WE NEED BEES

In order to fruit, plants need to reproduce, and in order to reproduce, most need to be pollinated, and for this to happen they need insects. Out in the fields one of the main pollinating insects are bees, but obviously in the closed environment of a greenhouse or polytunnel, where we grow things like cucumbers and peppers, we need to bring them in and give them somewhere to live… and here it is!

IT’S BUG EAT BUG ON AN ORGANIC FARM

Our photographer Martin Ellis was out visiting Adrian Izzard, one of the suppliers of veg to our East Anglian sister farm, River Nene, and we thought you might like an insight into what goes on inside an organic polytunnel…

Here is a pic of what is called “integrated pest management”, basically bugs, and bug’s eggs, which will eat, mummify or act as parasites on the pests that want to chomp on our veg. It’s a natural process - and much better for wildlife than using the chemicals employed on conventional farms. If any of the bugs escape from the polytunnels, then they will quickly die because of a lack of food.

ORGANIC TOMATOES BETTER FOR YOUR HEART

Reported in The Times and The Telegraph today are the results of a 10-year study comparing organic tomatoes with rival produce suggests they have almost double the amount of antioxidants called flavonoids that protect the heart. According to the findings, levels of quercetin and kaempferol were found to be on average 79 per cent and 97 per cent higher, respectively, in organic tomatoes.

Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director, is quoted in The Times, “We welcome the now rapidly growing body of evidence which shows significant differences between the nutritional composition of organic and non-organic food. As further scientific evidence emerges from new research looking at differences between organic and non-organic food, the Soil Association will be asking the FSA to keep their nutritional advice to consumers under review.”

RIVERFORD BUYS THE PRINCE’S CARROTS

Sainsbury’s may have rejected organic carrots grown by the Prince of Wales and Soil Association founder Patrick Holden, but Riverford has bought them - all 25 tonnes. Riverford’s Andy Johnson said, “Our customers are very discerning people who demand tasty carrots and they absolutely loved them.” What was Sainsbury’s problem? 

TESCO’S “LOCAL” MILK HAS TRAVELLED 150-MILES

According to a story on the BBC News website today the milk Tesco sells branded as “local” has travelled over 150 miles from where it was produced. The supermarket claims that shoppers who buy Localchoice milk are “helping to support their local farming community”, but the Heart of England version it sells in Hereford is actually produced in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire!

In it’s defence Tesco said: “There is no legal definition of local.” Well, perhaps there should be!

LEAVES VS. PLASTIC – NO CONTEST WHEN IT COMES TO PACKAGING

Did any of you see Guy Watson on last week’s Money Programme Special: How Green is Your High Street?
Less eye catching than presenter Fiona Bruce’s eyebrows, we admit, but Guy had a good chunk in the programme and talked about Riverford’s approach to reducing packaging. We liked the bit about the outer leaves of a lettuce being “nature’s packaging”.

Packaging is at the heart of the carbon footprinting study we are conducting at the moment and we will be publishing the preliminary results in the next couple of weeks.

CARROTS AND WHY SUPERMARKETS CAN’T HAVE IT THEIR WAY

Some of you have already commented on the media hoo-ha over Sainsbury’s rejecting the head of the Soil Association’s carrot crop. As the eventual buyers of Patrick Holden’s carrots, we think that this saga highlights the lunacy of the supermarkets’ controlling and overly centralised approach to buying and selling food.

Sainsbury’s said they rejected the carrots because they were destroyed by rot. The fact is that we eventually bought over half Patrick Holden’s crop in grade A condition and our veg box customers loved them - rightly so because they were great.

When it comes to rejecting crops, the supermarkets like to make out that their hands are tied. The reality is that they are incredibly prescriptive in what they deem acceptable. Shape, size and minor blemishes all lead to rejection, waste and a financial squeeze for farmers.

The supermarkets demand that 75% of a crop is packable which is why the farmers that supply them are often forced to focus on appearance at the expense taste. It doesn’t have to be like this.

Veg box schemes like ours cut the supermarkets out of the distribution chain and this has to be good for both farmers and for customers. There is life beyond the supermarkets and it tastes good.

Riverford goes to Glastonbury!

We’ve packed our wellies and are off to Glastonbury this weekend so if you are heading our way, please come and visit us in the Green Field near the Greenpeace café.

You might also spot us wandering around the site with the Soil Association band, the Grumpy Farmers and spreading the word that our veg boxes are up there with the best when it comes to eco-friendliness.

We’ll be handing out a Climate-Friendly Organic Food Guide to the festival, which includes almost 30 places at the festival where you can enjoy great organic grub. See you there!

Government launches CO2 counter

Credit where credit’s due to the Government for launching its CO2 calculator. It’s too early to judge how good it is, but we hope it helps people understand how the way they live impacts the environment.

Here at Riverford Organic Vegetables we are 7 months into our own carbon footprinting exercise where we have secured the help of Exeter University to look at every aspect of our veg boxes and it is already resulting in good changes.

Follow this blog from time to time to hear how we are getting on. Guy Watson has already written a great piece explaining what the project is about and what we hope to achieve here

We can’t promise not to rant occasionally – particularly when our greenwash-ometer goes mad. So watch out some of you supermarkets, smokescreen if you will – you won’t fool us.