Organic products in Austria. Higher Secondary School Thesis Caroline van Heugten Vivian Hermans H5B Mr. Curfs

Transcription

1 Organic products in Austria Higher Secondary School Thesis Caroline van Heugten Vivian Hermans H5B Mr. Curfs

2 Index Index... 1 Introduction... 2 Explanation... 3 Chapter What is the difference between thoughts about organic products from people in Austria and the Netherlands?... 4 Chapter How do you produce an organic product?... 6 Chapter What are the results of organic products on the physical health?... 9 Chapter What is the demand for organic products? Conclusion...12 Sources...13 Internet sources Special thanks to: Survey: Interviews:

3 Introduction We all know that feeling, standing in front of a shelf in a store. Staring at the same products and almost the only difference you see is the label that s on one of them. A label for organic production and this is not on the other one. You hardly see any differences in the products, but you know there are a lot of them. We re talking about a big issue from the last years in The Netherlands, but also in a lot of other countries in Europe. Now let us explain ourselves. We are two Dutch students, and for our secondary school thesis, we went to Austria, to investigate what the differences are between organic food in The Netherlands and in Austria. In this thesis you can read about our project and find the conclusions about our research. Our research included interviews and a survey. We held an interview with an Austrian organic farmer, an Austrian dietitian and an owner of an organic shop in Austria. Also, we held a survey under the people of Austria and the people of The Netherlands. We held 30 surveys in each group both in Austria as in the Netherlands. Our groups were: 12 to 13 year olds, 17 to 18 year olds, and people that are older than 18 year. Our thesis has different parts where we describe the research and tell you about the conclusions we see in it. Every part is build up in the same way. We will start with an introduction of the things you will find in the part, the research and in the end the conclusion that belongs to the part. All the questions of the interviews and the surveys you can find in the sources. Here you can also find all the other things we used for the thesis. 2

4 Explanation We ask the people we interview and in the surveys what the definition of organic products is. There are a lot of different answers, all good, but not complete. We want to give you some more information about the definition of an organic product. This definition is according to the IFOAM (the international federation of organic farming organizations): Organic agriculture is a production system that supports the health of soils, ecosystems and people and sustains. It is based on ecological processes, biodiversity and natural cycles adapted to local conditions to use, instead of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved. A product or animal is organic if it is certified in accordance with applicable regulations. Certification is only possible if the product or animal is under control. Certification All certification organizations in the EU inspect and certify on the basis of the same European regulation. The rules are recorded in two European regulations. But one of the most important things is that an organic product must consist of at least 95% organic ingredients. Each EU country has at least one certification organization. There are countries where multiple certification organizations are active. This is a choice of individual Member States. The rules that are made for organic products are the result of four core values. The core values of organic farming are internationally defined in the so-called Principles of Organic Agriculture: Health Organic farming should help to maintain and strengthen the health of soil, plants, animals, humans and the planet as a whole. Ecology Organic agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, cooperate with them, they reinforce and maintain. Equity Organic agriculture should be based on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and development opportunities. Care Organic farming should be practiced with caution and responsibility to protect the health and welfare of current and future generations and their environment. 3

