Top 10 reasons to go organic

1 Support local production
Give it up for local organic farms, unanimously a good thing for the supply chain. Local farms are, by necessity, smaller in scale, offering fresh produce that is more personal in its ripe goodness.

And local businesses in the UAE are fans. Mohamad Al Chehimi, operations manager of artisanal organic food shop Baker & Spice says the brand didn’t open a restaurant until a network of local farmers and producers was found.

“Local producers were key for many reasons: freshness and taste of the food, a short supply chain and a connection with where the food comes from, an investment in the country we live in, and the elimination of needless food miles and waste.”

Monte-Carlo Beach Club, Saadiyat executive chef Gavin Gleeson is known for his assertive support of organic produce. He says: “Going organic is one of the most important things from an environmental standpoint, supporting local businesses and also for health reasons. It’s great to know your suppliers and know the care they’re putting into growing the food.”

However, supporting local suppliers isn’t an exercise in mere altruism. As per Ultra Brasserie executive chef Emily Ann Herbert, everyone gains by supporting local. “It’s good for the community, the environment, and is also mostly fresher and cheaper for the consumer.”

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2 Say no to GMO
The marvels of science have produced hardy grains that are easier to cultivate, and crops that resist common blights.

While superb for mass production and avoiding Malthusian predictions of world hunger, GMO isn’t loved by everyone. Some people are intrinsically worried about food tinkered with within the confines of a laboratory. It’s a debate that’s not going away.

“The food ethics debate is high on many people’s agenda. We are anti-GMOs. These are high-minded ideals, but in reality it’s about the commercial control companies exert on our food chain,” says Chehimi.

Just Falafel nutritionist and health promoter Hala Barghout says chefs and consumers are both coming round to organic, non-GMO foods.

She explains: “People are leaning towards purchasing organic products for health and environmental purposes despite the difference in cost between organic and non-organic food items.”

Gleeson believes the informed are a minority still.

“The reality is, at this stage of the game, there isn’t anything but genetically modified foods. If we compare fruit today to that grown two hundred years ago there is quite a significant difference in size, colour and taste. When glancing into a box of modern vegetables, you’ll see they’re all the same colour, shape and size. This isn’t normal.”

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3 Steer clear of growth hormones and antibiotics
The mass production of cattle is a boon to those who like their meat cheap and plentiful. But glossy hides and rotund bellies often hide animals that have been fed a careful diet of hormones and antibiotics to promote growth and water retention.

Water is weight and, in modern rearing, money. But for consumers in the UAE, Chehimi has good news.
“As far as we are aware, growth hormones in livestock are banned in the UAE. The use of antibiotics is widespread in industrial farming, which we do not support at Baker & Spice.”

Gleeson says that while a certain amount of antibiotics might be good for animal welfare, things have gone far too far in the excessively pumped up chickens that do the rounds of most tabletops.

Herbert believes that antibiotics have no place in meat. “At Ultra Brasserie, we strongly believe no one should tamper with meat. No one wants a twelve-day old chicken that’s three times its natural size.”

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4 Avoid pesticides
Mass food production might be efficient but also requires keeping away natural predators. Pesticides are an effective way of doing that. They also tend to leech into soil and water tables. And people aren’t thrilled about insecticide-coated lettuce heads either.

“No one really knows the full effects of the casual and widespread use of chemicals during the last 100 years. Chemicals from cleaning products have been discovered in previously pristine Antarctic snow, for instance. It is hard to ever imagine that the addition of chemicals in our bodies would be a good thing, though,” says Chehimi.

Barghout believes pesticides merit a strict no, saying: “Some studies have linked pesticides in our food to headaches, cancer and birth defects. Even low amounts of pesticides in our crops can be significantly more toxic for foetuses and children.

“It is hence very important to cut down on the consumption of foods injected with pesticides and try to opt for organic products.”

Gleeson offers a more pragmatic take, noting that lack of pesticides would deplete food, and price it out of the range of a vast number of people. But he says the side effects aren’t evident until far too late, citing the depletion of the European honeybee as a case in point. “We always find out just how bad these things are for us when it’s too late.”

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5 Go humane, go free range
Animal farms aren’t pretty pictures, and that’s not just in Orwellian stories. Mass production requires massive overcrowding and less than ideal living conditions. Which is why Chehimi says Baker & Spice has made it a point to source humanely.

“It’s at the top of our agenda, ensuring that our meat is sourced in the most sustainable and humane way possible. Consumers have become very distanced from how their meat is produced and expect cheap abundance — this can only happen at a price to animal welfare.”

