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The murky waters of fish sustainability - mackerel

Charles Redfern — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:16:15 GMT

Mackerel is back in the news again. Fish Fight recommended switching to mackerel - with mackerel baps in fish & chip shops - to replace endangered cod, only last year. Now mackerel seems to have lost its eco-shine. Why is that and how can consumers navigate the murky waters of fish sustainability? I attempt to give my answer. And whilst I'm trying to simplify matters, I think I want my central message to be: it's not that simple!

French lesson: Independents help grow organic sales

Charles Redfern — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:39:08 GMT

An old acquaintance of mine, Jean Verdier, is president of Synabio (the Organic Trade Board equivalent in France). He recently sent me a link to an interview he gave on French TV.

Symphony of soil should convert us all

Charles Redfern — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:49:38 GMT

'We don't grow plants. We grow healthy soil – and the soil grows the plants.' There are a lot of stand-out points and quotes in Symphony of the Soil, the new film by Deborah Koons Garcia – but this is the one that did it for me.

Big-up the real organic brands

Charles Redfern — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:02:00 GMT

Supermarket organic sales are down again. Sales of supermarket own-label organic are down by 9.5% and organic brands sold in supermarkets are down by 2.9%. The shelf space for organic products has been reduced and so have the number of organic products on offer.

Sustainability - does size matter?

Charles Redfern — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:42:31 GMT

Is size a sustainability issue? Some people use the word sustainable in a financial sense but for me the right word is viable - financially viable. Sustainability is about ecological and social continuity, resilience and respect.

Oily fraud? Virtues of organic certification

Charles Redfern — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:42:45 GMT

Last week, the Guardian published two articles on olive oil fraud. While both reported on some breathtaking scams, one showed readers how to tell the real thing, and, neither mentioned the virtues of organic certification for protecting the consumer. Firstly organic olives are grown without chemical fertilisers or pesticides. Then, when it comes to processing, organic olive oil (like all organic oils) is not allowed to be chemically treated, heat-treated, refined or had any solvents added. This is to ensure the product is as near to its natural state as possible, to conserve as many nutrients as possible. According to organic principles, quality, taste and nutritional benefits are safeguarded - right from the start.

The Why I Love Organic campaign is growing up

Charles Redfern — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:39:45 GMT

Ever since I’ve been involved with organic, there have been two competing viewpoints of how we should communicate our messages. Viewpoint one says convince, convert, explain, educate. Viewpoint two says simplify and appeal to a more basic consumer instinct. But I don’t think we have to choose: I think we have to do both at the same time.

Is eco-fishing the new organic?

Charles Redfern — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:34:42 GMT

Fishing for future generations requires moving from industrial to sustainable fishing. Can consumer-power make it happen?

On my bike for Sierra Leone

Charles Redfern — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:23:50 GMT

I never imagined I would enjoy bicycling from London to Paris so much. For days after my first charity bike ride in September, I actually felt withdrawal symptoms - very odd. I was raising money for a new surveillance boat for Sierra Leone. It is being robbed blind every day by industrial fishing. Unmonitored, the foreign factory ships wreck the seabed and destroy local food security in a poor country that depends on fish.