Organic food sales growing

Customers examine organic food products at a recent food expo in Beijing. Despite the rise in sales, China's organic food market is still facing an uphill challenge in a country where farmers are used to pesticides and chemical fertilizers to boost production. (Photo / China Daily)
A tiny sector in China - organic and natural food - is benefiting from the middle- to upper-income, health-conscious consumer and overseas returnees but misinformation, lax regulations and questionable business practices are proving to be major stumbling blocks.

At LohaoCity Organic Store, sales have been growing at an average rate of 35 percent year-on-year. There are eight outlets in Beijing, six in Shenzhen, four in Chengdu and one each in Guangzhou and Tianjin.

Plans are afoot to set up more outlets in different parts of China but it's a daily challenge to ensure all produce from its suppliers is free from chemical and other life-threatening ingredients.

"Our position is clear: We require our suppliers to be certified by the central government agency (China Green Food Development Center). We do not accept certification by municipal or provincial governments," said Terry Wu, general manager at LohaoCity Organic Store.

Foods from suppliers are put through stringent quality control by LohaoCity's purchasing department, which will also ensure clear labeling in accordance with local and international standards.

A clause in the purchase contract also ensures suppliers sign a guarantee to comply with China's organic regulations.

"If they (the suppliers) can carry out this commitment, we'll stand beside their products. As retailers, we have to be responsible to our consumers," said Wu.

"In a nutshell, it's really about trust. If there's no real policy at the national level, where should consumers go? Retailers, suppliers and consumers have to develop trust. And consumers need to educate themselves to make wise decisions. There's hope, however."

Wu spoke about a recent trip to Germany where he attended a food safety conference at which there was a sizable presence of Chinese companies involved in organic farming.

"There will always be a few bad eggs but that shouldn't stop good work," he said.

Organic Fertilizer Recipe, Mixture

Making up a well balanced organic fertilizer recipe made with the following ingredients: dolomite lime, gypsum, greensand, cottonseed meal and bone meal.

Take a five gallon plastic bucket to add the ingredients when making the fertilizer. Using a quart measuring cup add the following:

4 quarts of cottonseed meal 1 quart bone meal 1 quart greensand 2 cups gypsum 2 cups dolomite lime

Use your hand to mix the ingredients together. Make sure everything is blended well together. Keep turning the bucket to ensure the fertilizer recipe is mixed completely.

This mixture is a slow release organic fertilizer and will not burn your plants so don’t worry if you use too much per application. When planting just add the fertilizer to your potting mixture. Use about 1 quart for a one hundred foot row. For every three gallons of potting soil use 1/4 cup of the organic fertilizer recipe.

Growing food for yourself has many advantages. You won’t have to worry about any food recalls that you hear so much about on the news. No e coli or salmonella poisoning . Store bought or homegrown. The choice is yours.

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