In response to consumer demand the chilled food industry provides organic options for many foods including prepared vegetables, leafy salads, sandwiches, soups and recipe dishes.
Organic foods use ingredients that are grown in accordance with EU legislation for organic foods. The main differences between organic and non-organic foods are that:
- Organic raw materials and and ingredients aim to encourage bio-diverse habitats and sustainable farming practices e.g.crop rotation which builds up nutrients naturally in the soil.
- Organic animals are fed primarily on organically-grown feedstuffs.
- Only approved fertilisers and other treatments can be used e.g. there is no use of arrificial fertilisers and only a limited range of pesticides can be used.
To be labelled as 'organic' at least 95% of the ingredents must be certified as organic. In the UK, the Soil Association is the mian organisation responsible for certifying that foods are 'organic' but there are other organisations including some from other countries that can legally certify foods as organic.
