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Organic choices mushroom in Beijing

Ever since the Beijing Olympics, there has been an increased awareness of environmental and green issues. More and more consumers are choosing to buy organic products, and now in Beijing there is quite a choice for the health conscious shopper, even extending to home delivery of veggie boxes.

In 2008, Greenpeace conducted a survey of attitudes to organic food buying, as part of their campaign to raise awareness of ecological methods of farming and sustainable development in China. Although the survey was small, 300 respondents, 68 percent said they bought some organically produced goods, and 80 percent said they would definitely buy organic in the future. Most said that they bought organic food for health and food safety reasons, usually from larger supermarket chains.

Lorena Luo of Greenpeace said the survey prompted lots of calls from individuals and traders, particularly restaurants, wanting to know where they could obtain organic goods. The interactive map they have produced is a very informative resource (see below), giving the locations of all kinds of organic providers in Beijing, from organic teashops to farms, restaurants and supermarkets.

One such enterprise, which has several organic farms both near Beijing and in other provinces of China, is the Beijing Organic Farm Distribution Company, which has been certified as organic since 2000. It supplies its home grown organic fruit, vegetables and grains under the name “Organic Farm” to most of the big supermarket chains in China, particularly in and around big cities, plus some imported lines, such as organic baby food from Germany. They also operate a home delivery service, where customers can sign up to receive weekly deliveries of fresh vegetables and other organic products. The Organic Farm range includes more than 60 types of fruit and vegetables and 30 types of grain, along with leafy green vegetables, sprouts, mushrooms and fresh herbs.

Shirley Li of Organic Farm said interest in knowing how food has been produced is increasing in China, along with awareness of food safety. Her company trains the workers at their farms to only use organic methods of production: to be certified organic in China, farms must adhere to a strict set of international standards established by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. This includes being free of inorganic pesticides and fertilizers for three years, ensuring clean water sources, and being GM-free (not genetically modified).

While organic produce can be found in most big Chinese supermarkets, including Metro, Carrefour, Wal-Mart and Wumart, there are increasing numbers of dedicated organic stores to be found in the city. Lohao City has seven branches in Central Beijing and its suburbs. The company’s products include those grown at its own organic ranch, Le Zhiwan, located in Miyun County. Established in 2002, it gained organic status in 2004, and opened its first store in 2006. While not everything Lohao sells is organic, it provides a wide range of local and international organic products and health foods, including nuts, seeds, cereals, and even organic cleaning products. It is planning an online shopping service. Organic Farm has just opened its first store, in the Palm Springs complex, Chaoyang District and hopes to open more in the future.

De Run Wu in Shunyi is a much smaller venture, with only 11 mu (0.7 hectares) of land and four greenhouses, but is operating an increasingly popular “veggie box” delivery service. If you live within the Fifth Ring Road or in Shunyi, De Run Wu will deliver freshly picked seasonal vegetables directly to your door once a week. As co-owner Alison Wen explained, they are a small concern and have not officially received organic status, but they have been farming according to international guidelines since 2004. Her husband, Ji Yunliang, has long been interested in the principles of organic agriculture and wanted to see if it would be possible to start an organic farm.

Wen said her customers like to know where their food has been grown, and would rather buy from a small company like hers than from a large supermarket. A typical veggie box may contain carrots, spinach, salad leaves, and whatever else is in season, although she admits demand may soon outstrip supply, as they are attracting more local customers in addition to expatriates. They also deliver to some organisations such as kindergartens. A veggie box costs 80 yuan, plus a 20-yuan delivery fee, and you can either choose from the weekly range of vegetables or just take a chance and see what comes in the box. It’s also possible to visit the farm.

More than fruit and vegetables can be certified as organic: Greenyard is an organic dairy located in Yanqing County, which mainly produces organic milk and yogurt. Greenyard's milk was certified organic in 2006 and is the first officially certified organic milk in the country. This means that their herd of milk-producing cows are fed on organic foodstuffs, and are not given any artificial stimulants, such as synthetic hormones or antibiotics. Greenyard grows its own corn for animal feed, and even plays music to its cows. Greenyard products can be found in a number of stores in Beijing, including Pacific Department Store (Taipingyang Baihuo), and foreign grocery stores such as April Gourmet and Jenny Lou, and of course organic stores such as Lohao City.