Whole Earth Jargon Buster
Do you know your organic from your macrobiotic? Whole Earth has developed a simple jargon buster, which explains in simple terms what many of the organic buzz-words we hear today actually mean.
- Organic - foods that are produced without the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics, genetically modified ingredients or food additives
- Natural - foods that do not contain artificial ingredients and are minimally processed. Natural foods do not include ingredients such as refined sugars, refined flours, milled grains, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, artificial food colors, or artificial flavorings
- Whole foods - foods that are unprocessed and unrefined. For example nuts, seeds and sprouts and raw organic vegetables
- Free range – a method of farming where animals are allowed to roam freely rather than being contained in any way
- Macrobiotic - a diet based on wholegrains, fruits and vegetables
- Fairtrade - an ethical trade scheme which ensures that disadvantaged farmers in the developing world are treated fairly and that products meet internationally agreed environmental, labour and developmental standards
- Genetic modification – the artificial insertion of a foreign gene into the genetic structure of an organism. In food, this is usually done to give it new properties – for example, to make fruit bigger
- Pesticide - a man-made chemical or biological substance that is used to prevent or control the damage to crops caused by insects, fungal infections, bacteria or weeds
- Herbicide – an artificial chemical that interferes with plants’ biological processes, causing them to die
- Biodiversity - the number of different plant and animal species in a defined area
- Sustainable foods - food grown in a way that maintains or enhances soil fertility for the benefit of future generations
- Crop rotation – the practise of planting different crops on the same land over sequential years to improve soil fertility and help control insects, weeds and disease
- Provenance – the origin and source from which something comes. In farming, it usually relates to the place that a food is manufactured, allowing consumers to understand where their food comes from
- Carbon footprint - a measure of the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emitted by a person or product
- Green manure - A plant-based fertliser used by organic farmers
- Cover cropping - Plants grown to maintain the quality of the soil and prevent erosion
- Composting - the controlled decomposition of organic matter, which is performed primarily by aerobic bacteria, helped by larger creatures such as worms. Home composting involves providing the ideal environment for decomposing bacteria to thrive
- Mulching - covering the ground around plants with organic matter or plastic sheets to suppress weed growth