5 Chapter 1 What is the difference between thoughts about organic products from people in Austria and the Netherlands? The first part is about the survey we held. We had three age categories in both of the countries. We visited Das Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Feldkirch, Institut St. Josef in Feldkirch and Het College in Weert. The questions of the survey and the results are in the sources. You will see there the questions we asked them, and the answers they gave us. We have processed the answer in figures. For every question we will give you a conclusion and in the end we will give you the main conclusion. Question 1 What is your definition of organic products? What you can see in the figures is that in each group the results are almost the same. The three most given answers are the same and have almost the same rates. The only difference you see is that in The Netherlands everyone knows what organic products are and in Austria not. Question 2 What do you think that the difference is between organic and non-organic products? You can see that the Dutch people mostly say that the big difference is that organic products are made without chemicals and non-organic with chemicals. The Austrian people answered this less than the Dutch people. Conversely, the Austrian people have answered that organic products are healthier, and the Dutch people have answered this less. Over all the most given answer is the same in both countries. Question 3 Do you use organic products? You can clearly see that there are much more Austrian people who use organic products than Dutch people. Question 4 What kind of organic products do you use? You see that the people of Austria answered the same in the three age categories and that the people of the Netherlands that are older than 18 year, also give almost the same answers. The big difference is that the younger ones in the Netherlands use different products more. You see that the younger ones use more meat and cheese that s organic and the rest of the people use more vegetables and fruit. Question 5 Why do you, or do you not use organic products? You can see that the most Dutch people don t have a special reason for using organic products. This is a big difference with Austria; the most Austrian people use organic products because they think it s healthier and better for the environment. Question 6 If you used non-organic products at first, and now use organic products, do you notice any difference in the physical health? You can see that the Austrian people notice more difference in physical health than Dutch people. A reason for this is that more Austrian people do use organic products. Question 7 How important do you think organic products are, if you have to choose out of three options? What you can see is that the most Austrian people say that everyone should use organic products and the most Dutch people say that it s everyone s own choice. You also see that there are some Dutch people who think that no one should use organic products. But in Austria no one answered that. 4

6 Question 8 Do you need to pay more money for organic products? You see that the most given answer in both countries is that you have to pay more for organic products. This means organic products are more expensive than non-organic products in both countries. Question 9 Do you think that in restaurants organic products should be used? You see that much more Austrian people say that there should be organic products used in restaurants. You see that some Dutch people also think this but the most say that it is not necessary. Question 10 Why do you think this? The biggest difference you see in the answers is that Austrian people want that restaurants use organic products because it is healthier and because they have a better quality. The Dutch people answered that organic products have a better quality. Question 11 Do you want to pay more for organic products? You see that the answers in the youngest categories are almost the same. The big difference is between the people from age 18 and older. You see that the Austrian people want to pay more for organic products and the Dutch people don t want to pay more for organic products. Question 12 Why do you want to pay more for organic products? Dutch people want to pay more so they know where it comes from and because they think organic products have a better quality than non-organic products. Austrian people want to pay more because it s better for the environment and they want that the animals are treated well. Also they don t want to eat toxics. You see that the Austrian people care more about the health and the environment and the Dutch people care more about the quality. Question 13 do you pay attention at labels for organic food when you are shopping? You see that there are much more Austrian people who pay attention to the labels when their shopping than the Dutch people do. Question 14 Do you think using organic products is better for the environment? You can t see any difference here, almost everyone in both the countries think that organic products are better for the environment. Conclusion You can see that the most people know a part of the definition, but not the whole definition. This is the same in the both countries. Over all you can see that the Austrian people are more open towards organic products than the Dutch people. They use it more, they think it is healthier and they want to pay more. Almost no one in The Netherlands thinks the same. The Austrian people are more tolerant towards the organic products. We talked to a Dutch man, who tries to start selling organic products in Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. He also mentioned that it is much easier to start selling organic products there, than it is in The Netherlands. He says this is because the Austrian people are more tolerant towards the organic products. This is the same result as we got. We talked with him about what could be the reasons for this. He thinks that the main reason is in the culture, because the most people in Austria already have a healthier lifestyle than the Dutch people. 5

