what was in season, they would change their shopping habits.

 If you are interested I also found a UK report in The Observer from 2003, giving a rundown of how old different ‘fresh’ fruit and veggies really are.

The Daily Telegraph has reported that sales of organic and free range chickens have soared in the UK after celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, dished the dirt on battery farming in his recent television programme.

Being in Australia, I haven’t seen the programme, but a week after the controversial programme was aired the major supermarkets have reported that their ranges of organic and free range chickens have, in some cases, gone up as much as 50 percent.

The TV show, Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, featured scenes showing battery-farmed chickens being slaughtered. It would be interesting to see if the programme has the same effect, as it eventually gets shown in other countries.

 Also if you are interested I posted an article on the blog a while back on the difference between types of farmed eggs.

A £12m EU funded study by British scientists in Newcastle have found that organic produce is more nutritious than it’s conventional counterparts.

Early results from the study showed that organic fruit and vegetables contained up to 40% more antioxidants than non-organic varieties, according to Professor Carlo Leifert at Newcastle University, who leads the EU-funded Quality Low Input Food project. Larger differences were found in milk, with organic varieties containing more than 60% more antioxidants and healthy fatty acids, he said.

This is another slap in the face for various national governments and the big food agencys who are obliged to promote organic food as a ‘lifestyle choice’ rather than a more nutritious alternative to conventionally grown food.

In the study scientists reared cattle and grew fruit and vegetables on adjacent organic and non-organic sites across Europe, including a 725-acre farm. The full results of the study will be released in full over the next 12 months. We’ll keep you updated…

Source: Various