Earlier this week I posted an article on Facebook and Twitter about supermarkets dropping their bans on chicken reared on GM feed.  The story really hit a nerve with me, which is why I wanted to share it.  The article highlighted the number of supermarkets that have now dropped their bans, namely Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Co-op and Marks & Spencer.  This means Waitrose is the only large supermarket left that stills stands by its original promise – that the chicken it sells is fed on non-GM feed.

When asked why these changes were occurring, the supermarkets explained that there is an apparent shortage of non-GM soya. Global farming methods have made GM free soya increasingly untenable as the producers are switching to cheaper and more efficient production methods.  But according to the producers this simply isn’t correct.  In fact, non-GM feed producers in Brazil, a major source of animal feed to the UK, said they were producing record amounts of animal feed. They claimed the move was more about the UK wanting to do more business with US GM companies.  Is this correct we wonder?

 

We believe this story is particularly noteworthy because it links to our last blog post, which explained how organic sales were on the rise due to the horsemeat scandal.  Consumers are losing faith in certain producers so are switching to organic food because it has more traceability.   They have made a choice to change their buying habits because they felt cheated.  They are choosing to opt for food that they know more about.  But this latest move by supermarkets to drop non-GM fed chickens takes away this idea of choice.  Consumers are no longer able to make the choice about whether they have non-GM produce or not.  They can only buy what is available.

Before the recession Britain experienced an ethical shopping boom.  A high percentage of food was organic or ethically sourced, and people were willing to pay the premium for these products.  They had a choice whether to opt for organic or ethically sourced products, and many of them did.  But now, since money has become a lot tighter, many consumers are sacrificing conscience free food for less ethical products because these products are so much cheaper.  They have a choice of products, and they are choosing to go for the cheaper option.  But they still have a choice.  If supermarkets begin reducing all their non-GM products they are taking away the most important consumer right – choice.

In addition to choice, consumers need to know what they’re buying.  The decision to drop non-GM fed chicken calls for tighter labeling laws. People need to know what they’re buying in order to make their choices over whether they want it or not.  If food is not GM free then it needs to be stated on the packaging. According to the Food Standards Agency, 67 per cent of the public want clear labelling if a food product is from animals that are fed from genetically modified plants.  We couldn’t agree more.  Shockingly, in the past, meat from cattle-fed GM soya was legally sold without labelling. What’s more, some caterers used GM vegetable oil without telling their diners.  We think this is despicable.  Add to this the horsemeat scandal and you are looking at a whole barrage of deceit.  Consumers are increasingly losing the right to make a choice, and this is something we feel strongly about.

We make organic food because we want to.  We prefer our food to be natural, rather than laden with chemicals and GM ingredients.  But that’s just our opinion.  We want our products to be on the shelves so consumers have a choice about whether to opt for organic food over non organic food.  We don’t force people to buy organic food.  But if organic food wasn’t on the shelves consumers wouldn’t have the choice to buy it.

The decision to drop non-GM fed chicken is a large one.  It now leaves us questioning whether this step is just another in a long line of changes.  Will more and more stores follow in the supermarkets’ footsteps so they’re not alienated?  Will more and more non-GM food be taken of the shelves?  Could this spell the end of ethical shopping and consumer choice?  We certainly hope not.

What do you think?

Peace, love and non-GM pizza,

What On Earth

 

This week we were interested to read that organic sales are back on the up – possibly due to the horsemeat scandal.  According to new figures from Kantar Worldpanel, organic sales through supermarkets have increased by 1.6 per cent over the past three months, compared to the same time in 2012.

The increase, albeit a small one, halts the gradual decline in organic sales that has been seen over the past four years, and means retail sales have now recovered to levels seen in May 2011.  What’s more this increase is the first time the organic food sector has seen year on year growth since 2009.  Excellent news!

The finger is being pointed towards the horsemeat scandal because it has knocked the confidence of society.  Many consumers now worry what’s in some of the food they’re buying.  As a result they want to buy food they can trust, and which is fully traceable, so they are opting for organic produce.

 

Jim Twine, from the Soil Association, also believes that recent moves by supermarkets (with the exception of Waitrose) to allow GM animal feed into the supply chain is also ‘likely to impact on organic sales’.

