INTRODUCING ABEL & COLE ORGANIC

 

 

ALWAYS ORGANIC

For our new collection, we’ve gone back to our roots – seasonal, organic fruit & veg. Something we’ve proudly championed since 1988, when our founders Keith Abel and Paul Cole started out by selling organic spuds door-to-door.

That’s why all our new Abel & Cole Organic products are certified organic by an official accreditation body, like the Organic Food Federation and OF&G (Organic Farmers and Growers). Why there’s seasonal, organic fruit & veg at the heart of our new recipes. And why you can trust that every other ingredient we use in the recipes that can be certified organic, is organic.


SUSTAINABLY GROWN

We’ve championed organic for over 35 years as a tried, tested and trusted way of farming sustainably – one that’s better for our health, animals and the planet.

Here are just a few reasons why we believe in organic farming…


Organic farms have on average 30% more biodiversity than non-organic, conventional farms

This means that, on average, you’ll find a greater variety of different plant and animal species (including wildflowers, soil microbes, beetles, spiders and birds) on an organic farm, than on a non-organic one.

Our organic farmers are committed to working with nature not against it and prioritise boosting biodiversity on their land. Like our organic asparagus and rhubarb farmer, Clive Martin, who’s recently launched a 25-year pond project on his farm in Cambridgeshire to support Great Crested Newts. And our organic root veg and cabbage farmer, Will Edwards, who’s returned 40 acres of his farm in Lincolnshire to pastureland.


Organic has the highest standards of animal welfare

Compassion in World Farming (the world’s leading farm animal welfare organisation) compared the welfare standards of different farming schemes and found that organic farming has the highest standards.

Organic standards mean that animals must:

• Have access to pasture (when weather and ground conditions permit) and be truly free-range
• Have plenty of space (both indoors and outdoors) and access to natural light – this helps reduce stress and disease
• Be fed a diet that’s as natural as possible and free from GMOs
• Graze and forage naturally on organic pasture (grasses and other crops) where only natural fertilisers are used and pesticides are severely restricted
• Not routinely be given antibiotics

Soils on organic farms store more carbon

Long-term studies have shown that the soil carbon in organic systems is higher than in conventional, non-organic systems (Leifield and Fuhrer 2010; Gattinger et al. 2012; Colombi et al. 2019). And according to the British Society of Soil Science, improving soil carbon can improve soil health, making soils more resilient to climate change:





Organic farms have healthier soils

Conventional, non-organic farming strongly alters soil quality because its industrial practices often have a negative effect on soil life. While long-term studies have shown that organic farming has a beneficial impact on soil health – with higher levels of soil microorganisms found on organic farms, compared with conventional farmland.

When you choose to buy organic, you know that your food has been produced to the highest standards, legally regulated and independently inspected. As our friends at the Soil Association say, organic is a symbol of trust and integrity: “A mark that says you’re making a mark. A stamp that says you’re taking a stand.”

 

Published January 2025