Veg in a box

• Why Do I Use a Vegetable Box Scheme
• Why I Buy Organic
• What are the Benefits of Getting a Vegetable Box
• Locating a Vegetable Box Scheme in the UK
• Locating a CSA in the USA

Produce is sourced locally, keeping unnecessary packaging, storage and transportation to a minimum, and most is farmed organically - without the use of synthetic fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides - making the process kinder to the environment and, arguably, better for our health.

Small, local farmers get a better deal on prices. Produce that is just as good but not as esthetically pleasing due to shape or size which would be automatically rejected by chain supermarkets can be sold directly to the consumer.

The supply chain between grower and consumer is shortened, giving people a greater confidence in how their food has been grown.

Averaged out, the cost of a box of organic vegetables delivered directly to my door once a week is significantly cheaper than buying the same vegetables in the grocery store. Even if I buy the organic variety in store.

Climate change

Carbon emissions

Farming is a major source of emissions such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, which are responsible for global warming. However the type of farming makes a huge difference and organic farming delivers real benefits where emissions are concerned. A recent UK Government study found organic farms use 26% less energy than non-organic farms to produce the same amount of food. And less energy use means fewer greenhouse gasses.

Fertilisers

Unlike organic farms, most farms rely upon artificial fertilisers. These add to global warming in several ways. The production of the fertilisers is very energy intensive and uses fossil fuels (mostly methane) as a raw material. This results in high levels of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions.

Soil

Soil stores carbon. The more carbon it stores, the less carbon dioxide there is in the atmosphere adding to global warming. Poor land management leads to carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere from the soil. Organic farmers apply organic matter to the soil. This increases the carbon in the soil and reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

Just adding fertiliser to the land releases nitrous oxide. Fertilisers also make the soil more acidic, so farmers add lime to counter-balance this. This produces carbon dioxide.

Fertilisers suppress soil micro-organisms which actually help to prevent methane from escaping into the atmosphere. Organic farming actively encourages soil micro-organisms, which reduces emissions.

Animal Welfare

Organic livestock farmers can manage their animals without the routine use of antibiotics and other drugs because they run a healthy, balanced system. This means not keeping too many animals on a given area, keeping a mixture of species wherever possible and providing a diet that is as natural as possible.

The requirements to achieve organic status set forth by the UK Soil Association are some of the strictest in the world.

Wildlife

Organic farmers work with nature. Trees, hedges, and wide un-farmed field edges are important on organic farms. These provide habitats for natural predators such as beetles, spiders and birds which control pests.

Farmland birds have declined by up to 95% since the introduction of pesticides into farming. Organic farming offers a real alternative and buying organic food supports a living countryside.

Organic farming bans artificial fertilisers which pollute our waters. Organic farmers fertilise their fields by rotating their crops, using composted manure, and planting crops which naturally feed nitrogen to the soil.

Compared to intensive farming, organic farms have 44% more birds in fields and more than 5 times as many wild plants.

Genetically modified foods

Untested

Genetic modification (GM) is a new food technology. Although people are already eating it in a few products, it has only undergone one human feeding trial - and that showed negative results. In the study, commissioned by the Food Standards Agency, scientists found that GM DNA is transferring to the human gut bacteria. This worrying result has not been followed up.

Unrecallable

The main countries which grow GM crops are the USA, Canada and Argentina. Once GM pollen is released into the environment, there is no way of taking it back should problems occur. Nor can they be prevented from contaminating other crops.

Antibiotics

Nearly every one knows someone, perhaps a relative or friend, who has failed to respond to treatment with antibiotics due to the growing problems of superbugs and antibiotic resistance. There is concern that this is linked to the presence of residual antibiotics in the food we eat.

Over half the antibiotics used in the UK are given in food to farm animals to suppress the infectious diseases that arise with intensive farming and to act as artificial growth promoters.

Pesticides

Over 86 per cent of the UK public say that they do not want any leftover pesticides in their food.

Government tests suggest that one in every four items of food you buy contains traces of pesticides.

150 of the commonly used pesticides are potentially cancer causing.

Some cannot be washed off.

Organic farmers with the Soil Association can use, as a last resort, only four of the 350 pesticides currently in use. Although two of the chemicals are strictly controlled, the Soil Association wants to go further, and are phasing out one completely.

I have been buying a weekly vegetable box and having it delivered to my home for over 2 years now. Besides the vegetables, I also get milk and a bag of apples added to my shop. I am able to add extras to my box on a weekly basis as I need. Additionally, besides the core box I am able to specify if I want other produce on a weekly, biweekly, triweekly, or monthly basis.

The benefits of a vegetable box are that we know the feed we get is fresh, in season, and grown organically. The produce tastes better. Most times the vegetables have been picked less than 48 hours before the box shows up on my doorstep. Most box schemes will include a newsletter with information on unusual vegetables and recipes.

The downside is that I don't always know exactly what vegetables I am going to get until the box shows up. While the scheme I use does post a list of what will go into the boxes in the upcoming week, there are sometimes substitutions.

Some schemes will allow you to designate a list of vegetables that you do not want to receive, and they will make substitutions for you. However, this can result in a higher price paid because they supplier is not able to take as much advantage of produce that is available all the time.

We've not tended to run into problems with this, because even when a vegetable shows up that no one in the house likes, someone in the extended family will always take it. We have had the benefit of being introduced to vegetables we may not have tried otherwise and knowing that we are eating produce at the height of their taste season.

I am hoping that you have gained a better understanding of what a vegetable box scheme is and how it can be of benefit to you and your community. At a time when more and more focus is on decreasing food miles, increased sustainability, and supporting the local farmer, a vegetable box does all this and more.