7 Chapter 2 How do you produce an organic product? When we were in Austria, we had an interview with the owner of Lisilis. Lisilis is an organic farm in Meiningen, Voralberg in Austria. They hold animals and cultivate agriculture; the products that they produce are sold in their own shop. This is at the same place as the farm. They also have a box with products that you can buy, and they deliver it every week at your house. You can find the questions in the sources. After the interview he showed us around on the farm to explain things more clearly and to take some pictures. His own definition of an organic product is that a product is organic when it is made on an organic farm. With this he means a farm where the production is organic and where the farm has a certificate for it. The big difference, he says, between an organic and non-organic product are the guidelines for the production. In each group of products, for example fruit or vegetables, are different guidelines for the production. The guidelines declare how a product should be produced, of course this is different for organic and non-organic products. The whole process starts with a seed or a little plant, these have to be organic. Very often there are bigger plants purchased from Germany. In the guidelines of the EU also stand rules about the device, like potting soil, you are allowed to use. If you want to be an organic farm you also have to pay attention to the wages of the employees. They have to get a fair wage for the work they do. Every company has to take into account a lot of rules to be sure the product they make or sell is organic. He explains us that for a good organic production there are some weather conditions that are important. The first main thing is that there has to be a perfect soil. It has to be fertile and there have to be a lot of minerals in it. Secondly, the plants need sun, there is no limit: more and more sun is good for the plants. Finally there has to be rainfall, just about mm each year. It is better for the plants if the rain falls in periods, than all in once. For the animals the first important thing is that the animal feels good. Also it is important that there are no medicines used or that there is no genetic engineering used. At last, the food for the animals also has to be organic, when the food is not organic, the meat is also not organic anymore. For this are certain rules, little bits of the food can be non-organic but the most has to be organic. 6

8 The protection of the plants and the animals is difficult, because there cannot be used any medicines or chemicals. The plants are protected against insects by animals between the plants that eat the insects. The protection against illness is more complicated. The farm uses different little pieces of soil, instead of one big piece. You can see this in figure 1. If a plant gets sick, it cannot pass the disease on to many other plans because they are not altogether. Figure 1 different pieces of soil, Lisilis The animals protect themselves against the insects. When an animal gets sick, it maybe can heal, but when this isn t possible the animal will be killed. You can see the animals in figure 2. We asked what you need to do when you want to change your non-organic farm into an organic farm. If you want to start with the organic production, you start with a kind of a test year. You have to produce organic and use Figure 2 animals at BIO-hof lisilis the guidelines for the production. This is controlled by the government or Bio-Austria. If it is good enough you get permission to go on with the organic production. The second and the third year you re not an official organic farm because every little piece of the non-organic production has to be out of the system. In the fourth year you are officially an organic farm if the production is approved. 7

9 On the etiquette of the product their have to be certain information that the customer have to know. There has to stand from which farm it comes and where the farm is. There also has to be a number on it, the number is coupled to the company. Every organic company has his own number so it can be controlled if what stands on the etiquette is really what is in the packing. If you deserve any marks, you also have to put them on the etiquette so people can see that it is really organic. Of course there also has to stand on the etiquette what the product is and what kind of ingredients are in it. In figure 3 you see an example of an etiquette. Figure 3 label for an organic product from the BIO-hof Lisilis The guidelines for organic production are determined by the EU. These are rules that apply for every company in Europe. Besides this rules, every region is free to add details to the rules. Those details only apply for the organic companies in the particular region. In this case it is the government of Voralberg who can add the details. The control on the rules is done by Bio-Austria or municipality Voralberg. Bio-Austria is an organisation that keeps an eye on everything that has a link with organic products in Austria. Conclusion Clearly, it is not easy to produce an organic product. As you could read there is a lot the farmer has to look at, because really everything has to be organic or fair. Also the process of producing is not easy, because there are many rules he has to follow. Also he can t use pesticides to remove illness or insects. This all makes it very difficult and work intensively to produce an organic product. 8