Gleeson believes that free range loses to cost considerations for most consumers, saying: “Price is king here. This is the single biggest issue I have with the farming industry today.

The brutal conditions are very well hidden from the consumer, and producers are doing their best to make sure that consumers don’t even associate their meat with animals anymore. A lot of people wouldn’t touch meat if they saw the whole process of the slaughter.”

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6 Rise of the nutrients
There’s anecdotal evidence that organic foods have better nutritional content. Balance Café’s Ayurvedic lifestyle consultant Dr Chandy George says it comes down to the richer soils that crops are grown in.

He explains: “The quality of foods grown in healthy soil is far better. The cost of organically grown foods might be higher but so is the nutritional value. We’re seeing a preference shift where consumers don’t mind spending a little more for good nutrition.”

Monte-Carlo’s Gleeson concurs, saying that a trend towards nutritious foods is in the making. “We are seeing the effects of cancer, obesity and bad health on the rise and many people are on the move to drop their supplements and instead change their diet to natural produce. But it’s a pricey lifestyle.”

But let the buyer beware says Baker & Spice’s Chehimi; not everything organic is guaranteed to be nutritious. “Local and fresh is more important. Organic vegetables flown halfway round the world may have less nutritional value left than those picked fresh that morning from conventional farms.”

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7 The proof is in the tasting
“Chefs are choosing organic ingredients to prepare food because they believe it has superior taste and quality. Consumers also believe that organic food tastes better. Locally produced products are also often organic, which ensures they arrive in optimum condition to the plate,” says Just Falafel’s Barghout.

Gleeson believes in something he calls the tomato test — where he gives people organic tomatoes to taste. “It’s frightening how many people have never eaten a real tomato. The flesh and skin is always deeper in colour and they look so much better. They taste better before they even hit your mouth.”

But don’t get carried away with organic labels, says Chehimi. “Real food, cooked from scratch with fresh produce tastes better. A box of organic breakfast cereal is still processed food at the end of the day.”

Ultra Brasserie’s Herbert backs Chehimi. “Fruit and vegetables do taste nicer when they’re organic. But other food items — well, I would question how many people would be able to tell apart an organic Brazilian cashew nut from a non-organic one.”

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8 Organic means integrity
Modern meat is a thing of beauty and utter mystery. As the recent horsemeat scandal shows, what the tin says has little bearing to what might actually end up within. But have consumers learnt from such scandals?

“Let’s hope so. It’s long, complex supply chains and the demand for cheaper food that have created these scandals. There are organic labels slapped on all sorts of products, so a label alone is no indication of quality across the board. Better to get to know your supplier,” says Chehimi.

Balance Café’s George believes that while food scandals are scary, strict food safety laws protect consumers in the GCC.

“It’s these strict laws that have helped consumers regain trust in eating out. The production and sourcing of organic foods is far more transparent, especially with accreditations like with the Emirates Organic Foods Certification Scheme in place.”

But Gleeson believes any positive effects of the scandal were mere passing straws in the wind.

“I have to be the pessimist here and say nothing has changed. There might have been a couple of weeks of talk. But there is a continuing campaign to prevent salmonella in chicken houses by vaccinating chickens and keeping coups rodent free.

In other markets, there is a fight against overworked, under-qualified slaughterhouse workers, or fast food chains putting pink slime and chemically bleached meat in their burgers.”

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9 Restaurants are willing and able
Chehimi believes that Baker & Spice remains the only business in the area to hold the coveted Valore Sociale certification, but that the field is open for others to take up the mantle.

“We welcome any business that truly supports local, organic farmers. Many businesses are now claiming this. But farmers have not been able to sell their glut of fresh, flavourful tomatoes and potatoes this season. So it seems those claims are not living up to practice.”

And for Barghout, organic restaurants provide livelihood to the entire supply chain.

“Organic restaurants offer opportunities for organic farmers, restaurant owners and the community as a whole in the UAE. It has become a trend in the UAE, with some organic restaurants able to make decent profits because people are willing to pay more for higher quality produce.”

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10 Raw and biotic
Established markets have started offering unpasteurised and pro-biotic foods. The latter is catching on in the region, but one would require courage to find the former — unpasteurised milk products are restricted by local regulation.

Gleeson says there’s little demand for the cutting edge of natural living.

“If anything, pregnant women and ill people are more petrified of bacteria in food than for them. My dad is adamant that we aren’t giving our immune system the chance to grow and fight off bacteria but, given what I know about food, I don’t always agree.”