Organic sector development

Discover organic with the launch of a new cookbook

In Discover Organic, celebrities, chefs and home cooks share their passion for organic food, and show just how easy it is to eat organic. Their stories and recipes demonstrate how eating organic is practical, great tasting, better for nature and above all – something we can all make part of every mealtime. This beautifully illustrated cookbook features 70 delicious recipes from well-known personalities and TV chefs including BBC presenter Kate Humble, Boxer David Haye, Chefs Raymond Blanc and Lorraine Pascale and former F1 World Champion racing driver Jody Scheckter. 

Order your copy now 

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We are helping to bring the organic message to the UK consumer
Be part of an innovative campaign: Organic. Naturally Different.
Visit the site http://www.organicukfood.com/

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These pages record Sustain's activities to promote organic sector development. Promotion of more environmentally sustainable forms of agriculture are integrated into all of our work. See, for example:

• Sustain projects listed on our Projects and Campaigns page
• Sustain's Sustainable Food Guidelines

Sustain promotes greater production and consumption of organic food because organic farming results in:

• Higher levels of biodiversity
• Lower environmental pollution from pesticides
• Reduced carbon dioxide emissions through lower use of energy inputs
• Less waste, because of reduced reliance on external materials

Such benefits have been confirmed by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in several recent briefing papers:

• The Contribution That Organic Farming Makes in Supplying Public Goods [briefing 245, 60kb PDF]
• English Organic Action Plan Steering Group: Strategic Paper on Public Procurement [briefing 238, 50kb PDF]
• Strategic Level Report on Role of Organic Food in Alleviating Social Exclusion [briefing 249, 50kb PDF]

Oganic farming is also associated with social and economic benefits:

• Organic food is produced to legally enforceable standards and is subject to tight controls on inputs and an official inspection and accreditation system; it therefore meets demands from an increasing number of consumers for high standards of assurance about production methods.
• It can encourage consumers to take a closer interest in how land is farmed and, in the context of its particular contribution to local food marketing, can help to develop a sense of community between buyer and seller, town and country.
• Organic food benefits people, through employment on and off farm; and animals, through high welfare standards.