BalanceMayIssue2017 - 43

B O OM AWA RD S
of Rosie Birkett as its BOOMbassador.
She's one of the most popular foodie talents
around, as well as a cook, food stylist, writer
and Instagram extraordinaire. Rosie is also
a vocal champion of the benefits of organic
products and says: 'I always try to prepare
and cook my dishes with the best possible
ingredients,' she says. 'There are now so
many amazing organic foods on offer which
are readily available to everyone, and I can't
wait to try some at this year's BOOMs.'
Rosie is not wrong. In fact there have
been so many new food and drink products
coming on to the organic market in recent
times that the BOOMs are, this year,
introducing a number of categories, from
Best New Organic Product, to Best Organic
Farmer, to Organic Rising Star: the latter
category, which celebrates the champions
and change-makers across the industry, is
being supported by Balance.
Indeed, now is the time to really get
involved because, while more people
than ever may be acknowledging the
benefits of buying organic - avoiding the
use of pesticides, artificial colours and
preservatives, while maintaining the
highest standards of animal welfare - the
job will not truly be done until everyone does.

AWARENESS:

8O

%

of British
shoppers now
believe eating
organic is
beneficial.

Good moo-ve
By law, organic
cows must
be at pasture
whenever
conditions
allow.

range of organic products readily available.'
Most of the categories will be judged by
a panel of industry experts that includes
high profile chefs, bloggers and writers,
plus Balance's very own editor, Sophie.
But the good news for you is that there
is one category that you can directly
influence: the Nation's Favourite Award.
As a Balance reader, there's probably
an organic product that you could not
live without, so spread the word at
soilassociation.org/favourite. Follow
@soilassociation on Twitter and Facebook.

VOTE FO R YO U R
FAVO U R I TE
O RGA NI C
PRO D U C T A ND
YO U CO U LD BE
AT TH E BO O M S !
If you vote for the
Nation's Favourite
product, you could
win tickets to the
ceremony on 5 July.
Full of delicious food and wonderful people, the BOOM
Awards is a great night out: and you and a friend could be
there this time around...
All it takes is a couple of seconds to make some noise
about your own favourite organic product. Simply visit
soilassociation.org/favourite and stake your claim.

MEET THE EXPERT

Rosie Birkett is
BOOMbassador
of the awards. But
what inspired her to
go organic and how
important is it?

Q

AWARD YOUR CH OICE S
'The recent findings are encouraging,' says
Soil Association Certification business
development director Clare McDermott,
'but with a fifth of people still not believing
there are real benefits of organic food, there's
a lack of understanding and confusion
for shoppers about the breadth of organic
benefits and why it is nutritionally
different. That's why the BOOMs are such
an exciting way to let shoppers see the

Win!

Milk matters

Did you know,
organic milk
contains 50%
more beneficial
omega-3s than
non-organic?
This is due to the
animals eating
a more natural,
grass-fed diet
that has high
levels of clover.

How and why did you
get involved with the
BOOM Awards?
A. Organic farming and
produce is something I
really care about. The
more I learn about food
production and its impact
on the environment, the
more I am convinced that
organic agriculture is a
better way for the health
of the planet compared
with industrial, chemical
agriculture. So I was
thrilled to get involved
when the Soil Association
approached me to help
spread the word.

Q
SPACIOUS
FLOCKS

Organic laying
hens are kept
in small flocks
- with a maximum
of 2,000 birds.
This compares
to sheds that
typically house
32,000 intenselyreared meat hens.

May 2017 BALANCE

When did you
first learn of the
importance of buying
organic food?
A. Growing food in
the most natural way
possible is something
I was engaged with
from a very young age
because we grew a lot
of our own veg in the
garden at home in Kent.
Because of this, I think

I've always felt compelled
to ask questions about
provenance but, also,
working in the food
industry for the past few
years has prompted me to
learn more about organic
and its importance.
I don't believe that it's all
or nothing - for example
even if you're just making
a decision to buy organic
dairy or one variety of
organic veg, that's a start.

Q

How important are
ingredients certified
by the Soil Association?
A. People all have their
own priorities when it
comes to food shopping,
but I do think if everyone
knew more about the
holistic benefits of
organic farming, and
why it costs more than
regular produce, that
would help them make
more informed decisions.
Understanding the care
and work involved in
farming and growing
ingredients is crucial. B

43
https://www.soilassociation.org/favourite/ http://www.soilassociation.org/favourite http://www.soilassociation.org/favourite
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BalanceMayIssue2017