Speaking from a personal What On Earth perspective, we have seen an increase in our sales.  In fact, in the first three months of 2013 we saw a rise in excess of 40 per cent. Hooray!  We put this down to three factors, namely:

• Re-launching our pizzas as chilled products (rather than just frozen)
• Introducing four new pizzas to the range
• Improving the flavour and appearance of our existing pizzas
• Dropping the prices of our pizzas by 25 per cent

 

 

It’s good to know we’re still doing things right after all these years!  We want to take this opportunity to say thanks to all of you who have been buying our pizzas this year – and every year for that matter!  We’re glad you like the new flavours.  If you haven’t tried them, you should.  And now is a great time to buy them because Planet Organic has our organic pizzas on offer.  When you buy one of our pizzas from Planet Organic, you get a free Laverstoke Organic Beer.  Bargain!

 

Peace, love and lovely new organic pizza,

What On Earth

 

 

Our old friend Lee Hollingworth owns Story Deli in Shoreditch. Sorry, correction, our old friend Lee Hollingworth owns the world famous Story Deli in Shoreditch!  It’s world famous because this week the quirky little pizzeria won a Chowtzer award for making the world’s tastiest fast feast.  Amazing huh? Well done Lee!

Lee makes his pizzas out of only organic ingredients, which is why they taste so good.  Some of our products are used in the pizzas too, which of course helps with their perfect flavour…(obviously).  That means What On Earth helped make the world’s best pizza (sort of). Yes! I knew we were fit for stardom somewhere along the line.

This helps prove what we’ve believed all along…that well-made, high quality pizza is still loved and is still very much on the map.  Pizza can never go out of fashion.  In fact, we think the popularity of the pizza is still growing.  This has been illustrated by the opening of lots of pizza joints across the country.  London is especially fond of the pizza and in the past year a number of pizzerias have opened, many of which push the notion of the ‘posh pizza’.  The new and highly acclaimed Oblix, which is half way up The Shard, also offers wood fired pizzas.  They get everywhere!  What’s more, the brand new organic pizzas that we launched earlier this year are selling extremely well.  It seems everybody loves good pizza.

The gourmet pizza trend reflects other trends that have hit London recently e.g. the gourmet burger trend and the gourmet hot dog trend.  Lots of establishments are taking the idea of fast food and are turning it on its head in order to offer it as a ‘posh’ or ‘gourmet’ product.  Chips, chicken burgers, even chicken wings are becoming increasingly popular with upmarket venues that offer them as gourmet dishes.

This begs the question, what will be next?  We’re putting our money on doner kebabs…or maybe not.

Peace, love and the world’s best pizza,

 

What On Earth

Following my last blog post about What On Earth’s Organic Coconut Milk, I suddenly realised that I knew a pitiful amount about coconut milk.  Terrible!  But I’m not the only one; oh no.  There are many others who don’t know a great deal about it.  So I thought I would pull together some coconut milk facts, and also give you a bit of an insight into how coconut milk is produced.  Every day is a school day after all!

Coconut milk facts

• Coconut nut milk is the extract of freshly grated coconut flesh.  It is not the liquid from inside the nut itself
• Coconut milk is one of many edible products available from coconuts, along with coconut meat, coconut oil and coconut juice
• The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content. Most of the fat is saturated fat
• Several grades of coconut milk exist: from thick at 20-22% fat until thin at 5-7% fat level
• In nations where fresh coconut milk is plentiful, thick milk and thin milk are used for different dishes.  Thick milk is mainly used to make desserts as well as rich and dry sauces. Thin milk is used for soups and general cooking
• Coconut milk is a common ingredient in many tropical cuisines, such as Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian,Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai and Vietnamese, as well as Brazilian, Caribbean, Polynesian, and Pacific islands cuisines
• If you’re dairy-intolerant, coconut milk and cream are an excellent alternative to cows’ milk in some cooked dishes
• Coconut milk is rich in medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which the body processes differently than other saturated fats. MCFAs may help promote weight maintenance without raising cholesterol levels
• Coconut milk is high in iron and manganese. Coconut milk is also high in magnesium, fibre, phosphorus, potassium, copper, selenium, zinc, folate and vitamin C
• Coconut milk contains vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, vitamin B6, niacin, choline, pantothenic acid and calcium

 

 

How is coconut milk made?

The coconut is opened and the coconut water is drained out.  The white flesh of the coconut is then peeled form the husk and is soaked in hot water.  Once the water cools the liquid is strained off.  This process yields both coconut milk and coconut cream. The two liquids will separate when left to stand: the thick white cream will rise to the surface of the liquid leaving the clear watery milk below.  Some people who make the coconut milk at home put the flesh in a blender and then add three or four cups of hot water.  They blend the mixture until it becomes a smooth, thick liquid.  Once it has been blended they pour the liquid through some muslin and collect the milk in a separate container.

