Ethical Eating Part 2

Further to my previous post......The Observer has produced its Food Monthly with tips on healthy eating. It has articles on the evils of 'E' numbers, ethical eating tips, processed food, salt etc. It's aimed at the UK market but there are some good ideas to go from for the rest of us. I have reproduced below the ethical eating article:

Is this the most ethical meal on earth? We asked Joanna Blythman, the author of Bad Food Britain, to whip up a supper with a conscience. Share your ethical eating tips here Sunday August 20, 2006The Observer

Argan oil
Extreme drought and exploitation of the ancient Argan forest of North Africa has destroyed a third of it. A further 40 per cent of what's left could go by 2008. Unesco is trying to protect it. Argan oil is loaded with vitamin E and essential fatty acids. By using Argan oil, you encourage people to cherish their life-sustaining Argan trees. Wild Wood Groves imports the oil from its purpose-built ethical-trade production centre in the Argan forest in southwest Morocco.
http://www.wildwoodgroves.com/
Innocent smoothies
Innocent drinkers indirectly back projects like helping Irula women displaced by floods in Tamil Nadu. Innocent don't air-freight fruit, and it is about to change its packaging to corn starch-based bottles that can be composted in just eight weeks.
Line-caught Cornish sea bass
The South West Fishermen's Association (http://www.linecaught.org.uk/) has come up with the idea of a tag inserted into the gills or mouth of fish that guarantees to the end user that it has been caught using sustainable methods. Wild Cornish sea bass with this tag is hand-lined, not netted, so there is no unwanted by-catch of endangered fish. Cornish bass also have a bigger minimum landing size so the fish caught off Cornwall are larger because they have had more chance to reproduce. The South West Fishermen's Association also tags hand-lined pollack, an under-used fish that is a good substitute for cod and haddock.
http://www.linecaught.org.uk/
Yeo Valley organic yogurt
Yeo Valley impresses with its environmental record. At its farms thousands of new trees have been planted, while unploughed strips around its fields encourage wildlife, and wind and solar power is used to reduce energy consumption. Plus its polypropylene pots are supported by unbleached and uncoated card wrapping. Because the card can be easily peeled away, the two layers can be separated for recycling.
Windward Isles bananas
The small-scale, family farmers of the Caribbean have been forced to compete on the open market with more cheaply produced fruits grown on the intensively-farmed plantations of Latin America and West Africa. Caribbean bananas can't compete on price. To protect their livelihoods, the Windward Isles have converted their production to Fairtrade. When you buy Windward Isles bananas you honour Britain's historic commitment to the people of the Windward Isles, you support more enlightened trade, and you encourage supermarket chains to keep on selling them.
Nyetimber wine
By drinking English wine you encourage the planting of vines on land that might otherwise fall into the hands of property developers. And you cut down on wine miles.
Dickinson & Morris pork pies
Dickinson & Morris uses meat and fat from higher welfare British pigs. The pork in its pies is grey, not an unnatural pink, because it uses fresh, not cured meat. It doesn't use hydrogenated fats and the company is campaigning for Melton Mowbray pies to be given Protected Geographical Indication status within European law.
Abel & Cole vegetable box
Now there's a funny thing. Both Sainsbury's and Tesco are piloting organic vegetable box schemes! Why sign up for a box from a supermarket that is still air-freighting produce so that it can put Kenyan green beans on its shelves 52 weeks of the year, when you can get one from this company that supplies food that is ethical through and through? Abel & Cole (http://www.abel-cole.co.uk/) never air-freights anything. It picks up its delivery boxes and re-uses them. It pays growers a fair price and makes a contract with them to take their products. In the box last week: peaches, courgettes, broad beans, potatoes, onions and delicious chard.