Is Spain turning organic?

Eating at least five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables every day is recommended by doctors to help maintain a healthy body, but have you ever wondered just how healthy the food that you are eating really is? Alex Elgar investigates the trend of organic farming in Spain and how accessible these products are to consumers.

It seems a paradox: fresh fruit and vegetables, those ‘healthy’ foods that are recommended to us by doctors, may in fact not be so healthy after all. When we eat them, we are inadvertently pumping into our bodies a cocktail of chemicals: chemicals that are potentially hazardous for our bodies. These days, modern farming practices mean soils are treated with chemical fertilisers, seeds develop within this environment, and once growing, crops are sprayed periodically with chemical insecticides.
Northern Europeans especially Brits, Germans and Scandinavians have long been aware of the potential hazards of such farming practices. Demand for products that were natural or organically produced grew in the 1980s, and since then, the number of shops and supermarkets that stock organic foods has grown dramatically. 

Organic farming refers to agricultural production systems used to produce food and fibre. All kinds of agricultural products can be produced organically, including grains, meat, dairy, eggs, fibres such as cotton, flowers, and processed food products. Organic farming management relies on developing biological diversity and the  maintenance and replenishment of soil fertility. Organic farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
In Britain, organic produce has gained such popularity that most supermarkets stock a wide range of organic products.  Even Prince Charles has his own organic farm at his Highgrove home in Gloucester where as well as producing a range of organic food including fresh fruit and vegetables, environmentally-friendly shampoos and conditioners are now available that will expand his well-established Duchy Originals line of products. The new range - of bergamot and lime, and rose and mandarin products has been developed with celebrity hair stylist Daniel Galvin jnr, whose clients include Camilla Parker Bowles, Madonna, and Tom Cruise.
Demand for organic produce in Spain has never massively taken off as high prices have restricted sales.  But Carles García Pons, organic farmer from Pego explains, “Prices are high as agricultural methods of production are also high. For example, I import a natural pesticide from South America to control the pests.  We can’t produce that pesticide in Spain due to climatic limitations”.
Spain has been slow to adopt organic farming methods yet today, more and more farmers are converting to the practice. Furthermore, organic cooperatives are springing up around the country and organic food shops are also on the increase. Supermarkets such as Carrefour and Caprabo are also now stocking a range of products. Carrefour’s ‘Eco’ range, for example, supplies a limited range of organic foods such as organic jams, pasta, juices, milk, yoghurts, oil and vinegar and coffee.
Country life is a health food shop near Moraira that sells purely organic foods.  Owners Frank and Monica from Germany have for years being trying to educate consumers on the benefits of organic food.  As well as stocking fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs, supplied by various local farms and cooperatives, the shop sells a large range of natural products that are all free from colourings, preservatives and flavourings.  The shop also has a range of natural cosmetics (not tested on animals, nor containing any type of artificial ingredient) and also a range of natural supplements. 
As for fresh fruit and vegetables, Stefan goes on to explain, “Customers seem to think that organic farming means not using chemical sprays on crops.  Yet how we treat the soil is also fundamental in