 

Our organic coconut milk originates from Thailand – ‘the land of smiles’.  We think Thailand is the home of perfect coconuts, which is why our organic coconut milk tastes so good.  If you’ve never tried it, we challenge you to do so.  It will give your life a taste of the exotic

Peace, love and organic coconut milk pizza,

What On Earth

The momentary warm weather in England has brought out my summery side.  I’m sure it will go just as quickly as the sunshine, but I thought I would take advantage of it while I can.  This doesn’t mean I’m donning the shorts and flip flops and heading to the common for a sunbathe.  Far from it!  But it does mean I’m thinking about all my favourite summery food.  This was spurred on by the smell of BBQs in the air earlier this week, and the talk of ice cream.  But not just any ice cream….coconut ice cream.

I was given the idea of coconut ice cream by a What On Earth fan, who lives abroad. Lucky her!  She says she has to deal with hot temperatures all year round (again, lucky her!) so to cool down she makes her own ice cream.  Her coconut ice cream is made with none other than our fabulous Organic Coconut Milk.  Yay!  Hearing this encouraged me to look into recipes for coconut milk ice cream, and some other coconut dishes.  Here are my findings. Enjoy!

 

 

• Coconut Milk Ice Cream

1 tin What On Earth Organic Coconut Milk
½ cup superfine sugar or granulated sugar or ½ cup of honey or agave syrup
1 ¼ cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Combine the coconut milk and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the coconut flakes. Chill in the freezer, stirring occasionally until hardened.

• Coconut and Lime sorbet

1 tin What On Earth Organic Coconut Milk
400ml water
400g caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
Pared rind of one lime

Place sugar in a saucepan with 400ml water and stir over low heat to dissolve sugar.  Add the cinnamon and lime rind and simmer for five minutes.  Add the coconut milk and remove from heat, leaving to cool completely.  Once cooled, pour the mixture into a shallow container and freeze until frozen at the edges.  Remove the mixture, beat with a whisk and return to the freezer.

• Chocolate coconut ice cream

2 tins What On Earth Organic Coconut Milk
2/3 cup cocoa powder
6 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extra

Whisk cocoa powder in a small amount of coconut milk until smooth.  Add the remaining coconut milk, honey and vanilla extra and whisk until well mixed.  Add the mixture to a freezer safe container and freeze until ready to eat.

 

• Chai Coconut Ice Cream

4 bags Assam black tea or regular black tea
2 tins What On Earth Organic Coconut Milk
3/4 cup honey (use 2/3 cup for slightly less sweet ice cream)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
pinch fine grain sea salt

In a liquid measuring cup, pour one cup of boiling water over the tea bags. Let them steep for 4 minutes and then remove the bags, squeezing out the water they have absorbed.

Combine the coconut milk, tea, honey, vanilla, spices and salt in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly blended.  If the coconut milk cream is separated, heat the mixture over medium heat for a few minutes while whisking, until the cream is incorporate. Cool the mixture (if needed) and add to a freezer safe container.  Freeze and then enjoy.

• Coconut and mango smoothie

100ml What On Earth Organic Coconut Milk
100ml milk
100g mango, peeled and chopped
One tablespoon runny honey
5og Greek yoghurt
1 small handful ice
Juice of half a lime

Blend the mango, honey, yoghurt, milk, coconut milk, ice and lime juice in a liquidiser until smooth.  Pour into a tall smoothie glass and enjoy.

• Coconut jelly

2 tins What On Earth Organic Coconut Milk
1 ½ tablespoons gelatine
1 cup caster sugar
2/3 cup passion fruit pulp

Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan and heat for six minutes over a medium heat.  Do not boil.  Once heated remove to a jug and keep warm.  Pour one cup of cold water into a saucepan and sprinkle over the gelatine.  Heat over medium heat for three to four minutes, stirring until the gelatine has dissolved.  Pour in the warm coconut milk and add sugar.  Heat the mixture, stirring for three minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Pour the jelly into a mould and refrigerate until set.  Spoon over the passion fruit pulp and serve.

 

 

Finally, for those who have a sweet cocktail tooth, why not try this Coquito, which originated from Puerto Rico.

• Coquito

2 tins What On Earth Organic Coconut Milk
125ml water
1 tin condensed milk
250ml dark rum
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients in a jug.  Stir well and pour into glasses, over ice.

Alternatively, if you don’t have time for any of these recipes, simply pour our delicious coconut milk over fruit for a delightfully healthy treat.

 

 

Peace, love and coconut milk pizza.

What On Earth

 

Sources:

http://allrecipes.co.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/coconut_milk

http://cookieandkate.com/

http://www.taste.com.au/

http://www.food.com/