10 Chapter 3 What are the results of organic products on the physical health? We had an interview with Michaela, she is a dietician in Austria. We wanted to investigate whether organic food is better for the physical health of a person than nonorganic food. You can find the questions of the interview in the sources. Organic food is better for you but not necessarily healthier. It is better because there are fewer chemicals in organic food than in non-organic food. When you eat organic food you know what you eat, you know what is in the food. This is because there are a lot of checks before the food are labeled as organic food. It is not necessarily healthier. This depends on the own consumption behavior of the people. If a person eats too much of an organic product it is as bad as eating too much of a non-organic product or as eating a non-organic product at all. For example if you are trying to lose weight it doesn t matter whether you eat organic or non-organic food, it depends on the amount of the food and the calories in the food. The reason why non-organic food is worse for your health is because you don t know what you eat. In non-organic food are more chemicals and pesticides. You also don t know where your food comes from. It is important to know what is in the food. There are a lot of products that are considered as organic food, but they aren t. Because there are fewer checks by nonorganic products, you don t have the warranty that you eat what you think you are eating. There is no proving that you live longer when you eat organic food instead of non-organic food. But people who use organic products mostly pay more attention to their eating habits then people who use non-organic food. We also asked the dietician if she thinks that eating organic food can reduce the chance of getting cancer. She said that you cannot prove anything like that because there are so many causes that can give you cancer. During the healing process of cancer it doesn t really matter whether you eat organic food or nonorganic food. But she does think that people who have survived the cancer will think more about a healthier lifestyle. Some of the people will try to get a better lifestyle by eating organic food. If you are considering whether you should eat organic or non-organic food, there are some other things you should do first to get a better physical health. You should start eating according to the active food pyramid. You also have to eat enough fish, and you should get enough physical exercises every day. After this you can improve your health by eating organic products. There are people who eat organic food in the first place because this is better for the environment or because the animals are well-treated. And in the second place they want to improve their physical health. Conclusion The result of organic food on the physical health is that you get fewer chemicals and pesticides inside your body. You know what you are eating. And the most people who eat organic food will pay more attention to their eating habits, and this can improve your health if you eat according to the active food pyramid. 9

11 Chapter 4 What is the demand for organic products? When we were in Austria, we had an interview with Petra Natter. She is the owner of an organic shop in Feldkirch, with the name Natur & Kost. We asked her questions about her shop, the products and the demand for organic products. You can find the question of the interview in the sources. In her shop she only sells organic products. She sells foodstuff, fruit, vegetables and also cosmetic products. Of course these products are more expensive than non-organic products. This is because the farmer and the producer are getting a fair wage for the work they do. This is one of the reasons why she is selling organic products. But she also sells organic products because it is better for the environment, the animals had a better live and there are fewer or no chemicals and pesticides in the food. The difference in price is there of course because of the fair wages but also because the products are produced organic. This process takes longer than the process of producing non-organic products. When you buy an organic product you will see different labels on them as on non-organic products. If you buy an organic product, you can read on the label what is in the food or what you buying. It is obliged to write down, what the product is and where it is coming from. You have different kind of labels. You have labels that show you, the product is been checked that it is really an organic product you can see this label in figure 4. You also have labels for organic cosmetic products; you have labels where you can see that the cosmetic isn t test at animals, you can see this in figure 5. This one is very hard to get on your product because this means your product isn t test at animals from the beginning of the development of the product till the product lays in the store. You also have a different label that says that the producers didn t use any genetic engineering you can see this also in figure?. Figure 4 label that says it is a controlled and organic product Figure 5 Label against animals tested products 10

12 In Austria they produce foodstuff, cosmetic products, fruit and vegetables. Because they are produced in Austria the transport distance is shorter, this means they have to use less fuel and this is better for the environment. The shop owner doesn t only sell products which are produced in Austria. She also sells products which are produced in Germany. The demand for organic products has enormously increased in recent years. The demand for it in Austria is big. It is still growing. People start to realize that organic products are more than products without chemicals. More people start buying organic products. The store of the owner we interviewed is growing. Also in supermarkets they are start selling more organic products, but when you buy organic products in the supermarket you re not sure if the people who produced the product have a fair wage. Conclusion This interview showed us that there are a much more different logo s for organic production than we thought, and that there are much more different products. We didn t know there are a lot of cosmetics that are also organic. You also see that the demand for organic products In Austria is growing very fast. A few years ago the shop was very little, only some vegetables, fruits and other foodstuff. There came more and more people and the shop got bigger and she introduced new products. Nowadays there are still more and more people coming to the shop. 11

