Biocoop

Organic food is produced to a set of standards and principles concerning such issues as chemical pesticides/herbicides/insecticides etc; food additives; animal welfare; and sustainability. Organic growers aim to produce food free from trans-fats, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), chemicals, synthetic and most additives.

Organic systems recognise that our health is directly connected to the health of the food we eat and, ultimately, the health of the soil.

In the production of animal products, animal welfare is also an important issue with only free-range animals allowed. Parasite problems in farm animals are controlled through regularly moving the animals to fresh pasture or areas and other preventative methods, unlike conventional farming where animals are routinely dosed with drugs.

To be an organic product must becertified as organic. In Portugal this is in charge of Sativa.

To be certified as organic, produce must be grown, processed and prepared in an environmentally friendly way; so organic certification does not just mean health benefits for the consumer. The organic movement represents a important move away from conventional broadacre monocropping that has serious environmental consequences.

Organic farming is much more than farming without chemicals. It begins with caring for the soil and working with nature's systems.