Organic foods demand soars amid growing health concerns
THERE is growing evidence that more Tanzanians are demanding organic food products partly due to increasing consumer awareness on them, but also the expansion in use of chemical inputs in agriculture.
Speaking exclusively to the ‘Sunday News,’ the Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM) Project Officer, Mr Stephen Boustred said that Tanzanians are becoming aware of the dangers of consuming conventional goods, grown without considering the health effects of chemical pesticides and fertilisers
. In 2017, researchers in Sweden looked at evidence from population studies and clinical trials that compared people who eat a diet of mostly organic products with those who consume mostly conventional goods.
"What they found is that people who eat mostly organic products have a lower risk of childhood allergies, weight gain, obesity and some forms of cancer. Other than the health benefits, some consumers choose to buy organic products out of concerns for the well-being of producers and the health of the environment," he explained
. TOAM has been operational in the country for over a decade and as a means of gauging people's perception on organic foods; in 2006, with the support of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), TOAM carried out an organic foods consumer awareness survey.
The comparison showed that across East Africa, general awareness of organic foods and organic farming increased over the seven-year period from 62per cent to 67 per cent. In the region, Tanzania has the third highest percentage of awareness (63 per cent) behind Uganda and Burundi.
The study also showed that economic class plays a big role in awareness of organic products and 77 per cent of respondents of higher social economic class were aware of organic products and farming, compared to 44 per cent of those of low economic class.
For the region, Tanzanians showed the greatest increase in awareness of the facts about organic products (such as knowledge of certification bodies and organic agriculture movement). Once respondents were exposed to the definition of organic, an overwhelming majority (93 per cent) felt that indeed eating organic products is good.
“Respondents also indicated the key motivating factors for eating organic products. Top on the list were health and nutrition, safety (without contamination) and taste. Another consumer survey has been carried out in 2018 and we are still analysing the data,” he cited.
Increased awareness and health consciousness among the populace, to a large extent, is helping to improve the well-being of many, but at the same time there is a certain school of thought that feels that everything being said about the benefits of organic products is true, particularly with cosmetics.
According to experts from the British Nutrition Foundation, there is very limited scientific evidence that oral nutritional supplements that often promise ‘youthful’, ‘firm’ or ‘glowing’ skin can provide any benefits above a normal diet.
The review, published in Nutrition Bulletin, finds that while a healthy, balanced diet, containing essential vitamins and minerals, is required for healthy skin, nutraceutical products that claim to help the skin may not add further benefit to the effects already obtained from a healthy diet.
“While there is a body of research on the science of skin ageing, evidence for the benefit of nutraceuticals to skin appearance is currently not strong enough to draw firm conclusions,” the review cited.
As a result, the team focused on reviewing the current scientific evidence for a group of commonly used nutraceutical ingredients, without existing authorised claims. These included green tea extract, pomegranate extract, carotenoids, evening primrose oil, borage oil, fish oil, collagen and co-enzyme Q10.
Mr Boustred said that the cosmetics and organic sectors are closely related and this is largely because, in seeking to enhance natural beauty, people look to nature for answers.
“The nutricosmetics industry is growing as part of the overall trend of growing interest in personal wellness. When people begin to earn higher incomes, they start to think more carefully about the effect that their consumption is having on their health,” he said
. The Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) Research Officer, Mr Sikitu Simon explained that the science of nutrition has come through a long way and that one of the historical moments was when everyone believed that nutritional problems are caused by lack of or insufficient nutrients in the body.
Mr Simon said that people don’t eat pills, they eat food and that food apart from supplying nutrients in the body, also plays a social role. “What I want to say is that nutricosmetic pills must not replace healthy eating
. None of the nutrients works alone in isolation. They work together supporting each other,” he elaborated
Speaking exclusively to the ‘Sunday News,’ the Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM) Project Officer, Mr Stephen Boustred said that Tanzanians are becoming aware of the dangers of consuming conventional goods, grown without considering the health effects of chemical pesticides and fertilisers
. In 2017, researchers in Sweden looked at evidence from population studies and clinical trials that compared people who eat a diet of mostly organic products with those who consume mostly conventional goods.
"What they found is that people who eat mostly organic products have a lower risk of childhood allergies, weight gain, obesity and some forms of cancer. Other than the health benefits, some consumers choose to buy organic products out of concerns for the well-being of producers and the health of the environment," he explained
. TOAM has been operational in the country for over a decade and as a means of gauging people's perception on organic foods; in 2006, with the support of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), TOAM carried out an organic foods consumer awareness survey.
The comparison showed that across East Africa, general awareness of organic foods and organic farming increased over the seven-year period from 62per cent to 67 per cent. In the region, Tanzania has the third highest percentage of awareness (63 per cent) behind Uganda and Burundi.
The study also showed that economic class plays a big role in awareness of organic products and 77 per cent of respondents of higher social economic class were aware of organic products and farming, compared to 44 per cent of those of low economic class.
For the region, Tanzanians showed the greatest increase in awareness of the facts about organic products (such as knowledge of certification bodies and organic agriculture movement). Once respondents were exposed to the definition of organic, an overwhelming majority (93 per cent) felt that indeed eating organic products is good.
“Respondents also indicated the key motivating factors for eating organic products. Top on the list were health and nutrition, safety (without contamination) and taste. Another consumer survey has been carried out in 2018 and we are still analysing the data,” he cited.
Increased awareness and health consciousness among the populace, to a large extent, is helping to improve the well-being of many, but at the same time there is a certain school of thought that feels that everything being said about the benefits of organic products is true, particularly with cosmetics.
According to experts from the British Nutrition Foundation, there is very limited scientific evidence that oral nutritional supplements that often promise ‘youthful’, ‘firm’ or ‘glowing’ skin can provide any benefits above a normal diet.
The review, published in Nutrition Bulletin, finds that while a healthy, balanced diet, containing essential vitamins and minerals, is required for healthy skin, nutraceutical products that claim to help the skin may not add further benefit to the effects already obtained from a healthy diet.
“While there is a body of research on the science of skin ageing, evidence for the benefit of nutraceuticals to skin appearance is currently not strong enough to draw firm conclusions,” the review cited.
As a result, the team focused on reviewing the current scientific evidence for a group of commonly used nutraceutical ingredients, without existing authorised claims. These included green tea extract, pomegranate extract, carotenoids, evening primrose oil, borage oil, fish oil, collagen and co-enzyme Q10.
Mr Boustred said that the cosmetics and organic sectors are closely related and this is largely because, in seeking to enhance natural beauty, people look to nature for answers.
“The nutricosmetics industry is growing as part of the overall trend of growing interest in personal wellness. When people begin to earn higher incomes, they start to think more carefully about the effect that their consumption is having on their health,” he said
. The Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) Research Officer, Mr Sikitu Simon explained that the science of nutrition has come through a long way and that one of the historical moments was when everyone believed that nutritional problems are caused by lack of or insufficient nutrients in the body.
Mr Simon said that people don’t eat pills, they eat food and that food apart from supplying nutrients in the body, also plays a social role. “What I want to say is that nutricosmetic pills must not replace healthy eating
. None of the nutrients works alone in isolation. They work together supporting each other,” he elaborated
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