The Scotsman: Half children under two in Scotland fed on wholly organic food

[Guest guest]

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=3042006

 

 

The Scotsman

Mon 2 Jan 2006

 

Babies raised on organic food that parents cannot afford themselves

ALISON HARDIE SENIOR NEWS WRITER

 

Key points

• Half children under two in Scotland fed on wholly organic food

• Parents buying organic food for infants without buying same for

themselves

• Supermarket survey shows infant organic food sales outstrip adult food

 

Key quote

" The health implications of diet are particularly crucial for children

as they have a higher intake of food and water per unit of body weight

than adults, and their relatively immature organ systems may have

limited ability to detoxify substances such as pesticides " - ANNA

ASHMOLE, SOIL ASSOCIATION SCOTLAND

 

Story in full MORE than half of Scottish children under two are now

fed an exclusively organic diet - even when their parents are unable

to afford to buy organic food for themselves.

 

Organic baby food sales accounted for 43 per cent of the total market

in 2004, at a value of £63 million. But sales show that more than half

of all Scots parents now buy organic for their youngsters.

 

The huge growth in the organic market is being fuelled by the success

of ready-made products made by companies such as Hipp, which supplies

parents with organic purées for weaning babies on to solid food.

 

The supermarket chain Asda, which admits its sale of organic produce

to adults accounts for less than 2 per cent of overall sales, has even

begun stocking luxury frozen meals for babies to cope with the demand

for organic quality baby food.

 

Anna Ashmole, the head of the Soil Association Scotland, confirmed

that recent statistics showed more than half of Scottish children

under two are now fed an exclusively organic diet.

 

" Having children can be a wake-up call for parents in more ways than

one. People naturally want the best for their children and more than

half of baby meals sold are now organic.

 

" The health implications of diet are particularly crucial for children

as they have a higher intake of food and water per unit of body weight

than adults, and their relatively immature organ systems may have

limited ability to detoxify substances such as pesticides, " she said.

 

" On the positive side, organic milk can contain up to 71 per cent more

omega 3 than non-organic milk and has a better ratio of omega 3 to

omega 6 than conventional milk. "

 

A survey by pollsters BMRB for Hipp found four out of five mothers

with infants between six months and a year chose organic food for

weaning, compared with just a quarter of mums who weaned their babies

15 years ago.

 

The survey, among 805 mothers and pregnant women, showed their clear

rejection of foods grown using chemical sprays.

 

And it found the main reasons mothers buy organic were " less risk of

chemical pesticides " (87 per cent); " no GM " (84 per cent) and " no

additives " (80 per cent).

 

However, the majority of parents still chose not to give themselves a

wholly organic diet - with cost being a big factor.

 

Environmental campaigners hope parents will follow in their children's

footsteps, changing forever the eating habits of Scots whose health is

critically compromised by a " traditional " diet of fried and fatty foods.

 

Mark Ruskell, the Green MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said: " There is

evidence that people are buying organic food for their children , but

just for themselves for special occasions or perhaps the weekend.

 

The message about pesticides is getting through and parents are

becoming more concerned about the effects of the cocktail of

pesticides in much of the food produced today.

 

" Clearly they want the best for their children, and that's why they

are buying organic. "

 

The Soil Association Scotland has been encouraging more children to

eat organic produce - and helping schools source it from local producers.

 

Hurlford School in Ayrshire is its " gold standard " , as pupils there

enjoy school meals made from at least 30 per cent organic ingredients.

Half the food cooked is from local sources and it is 75 per cent

cooked from unprocessed ingredients.

 

'It's worth it ... you can't put a price on their health'

 

JULIE Miller, from Inverness, feeds her five-month-old son, Jack, on

organic food.

 

She explained: " I have fed Jack on organic food ever since he came home.

 

" It's healthier, and because he's so small I want to give him the best

start in life and strengthen his immune system. Because he is young

and a small baby, I think it is better for his health.

 

" I don't really know if he is any different from other babies, and he

still occasionally gets a cold.

 

" The food is slightly more expensive but it's worth it because you

can't put a price on their health, so the price doesn't bother me.

 

" I think if you buy organic ingredients and make food for the baby in

bulk, it's not that much more expensive. Buying jars is more costly, I

should imagine.

 

" My husband and I sometimes eat organic food, but not all the time,

because of the cost. We cut down on our food bill by buying cheaper

food for ourselves and spending the extra on Jack.

 

" I think we will continue to feed Jack organic food as he gets older

because it is better for him.

 

" I think this is a clear choice my generation of parents seem to be

making.

 

" Most of the mothers I know would feed their children this kind of food.

 

" This will become part of our lifestyle. Organic food tastes nicer -

certainly the baby food does.

 

" I hope being brought up in this way will help Jack to make good

choices about food when he is older. "

 

Related topic

 

* Children's Diet

http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=773

 

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=3042006