Pleasing the bugs in your stomach

Organic Growth in China - By Bruce, May 08, 08

Last week's invitation to an organic barbeque and tour of the Kiwing Fine Foods farm an hour out of Shanghai aroused curiosity and appetites in equal measures. But hungry for information for you, beloved reader, the trip was dutifully made.

Denise, who took over the 33 hectare farm a year ago and decided to go organic, offered encouraging insights into China's organic industry. Currently supplying to various top Shanghai restaurants, Kiwing will soon expand into private ordering and delivery, pending organic accreditation.

The idea of organic food in China may make cynics giggle and hippies snarl, but the reality is that organic agriculture is a growing niche in China's controversial food supply.

There are several reasons behind this growth, including recent food safety scandals and the rising purchasing power of China's urban and middle class populations. Not surprisingly, it's foreign tummies that are growling loudest for organic foods, fuelling growth in China's organic industry.

The lower yield of, and booming international demand for organic produce has created yet another export market for China to dominate. The lure of export revenue promises to overcome the flaccid local regulatory framework by inspiring local organic standards to align more closely with those abroad.

How organic can it be ... in China? Conversion to organic practice takes time. Current local standards stipulate a three-year chemical free lapse. Thereafter random testing of the soil, water sources and other production factors are spot tested to avoid (further) embarrassing international discoveries of synthetic residue on "organic" exports, potentially murderous to the fledgling industry. Most of the country's biggest organic enterprises, indeed State owned, are in areas like Qinghai, not choked by pollution and rarely requiring conversion.

In China low food prices are a political imperative. Given 1/7th of the world’s arable land to feed 1/5th of the world’s population, along with worldwide food price inflation, you can be sure that most Chinese agriculture is as chemical and capital intensive as the carrots can handle. Officially, four types of vegetables are classified in China: 'normal, harmless, green and organic'. With the distinction between 'normal' and 'harmless' veggies, the demand for cleaner food continues to grow.

Willy of "El Willy" will tell you that organic eggs taste richer, tomatoes sweeter. "In the kitchen we use eggs all the time, in so many different dishes. Of course it's important they taste good!" Curiously, many restaurants already using organic produce don't advertise the fact. For them it's purely a matter of flavour.

For the cynics, the organic industry's international exposure means tighter regulation and closer parallels with international organic standards (recent ministerial executions not withstanding). For the hippies, organic practice is more sustainable and makes everyone happy from the bugs in the dirt to the bugs in your stomach. Plus, the labour intensive production is good for displaced and migrant workers.

Check out Shanghai Organics (http://www.shorganic.com), who offer direct delivery and farm visits. Organic Shanghai (http://www.organic-shanghai.com) provides free delivery for orders over Y100. Vintage Living (www.vintageliving.cn) in Jing An district has its own six year-old organic farm.

Shui Yuan (http://www.shuiyuan-restaurant.com, SmSh review here) on the Bund offers organic selections in a smoke free environment and an elaborate, authentic vegetarian menu. Prices are inflated, in keeping with trendy organics, but it's stylish and more importantly legit.

For organic groceries in Shanghai try Living Shop, on Shui Cheng Nan Lu/Yan An Lu, or the City Shop (http://www.cityshop.com.cn) chain.

The BioFach China International Organic Trade Fair (http://www.biofach-china.com) visits Shanghai from May 29 to 31. Primarily a trade fair, it's a chance to direct difficult questions to the pretty faces of suspect farms.