Organic Eating

People are getting more conscious of what they eat today. Some prefer organic food to conventional food for health benefits or concerns about the environment. Learn about what organic food is and how to make smart consumer choices.

What Does “Organic” Mean?

Food can only be called “organic” if it is produced according to organic standards throughout production, handling, processing and marketing stages, and certified by a certification body or authority of the country of origin. 

• For planting, the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers is avoided. The farming process emphasises crop rotation, animal and plant manures, hand weeding and biological pest control.
• For raising animals, the use of antibiotics, growth hormones and other animal feed additives is avoided.
• No genetic modification and ionising radiation is applied.

Possible Benefits of Organic Food

• Some believe organic production is better for the environment and animal welfare.
• It can reduce your intake of synthetic chemical residues (e.g. pesticides, herbicides and veterinary medicines) and additives.

While some consumers believe organic food is more nutritious, studies have found no evidence of any additional nutritional benefit from eating organic.

Consumer Tips

To identify real organic food, you can look for any label from certification bodies or authorities which certified the food as “organic”. In Hong Kong, there are two organic certification organisations, namely, the Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre Certification Ltd. and the Hong Kong Organic Certification Centre. You can find the lists of certified organic farms from their websites below. For more information on “Organic”, please visit the website of Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre.

Last but not least, it is important to maintain a balanced diet and pay attention to food safety when preparing food, regardless of how the foods are produced.