Organic and Natural on Holloway Road (Sabine Wieczorek, 2015)
People are paying more attention to what they eat and how it affects the environment by eating less meat, going organic and experimenting with veganism. By Sabine Wieczorek
REMEMBER when words like GMO’s, ‘tested on animals’, ‘pesticides’ and ‘medium-rare’ were enough to send those annoyingly stringent veggies, condescending vegans and ‘mushroom-eating hippies’ to the hills – or to embark on some kind of self-worshipping ethical rant at least?
Likewise, things like veggie burger, almond-milk, soya, tofu and nut-roast would be habitually scoffed at by the mainstream, meat-eating masses. After sucking the sinew off a drumstick, they’d swiftly inflict upon those sanctimonious vegetarians the scurrilous courtesy of reciting the laws of nature – all gleaned from a recent National Geographic Channel wildlife programme.
Organic and meat-free sales on the rise
Source: Veganuary
Well, the sale of organic products rose by 2.8% in 2013 after several years of decline, and increased a further 4% last year, according to a report by the Soil Association. The UK organic market was worth around £1.74 billion in 2012 and jumped to £1.86 billion last year. However, people aren’t only buying more organic produce, they’re also eating more meat-free options.The marketing intelligence agency Mintel has estimated the meat-free market to be worth £657 million by the end of last year in the UK alone, up from £543 million in 2009.
But even without the statistics, one has only to use their eyes to see the popping-up of organic shops all over the city like daisies in a freshly-watered garden bed – and seemingly out of nowhere. So what’s changed our food? Or rather what’s changing our minds?
Sukru Kartal from Organic and Natural opened his store on Holloway road’s High Street in North London at the beginning of this year, and is already planning to expand his shop.
“There’s a growing business in England at the moment where people are waking up to the importance of fresh, quality produce for their general health,” he said.
“I mean, how do you know how many chemicals they use on what you’re eating? The techniques they use on foods to make them all the same size, same shape and same colour is what’s causing all these kinds of illnesses we’re seeing, well I think so anyway and by the looks of it, so do a lot of other people.”
Omnivores purchasing and eating more meat alternatives
In America, Mintel discovered that 36% of the public who bought meat-free alternatives, but only 7% were vegetarians. The meat-alternative figures for Quorn last year show that more meat-eaters are buying their products for the first time in their history. Quorn products put less strain on land and resources than meat and soya, where they estimated in their global sustainability report that 12,500 acres of land would be saved by one million consumers eating Quorn mince once a week for a year instead of beef. This is equivalent to 7,000 football pitches.
“This is not another Tesco” is what reads today on the A-stand outside of Haringay Local Store near Turnpike Lane in North London. Ebony Harding from Perth, Australia opened her store with her husband in January this year because “nobody else was doing it”.
Harringay Local Store (Sabine Wieczorek, 2015)
“We lived here for eight years and had to travel to Kingsland, or anywhere else because we couldn’t get these types of foods around here,” she says. “We get amazing reactions from everyone who walks in, especially if it’s for the first time, they’re so excited that we’re here.
“I think British people are definitely changing the way they eat and it’s definitely a step in the right direction. We don’t only buy organic at home but we try to support local farming as everyone can do their little bit, as far as the health benefits go, I feel it’s more important that people support organic produce for the environment’s sake,” she adds.
Veganism is entering the mainstream with more and more celebrities turning toward the plant-based diet. They will be joining Samuel L Jackson, Toby Maguire, Joaquin Pheonix, Natalie Portman, Stella McCartney, Thandie Newton and Daryl Hannah as well as many others to go vegan for 30 days including Jay Z, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.
Waitrose remains GM Free
Genetically modified crops or GM foods have been allowed in British grocer giants as of 2013. First Morrison’s and Asda toppled under the GM allure, promptly followed by Tesco, Sainsbury’s, the Co-operative and Marks & Spencer. Waitrose is the only supermarket which remains GM-free and is proud of it.
“I think a lot of people are quite scared of GMOs without knowing exactly what the effects are, they say it’s for a good reason and maybe that’s their intention,” she continues, “but it just feels like a step backwards in regards to mixing technology and food instead of supporting natural, sustainable practices which are better for all of us,” she adds.
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