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| Staffordshire's organic food is the real deal |
Research shows organic shoppers get the real deal
New research has shown that people who buy organic food are overwhelmingly getting what they pay for.
Staffordshire County Council's Trading Standards has recently investigated whether food sold locally as organic is the genuine item. the region overwhelming compliance has been found. It follows experience in some areas of the country that food from non organic sources is being sold as organic.
The survey comes at a time when sale of organic foods has reached the £2 billion pound mark according to market research carried out by the Soil Association.
Legislation governing the sale of organic food is very prescriptive and traders must be certified by an approved inspection body. The only exception to this is the where loose product is sold from the original packaging with the organic certification number in the sight of consumers, in such cases the retail premises need not be audited.
In four cases food was found to be being sold loose and not in its original packaging. On two other occasions retailers were found to be placing food in their own packaging. This activity can only be carried out by a certified business. One business had applied to be certified, the other was advised either to apply for certification or to sell the product from its original packaging. These are deemed to be minor issues easily solved by advising the retailer
Staffordshire County Councillor Carol Dean said: "This work will help to reinforce consumer confidence in the organic food they buy - particularly as it is often priced higher than non-organic alternatives. It is important that they get value for money and can be sure that they are buying organic produce."
If consumers have complaints about any aspect of food, they should contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or www.consumerdirect.gov.uk who will re-direct any complaints indicating breaches of legislation to their local trading Standards officers.
Page Last Modified:
11/06/2008 10:59:57
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