13 Conclusion What we saw in our research is that there are differences between organic food in Austria and in The Netherlands, but there are also some things the same. The most clear differences are that the people in Austria are more open to the organic food and want to buy it more than the people of The Netherlands. Also the demand for the organic products has grown very strong last years in Austria, and in The Netherlands it stays at the same level. Also we have seen that producing an organic products is more difficult than you think. There are way more rules you have to follow than we thought and the rules are very specific on every little part of the production. At last, we saw that organic products are not always healthier. They can be healthier, but only if you look at what you eat.z If you eat to much of a specific organic products it is just as bad than if you had eaten non-organic. 12

14 Sources Internet sources Special thanks to: Laura Ender, exchange partner of Caroline Elisabeth Bömcke, exchange partner of Vivian Das Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Feldkirch, for the stay and the surveys Institut St. Josef in Feldkirch, for the surveys t College Weert, for the surveys BIO-hof Lisilis, for the interview and the look around on the farm Michaela, for the interview Petra Natter from the organic shop Natur & Kost in Feldkirch, for the interview Mr. Curft, coordinator of the secondary school thesis Mr. Spee, exchange guide Mrs. Hangx, exchange guide 13

15 Survey: Questions 1. What is your definition of organic products? 2. What do you think that the difference is between organic and non-organic products? 3. Do you use organic products? o No (don't make question 4) o Yes/Ja* 4. What kind of organic products do you use? 5. Why do you, or do you not use organic products? 6. If you used non-organic products at first, and now use organic products, do you notice any difference in the physical health? o No o Yes 7. How important do you think organic products are, if you have to choose out of those three options? o Everyone should use organic products o It don t care, it s everyone s own choice o Nobody should use organic products 8. Do you need to pay more money for organic product? o no o yes 9. Do you think that in restaurants organic products should be used? o no (don't make question 10) o yes 10. Why do you think this? 11. Do you want to pay more for organic products? o no (don't make question 12) o yes 12. Why do you want to pay more for organic products? 14

16 13. Do you pay attention at labels for organic food when you are shopping? o no o yes 14. Do you think using organic products is better for the environment? o no o yes 15

17 Results Question 1 What is your definition of organic products? 13% 10% 33% 33% 3 10% 2 23% Figure 16 Austria, years old Figure 7 The Netherlands, years old 3% 3% 1% 23% 1 40% 64% 33% Figure 8 Austria, years old Figure 9 The Netherlands, years old 11% 6% 22% 1 39% 6 11% 2 Figure 10 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 11 The Netherlands, 18+ Years old Products without chemicals or genetic modification Prodcuts that are good for the environment Products that are healthy Products with a special way of production The same products as non-organic products I don't know 16

18 Question 2 What is the difference between organic and non-organic products 3% 43% 40% 4 30% 13% 3% Figure 12 Austria, years old Figure 13 The Netherlands, years old 3% 33% 3 33% 50% 13% 3% Figure 14 Austria, years old Figure 15 The Netherlands years old 6% 33% 33% 22% 6% 28% 50% 11% 11% Figure 16 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 17 The Netherlands, 18+ years old The way of production is different Organic products are healthier than non-organic products Organic products have a better taste and quality than non-organic products Organic products don't contain chemicals and genetic modification and non-organic products do contain There is no difference between organic and non-organic products 17

19 Question 3 Do you use organic products? 40% 60% 93% Figure 18 Austria, years old Figure 19 The Netherlands, years old 50% 50% 93% Figure 20 Austria, years old Figure 21 The Netherlands, years old 44% 56% 100% Figure 22 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 23 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Yes No 18

