Food & Drink

According to market researchers, there are six underlying factors which influence consumers deciding between organically certified and conventional dairy produce. By a considerable degree, the most important of these is a concern for product safety. This is demonstrated by our instinctive desire to be reassured that exacting standards have been met to minimise the risk of modern food contaminants, particularly those suspected of creating preventable health problems. Fair enough. We live in a technologically complex age with many benefits and advantages. All the same, there are lots of people who feel uncomfortable with agricultural chemicals and genetically altered proteins in the food chain. Optimal nutrition Closely related to the concern...

How easy is it for tea producers to deliver a high quality organic product to the consumer? As the fourth generation representative of Darjeeling’s tea dynasty, Rajah Banerjee is the prince of organic tea. Cradled in the lap of the Himalayas, Makaibari is the oldest single owner tea estate and one of the few devoted to organic and biodynamic agricultural methods. Rajah explains that the annual volume of organically grown tea is only six percent that of conventional. While demand for organically grown tea continues to increase, there are significant constraints upon growers who might like to enter this market. Large producers in particular face significant challenges in adapting to a new set of agricultural parameters. The switch to holistic...

Why have so many chocolate lovers shifted their allegiance to organically certified products? We contacted industry representatives across the globe for their responses. Sjaaks is a family business located in Northern California specialising in the manufacture of premium quality organic chocolates. Jessica Holten is the daughter of Sjaaks founder, Jacques Holten. Having grown up with chocolate, Jessica probably has a better understanding than most. She believes many consumers have become increasingly wary of the high levels of pesticides applied to raise conventional cocoa crops. The chocolate products may then contain residual chemicals present within the cocoa butter as derived from the oily components of the bean. Jessica also agrees with...

Have you ever experienced difficulty obtaining organically certified hen’s eggs? From the farmer’s perspective, Jesse Laflamme concedes that filling demand throughout the year can be challenging. Based in New Hampshire, he works alongside his father Gerry to produce Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs. Jesse points out that each egg brought to market must be planned for at least eight months in advance. With the high cost of organic grain to factor, there’s little margin for error. He knows of organic egg farmers who miscalculated their growth potential and ended up with surplus eggs which could not be sold to recoup costs. While subject to a cyclical demand, organic egg farms like Pete and Gerry’s continue to provide consumers with premium...

Many of us find it difficult to contemplate functioning without our morning coffee. Let’s face it, caffeine stimulates the brain and provides the energy boost we need. Depending on circumstances and routine, that first cup is probably followed by several others, distributed strategically throughout the day. In Continental Europe, freshly brewed coffee has been iconically popular since the beginning of the twentieth century. Try to imagine Paris without its coffee. It’s almost unthinkable! Shortly after the Second World War, the art of coffee making declined in many countries beyond the immediate influence of Continental Europe. This was primarily associated with the advent of instant blends which were economical and convenient. In a return...

According to longstanding tradition, beer is made from four natural ingredients. These are pure water, barley malt, hops, and yeast. In Germany, the standard is upheld through the purity law (Reinheitsgebot), which prevents brewers using additional or alternative ingredients in any product marketed as a beer. Outside Germany, there are plenty of beers containing mixed cereals, added sugar, flavouring compounds, and chemicals to increase storage capacity, creaminess, and clarity. Making organic beer Organic beer is made in the traditional manner, with pure, healthy ingredients. No chemical additives or genetically modified substances are used and the production facilities are routinely inspected to ensure compliance with organic certification...

A carefully selected wine has the potential to complement fine food and good company. In addition to offering enjoyment and pleasure, the moderate intake of wine has the potential to improve important aspects of physical health. Since the eighties, numerous studies have confirmed the health benefits of moderate wine consumption. Dry red wine, in particular, contains high concentrations of phenolic and other antioxidant compounds which are associated with a lowered incidence of coronary vascular disease. These findings, along with various social and economic influences, contributed to the rise of the mass produced wine. Often sold in cardboard cask or flagons, their quality was often compromised by mechanised harvesting and the routine application...

Sugar, honey, and other natural sweeteners are an important source of pleasure. They are frequently used in drinks, cakes, biscuits, sauces, candy, and many other indulgence foods. Unfortunately, most of the sugar appearing on supermarket shelves is highly refined, which means that it is stripped of the nutrients which were originally present in the plants from which it was derived. Highly refined sugar and our health Highly refined sugars and sweeteners provide what dieticians describe as empty calories. These provide a form of energy which can be used by the body but do not contribute to its longer term maintenance, repair, or vitality. When taken, the body must use the calories as a source of immediate energy or begin a complicated process...

In their unrefined state, many whole grains are covered with a coarse husk which prevents their easy absorption within the digestive tract. Most of them can be milled to create flours which are sufficiently digestible and convenient for blending with other ingredients. In historical times, milling was a simple physical process which involved repeatedly cracking and grinding the grains against suitably flattened surfaces of stone. Today, the technology of milling has advanced to include many additional applications which homogenise, bleach, blend and fortify our basic flours. Consumers demand wholesome food The current shift toward wholesome and unadulterated food ingredients encompasses the organic approach which restricts the unnecessary use...

Grain can be defined as the edible seeds from a wide variety of grass-like plants. Complex whole grains are a natural source of digestible carbohydrates, protein, essential oils, in addition to minerals and the fibrous material of their external husks and bran layer. When raised in healthy, unpolluted soils, they provide the foundation for an optimally balanced diet and active lifestyle. Throughout history, most societies depended upon one or more of these foods to provide their basic nutritional requirements. The unique characteristics of the grains combined with their manner of processing assumed a significant role in the development of many cultural practices and traditions. Increased consumer choice Unlike earlier periods in history, the...