It seems too much choice could be bad for us when it comes to the weekly shop.
Apparently those 15 varieties of baked beans can lead to some very negative psychological effects that we could, no doubt do without.
This is according to Professor Barry Schwartz, a psychologist from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania who has penned The Paradox of Choice. He told The Times:
“There is vastly too much choice in the modern world and we are paying an enormous price for it. It makes us feel helpless, mentally paralysed and profoundly dissatisfied.”
If this is true, one would hope that the addition in recent years of a dizzying array of organic lines to this already challenging selection isn’t serving to make the problem worse. Not sure how that would fit into the organic ethos!
Click here for the full story…
Another year and another Royal Show that was noted more for its downsides than any positive promotion of UK agriculture.
It was wellies all round for those who wanted to get about and see a bit of what was on offer - until the plug was finally pulled a day early and everyone sent home.
We hear mumblings today (from those who might otherwise have been at Stoneleigh themselves) that the show still wasn’t what it once was, with big names missing - not to mention the crowds.
Many farming, food and related businesses will no doubt be mulling over whether to invest the time, money and energy in next year’s show, which could lead to a downward spiral which would be sad to see.
All that said, our certification officers were pleased to have the chance to meet with existing and potential licensees who are, all to often, just a voice on the telephone to them normally.
Today’s photo credit goes to Development Officer, Steven Jacobs.
Today’s BBC Breakfast programme and News 24 seem to be dominated (this morning at least) by the debate on organic food and air miles. Not a simple debate by any means, but one with huge complexities and which raises many questions.
Should organic be about carbon footprints? Should it even be about ethical trade? Or should it simply refer to methods that focus on safeguarding and improving animal welfare and the environment?
We know anyone reading this is going to have a view on that, and probably a strong one, but organic systems are coming increasingly under the microscope and it’s a discussion that’s got to be had…
You can see our own Chief Exec, Richard, contributing to the story on the BBC today by clicking here.
There’s been a lot of chatter in recent days about the imminent arrival of revolutionary retailer Whole Foods Market
This major US brand is to open a three-floor store in London at the beginning of June offering organic and natural foods. It will apparently be the biggest food retailer in town. It’s approach to retailing is said to be somewhat different and the store will be full of seats for shoppers to take the weight off and gaze lovingly at the no-doubt enticing offerings.
OF&G is pleased to see Whole Foods Market turn up on these shores, with its plans for expansion across the country. It’s going to bring great profile to organic produce and the way it is sold. The company talks a good game about its relationship with suppliers too…
This morning our Chief Exec, Richard Jacobs, was interviewed on Radio Four’s Farming Today on the issue (click here to listen again to Wednesday’s programme, although it will only work until next week) and last week we were called by the Independent on Sunday for this piece (although we apparently didn’t make the final cut! Not controversial enough?).
The group owns the Fresh and Wild chain too and it’s progress in the UK is going to be fascinating to watch.
Blogs like this are about their eco-system of links and they, to some extent, feed off each other (in an appreciative rather than plagiarising way!).
So we’ve made a small start on adding some of our own. You can see the first additions on the right of the page under ‘Organic and green blogs’.
Why start with these two? Well, they fit pretty neatly with the ethos of OF&G - an organisation that recognises the practical side of going organic and accepts that it’s not about trying to be perfect overnight (don’t in any way read that for being lax on policing the standards though. Quite the opposite!).
Adam Vaughan writes thegreenguy as well as editing online mag newconsumer.com and writing, podcasting, etc for a host of other notable titles and outlets. It’s a fascinating read and a great way to get a heads-up on products and issues.
Anna Shepard is The Times newspaper’s Eco-Worrier. Her blog about the challenges of greening up your life make for fascinating reading and the lively comments from her readers add up to a really useful and informative blog.
We’ll build the list slowly, looking for quality not quantity, and we’re open to suggestions. Any comments?
Welcome to the OF&G weblog. We’ve always embraced technology and have our website at the core of our work. But websites are a bit rigid and don’t allow much in the way of dialogue - and let’s face it, when it comes to organics there’s plenty of “dialogue” to be had!
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