20 Question 4 Which kind of organic products do you use? 8% 13% 40% 10% 31% 15% 24% 18% 24% 3% Figure 24 Austria, years old Figure 25 The Netherlands, years old 18% 13% 36% 21% 13% 8% 21% 15% 8% 10% 3 Figure 26 Austria, years old Figure 27 The Netherlands, years old 12% 1 13% 35% 33% 15% 22% 12% 13% 11% 1 Figure 28 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 29 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Vegetables/ fruit Bread Eggs Meat/ cheese Dairy products Remaining 19

21 Question 5 Why do you, or don t you, use organic products? 13% % 20% 46% 10% 3% Figure 30 Austria, years old Figure 31 The Netherlands, years old 3% 10% 13% % 50% 1 33% 3% Figure 32 Austria, years old Figure 33 The Netherlands, years old 6% 6% 6% 11% 11% 6% 44% 38% 39% 22% 11% Figure 34 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 35 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Organic products have a better taste Organic products are better for the environment Organic products are healthier I have a good conscience when I use organic products I don't have a special reason for using organic products Organic products have a better way of production 20

22 Question 6 If you used non-organic products at first, and now use organic products, do you notice any difference in the physical health? 40% 60% 93% Figure 36 Austria, years old Figure 37 The Netherlands, years old 10% 3 63% 90% Figure 38 Austria, years old Figure 39 The Netherlands, years old 22% 44% 56% 78% Figure 40 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 41 The Netherlands, 18 years old Yes No 21

23 Question 7 How important do you think organic products are, if you have to choose out of those three options? - Everyone should use organic products (dark blue) - It don t care, it s everyone s own choice (green) - Nobody should use organic products (light blue) 3% 33% 1 66% 80% Figure 42 Austria, years old Figure 43 The Netherlands, years old 13% 4 53% 8 Figuur 44 The Netherlands, years old Figuur 45 The Netherlands, years old 6% 33% 33% 66% 61% Figure 46 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 47 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Answere 1 Answere 2 Answere 3 22

24 Question 8 Do you need to pay more money for organic product? 3% 10% 9 90% Figure 48 Austria, years old Figure 49 The Netherlands, years old 100% 100% Figure 50 Austria, years old Figure 51 The Netherlands, years old 10% 1 90% 83% Figure 52 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 53 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Yes No 23

25 Question 9 Do you think that in restaurants organic products should be used? 30% 50% 50% 70% Figure 54 Austria, years old Figure 55 The Netherlands, years old % 63% Figure 56 Austria, years old Figure 57- The Netherlands, years old 11% 39% 61% 89% Figure 58 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 59 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Yes No 24

26 Question 10 Why do you think this? 21% 15% 21% 5% 10% 59% 21% 15% 5% 21% Figure 60 Austria, years old Figure 61 The Netherlands, years old 5% 5% 9% 9% 10% 32% 9% 9% 38% 10% 2 3 Figure 62 Austria, years old Figure 63 The Netherlands, years old 25% 6% 31% 29% 25% 13% 29% 21% Figure 64 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 65 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Organic products are healthier Everyone should use organic products Organic prodcuts have a better quality Organic products are good for the environment Some people only eat organic, so they must get a chance to also do this when their not at home 25

27 Question 11 Do you want to pay more for organic products? 23% 43% 7 5 Figuur 66 Austria, years old Figure 67 The Netherlands, years old 40% 30% 60% 70% Figure 68 Austria, years old Figure 69 The Netherlands, years old 28% 33% 72% 6 Figure 70 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 71 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Yes No 26

28 Question 12 Why do you want to pay more for organic products? 14% 13% 6% 6% 43% 29% 25% 50% 14% Figure 72 Austria, years old Figure 73 The Netherlands, years old 10% 10% 20% 30% 50% 40% 20% 20% Figure 74 Austria, years old Figure 75 The Netherlands, years old 29% 1 33% % Figure 76 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 77 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Organic products have a good quality I know for sure where it comes from Better for the environment and animals The farmer needs to get a fair price for his products Organic products are healthier I know for sure I don't eat toxics 27

