Organic food

Honestly, even though Village Grocer has an organic food section I only buy those products if the normal ones are not available.

For some reason I do not see many of my friends here in Malaysia discuss a lot on organic food.. Unlike few friends i have when I was in the UK who goes organic for everything...

I thought that non-organic was more nourishing as it has many extras.

Lol.. You probably right Mike.. Also depends what extras you get..

Mike....guess you lack awareness about organic foods 

Tmuguy......you mean that malaysians are not aware about organic foods and it's benefits or they are not health conscious people is what you mean ?

Emkay wrote:

Mike....guess you lack awareness about organic foods 

Haha....actually I don't have so much time to take care of the groceries 

Personally I think that the majority of Malaysians either do not care or are not willing to pay the higher prices for organic foods, and perhaps they find it unaffordable. It is usually the more aware who concern themselves with organic foods. I think foreigners are probably more into organic foods than locals.

Personally I do not drink or smoke, seldom eat red meat, and eat lots of vegetables and fish. I eat lots of tempe too because it tastes great. I think that enjoying the benefits of organic foods and yet smoking or drinking alcohol and eating lots of red meat is contradictory. So I believe in eating with moderation and generally eating healthily. Anyway, that's just my two cents worth.

Emkay, my obsevations and sampling was on my friends.. I never had a chance to do a sampling on a bigger population... Might need to do extensive survey to conclude Malaysian interest on organic food..

Mike....now I understand you are a pretty health conscious person....thanks for your balanced views 

Emkay wrote:

Mike....now I understand you are a pretty health conscious person....thanks for your balanced views 

Hahaha...not so, but try to eat a little more healthily than I used to 

Tmuguy wrote:

Emkay, my obsevations and sampling was on my friends.. I never had a chance to do a sampling on a bigger population... Might need to do extensive survey to conclude Malaysian interest on organic food..

Tmuguy, I appreciate your observations and response. I'll stay connected with you guys to get more insights on the potential of the organic food market in Malaysia. As and when you come across / observe something, please keep posting. Much appreciated!

Just thought I'd let you know about a company called GoGreen Delivery that deliver organic fruit and veg to your home. Lok the owner is very helpful as they have just set up their branch of home delivery and website is not always up to date yet.

Lok also owns La Juiceria which deliver organic juices to your door.

Websites:
http://gogreenorganic.com.my/http://lajuiceria.com.my/

I bought organic food a lot at home, and sometimes buy it here. With fruit and veg, I have found it quite expensive, and very limited in what you can buy. I think there needs to be more info about where it comes from.

I'd buy organic free range here and meat the same if I felt like I could trust their claims - but many locals say you can't really trust that organic really is organic.

I seem to recall that research in other parts of the world has deduced that apart from flavour and absence of chemicals, there is no nutritional advantage of organic or free range produce.

The norm overseas is that land has to be pesticide free for many years before the crops or livestock can be labelled as being from an organic origin. I find some of the organic fruit and veg tasty, but will not pay a premium for them. 

I notice that meat is not pumped with water and chemicals here, so much healthier than I am used to, so this is a positive thing.

The debate about organic farming has always been the ability to produce crops that are economically viable. So in a country like Malaysia, where there are a lot of small producers with niche products, I am concerned that having to prove the organic origin could put a lot of small farmers out of business as it is simply not worth their while to continue production, so they return to standard methods.

All in all, although I have followed the organic movement for well over 20 years, I have concluded that its benefits are not sufficient enough for me to bother about this aspect.

I feel the onus should be on the retailers to provide the info - which is what some I've bought from in the past do. They go and visit the farms themselves.

When I buy organic food here, I buy from a place where I know they are really into it (evangelical even), as I,feel I can trust their produce.


It's good to know that meat here is healthier from what you understand, Gravitas.

My reason for trying to eat organic when possible is both environmental and health - there are many chemical residues in the environment, many of which have hormonal and toxic effects (in large doses). We can only guess what this cocktail of chemicals does to our bodies, but we do know it can have devastating effects on biodiversity. 'Soapbox over'

Yes, I know about the toxic effects of farming only too well and the West and Australia should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for allowing and encouraging production methods that are environmentally detrimental.

I am only too aware that commercially produced broccoli is sprayed about 7-9 times during its growth cycle.

However, its impossible to control organic products where industry and emissions in Malaysia are not yet  subject to legislation to promote health. Even the rainwater is heavily contaminated most of the time, especially when there is haze to contend with.

While I understand the reasons for organic foods, I am afraid they are not feasible yet here. By importing them, it goes against the main thrust, which is local supply and harmonising with the physical conditions in which people are already living.

Personally, I think because of the cost angle, many of the food producers are providing organic foods (to the extent possible with pollution) as they cannot afford to buy chemical fertilisers and other products.

There is definitely a need to detox the body to try and prevent build up of nasties and I have found that Pu Erh tea has amazing attributes.

@Bindii01: what is the information that the retailers you've brought from in the past provided you? And what was the mode? Was it face to face / print / sessions? Because I was wondering, if it's possible for the retailer to provide info to every customer? Your experience here would help me understand this key aspect. Thanks.