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Nearly all the milk, dairy products and pork in UK supermarkets are being produced from animals fed on GM crops, and none of this is labelled, according to a Soil Association investigation. Tests of animal feed and a survey of company policies have revealed that all the supermarkets are widely allowing the use of GM feed. The report found that around 60% of the maize and 30% of the soya fed to dairy cattle and pigs is GM. Most consumers are unwittingly eating food produced from GM crops everyday. Supermarkets have been trumpeting their non-GM food policies, having removed all of their own-label foods made directly with GM ingredients by October 2002 in response to consumer concerns. However, unknown to most of the public supermarkets did not...

A newly published scientific study conducted by the Louis Bolk Institute Department of Health Care and Nutrition in the Netherlands shows that the incidence of eczema in infants fed on organic dairy products, and whose mothers also consumed organic dairy products, is 36% lower than in children who consume conventional dairy products. Why is this particular study significant? While a large number of studies have found that organic food contains higher levels of beneficial nutrients than non-organic foods, this is the first example of a definite health impact (i.e. isolated from other potential beneficial factors) of organic food consumption being published in a peer reviewed journal. Professor Carlo Leifert, at Newcastle University, leader of...

Next time you feel as though you’re tied to your current job and in need of a break, spare a thought for your local organic dairy farmer. Organic dairy farming is a year-round undertaking that requires real dedication. While many of us are aware of the benefits of consuming organic dairy products and even the research confirming these benefits, unless you hail from a dairy farm, you may not appreciate the extent of the commitment required to deliver high quality organic dairy products. In a wonderful two-part short film entitled Organic Dairyman: A Family Tradition, Cooking Up a Story – a site dedicated to breathing life into authentic stories about food – provides us with an insight into the life of Jon Bansen, an organic dairy farmer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwtRKV4Hc6U Interestingly,...

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...

In the decades immediately following the Second World War, many developed nations participated in a trend which saw formulated products supplementing or replacing the traditional source of infant nutrition. Today, reputable health authorities are strongly in favour of breastfeeding. For the majority of infants, breast milk represents an ideal source of nutrition during the first twenty-four months of development. In situations where breastfeeding is not an option, there are formulated products which provide the nutrients essential for normal development. With so many brands and varieties of infant formula currently available, parents and caregivers may become overwhelmed in their attempts to choose a suitable product. Undoubtedly, there must...