29 Question 13 Do you pay attention at labels for organic food when you are shopping? 40% 23% 60% 7 Figure 78 Austria, years old Figure 79 The Netherlands, years old 30% 2 70% 73% Figure 80 Austria, years old Figure 81 The Netherlands, years old 39% 61% 100% Figure 82 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 83 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Yes No 28

30 Question 14 Do you think using organic products is better for the environment? 10% 93% 90% Figure 84 Austria, years old Figure 85 The Netherlands, years old 93% 93% Figure 86 Austria, years old Figure 87 The Netherlands, years old 1 100% 83% Figure 88 Austria, 18+ years old Figure 89 The Netherlands, 18+ years old Yes No 29

31 Interviews: Interview with the farm 1. What is your definition of organic products? I think that a product is organic when it is made on a farm where the production is organic and when they have a certificate for it. 2. What do you think is the difference between organic- and non-organic products? The big difference between organic- and non-organic products is in the guidelines for the production. In each group of food products are different guidelines. The guidelines declare how a product should be produced; of course this is different for organic and non-organic products. 3. How long have you been producing organic products? The company produces already 25 years organic products and sells those in our own shop. Before it was an organic farm there was a non-organic farm. 4. What kind of organic products do you produce? The production is mixed, livestock and agriculture. The main production is agriculture. 5. How do you protect the plants against insects? The plants are protected against insects because between the plants there are animals that eat the insects. 6. How do you protect the plants against illnesses? The plants are protected against illness because the farm used different pieces of soil. Instead of one big piece of soil, the plants are planted on pieces soil. If a plant gets sick, it cannot pass the disease on to the other plants because they are not standing together. 7. What kind of weather condition do you need to get a good organic product? For a good organic production there are some weather conditions that are important. The first main thing is that there has to be a perfect soil, it has to be fertile and there have to be a lot of minerals in it. Secondly, the plants need sun, there is no limit: more and more sun is good for the plants. Finally there has to be rainfall, just about mm each year. It is better for the plants if the rain falls in periods, than all at once. 8. What are the best conditions for the animals? The most important thing is that the animals feel good. It is also important that you don t use any medicines or genetic engineering. And the food for the animals has to be organic, if it is not, you don t have organic meat anymore. For the food of the animals are certain rules, little bits of the food can be non-organic but the most has to be organic. 9. What kind of requirements is there for organic production? If you want to start with organic production, you first have a kind of a test year. You have to produce organic with the right guidelines. This is controlled by the government or Bio-Austria and if it is good enough you can go on with organic production. The second and the third year you re not yet an official organic farm because every little piece of non-organic production has to be out of the system. In the fourth year you are officially an organic farm. 10. What kind of labels is there for organic products? On the etiquette of the product has to be certain information, like where the product comes from, which land or region. There also has to be a number on it, the number is coupled to the company. Every organic company has his own number so it can be controlled if what stands on the etiquette is really what is in the packing. If you deserve any marks, you also have to put them on the etiquette so people can see that it is really organic. 11. Who determined the requirements for organic products? The guidelines for organic production are determined by the EU. These are rules that apply for every organic company in Europe. Besides that, every region is free to add details to 30

32 these rules. Those details only apply for the organic companies in the particular region. In this case it is the government of Vorarlberg who can add details. 12. Who checks for any violations? The control on the rules is done by Bio-Austria or municipality Vorarlberg. Bio-Austria is an organisation that keeps an eye on everything that has a link with organic products in Austria. 13. Can you explain the process of producing an organic product from the beginning to the end? The production starts with seed or a little plant, these have to be organic. Very often there are bigger plants purchased from Germany. In the guidelines of the EU also stand rules about the device, like potting soil, you are allowed to use. Also the employees have to be paid fair. Every company has to take into account a lot of rules to be sure the product they make or sell is organic. Interview with the dietician 1. What is the result of organic products on the physical health? It is the same result on the physical health as non-organic products. For example, if you eat too much, you will put on weight and then it doesn t matter if you eat organic or non-organic products. 2. Are organic products better for the physical health then non-organic products? Organic food is better for you but not necessarily healthier. It is better because there are fewer chemicals in organic food than in non-organic food. When you eat organic food you know what you eat, you know what is in the food. This is because there are a lot of checks before the food are labeled as organic food. It is not necessarily healthier. This depends on the own consumption behavior of the people. 3. Do you recognize the advantages and disadvantages of organic products? The advantages of organic products are that there are a lot of checks before the food are labeled as organic food. This means you are sure what you are eating. Everything that is inside the food is standing on the packing. The only disadvantage of organic products is that it is more expensive than non-organic products. 4. Do you recognize the advantages and disadvantages of non-organic products? The advantage is that non-organic products are usually cheaper than non-organic products. The disadvantages are that you are not sure about what you are eating because there are fewer checks. This is mostly when you are buying products that aren t produced in the season you are into now. 5. Do you think that people who use organic products live longer then people who use nonorganic products? I don t think people live longer because they use organic products. But most persons who buy organic products have often been consciously working on a healthier lifestyle. 6. Do you think that a person who has obese will get quicker better when he eats organic products then when he eat non-organic products? When you are trying to lose weight it doesn t matter wheter you eat organic or non-organic products. On that moment it is important that you don t eat to much calories. And calories are in non-organic products but also in organic products. 7. Do you think people can reduce the chance of getting cancer by eating organic-products? Maybe they can, but there are so many causes why people get cancer, and some of them have nothing to do with your diet. 8. Do people who are having cancer improve the healing process when they eat organicproducts? 31

33 During the treatment it doesn t matter. But there are a lot of people who start using organic products after they survived cancer, because they start thinking about getting a healthier lifestyle. 9. Would you recommend people to eat organic products? For yourself it doesn t matter whether you eat organic or non-organic products. It is important for you to eat according to the active food pyramid. You have to eat enough fish and you have to get enough physical exercises every day. After this you can improve your health by eating organic-products. 10. Do people ask for a diet with only organic products? No, the most persons don t ask for a diet with organic-products because people who use organic products are usually eating healthy. Interview with the organic shop 1. What kind of organic products do you sell in this store? In my store I sell foodstuff, fruit and vegetables. But I also sell organic cosmetic products. 2. Do you also sell non-organic products? No, I don t sell non-organic products. 3. Are the organic products more expensive than the non-organic products? Yes, they are more expensive because the farmers who produce the products are getting a fair wage. 4. Why do you sell organic products? I sell organic products because this is better for the environment, the farmers are getting fair wage, there are no chemicals inside the product and the animals have more space and a better life. 5. What is the difference in price between organic and non-organic products? It depends on the product you buy, but organic products are mostly 30% more expensive than non-organic products. 6. Why is there a difference in price? The farmer and his employees are all getting faire wages. Also is the product coming from his natural origin. And they don t use chemicals to produce organic products. This means it takes longer before the products are ready to be sold in the store, and this makes it more expensive. 7. Which labels do the products in the store have? Labels for bio-cosmetics. Also labels that are saying that the product isn t test on animals. This one is very hard to get. And there are also labels that are saying that they didn t use any genetic engineering to make the products better. 8. What kind of organic products are there produced in your country? In our country we produce foodstuff, cosmetic products and fruit and vegetables. But I also sell products that are coming from Germany. 9. Is there demand for organic products? There is a large demand for organic products, in recent years the demand for organic products increases tremendously. 10. Are there more and more organic products sold in Austria, or does it stays the same? The demand is still growing. My store is also growing. Not only organic shops are growing, but most supermarkets start with selling organic products. 32