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RESEARCH PAPER

“WE ARE WHAT WE EAT” –

EXPLORING THE NATURE-FOOD-HEALTH NEXUS IN SINGAPORE ANS’ ATTITUDES TO ORGANIC FOOD

Report by:

CHI XIN CI HEATHER U0702285X

(1) Introduction

The growth of the organic movement in Singapore in recent times is an exciting trend

that merits closer analysis. While the increasingly number of organic shops, supermarkets

and pasars selling local and imported organic produce, organic farms and organic interest

groups is promising1, the reasons for the rise in awareness, production and consumption

of organic food has yet to be extensively studied. Conversations with people in the

environmental movement reveal that peoples’ reasons for “going organic” are multiple

and complex; some are guided by a strong environmental and moral ethic; others are

attracted by the health benefits promised by organic food companies; yet others do so out

of religious or spiritual reasons.

The purpose of this study, hence, is to investigate the attitudes that organic producers,

traders, retailers, consumers have towards organic farming and organic food with a view

to analyzing: (1) the primary reasons for producers and consumers in Singapore to choose

organic and (2) the manifestations of their beliefs in ways that are evident in their

farming methods, business operations and/or consumption patterns. This study aims to

examine deeper the nature-food-health nexus in people’s attitudes towards organic food

and farming with the aim of discovering if a shift in people’s perception of the

relationship between nature – natural, unadulterated physical environments, food and

health would have the potential to encourage more environmentally-friendly consumption

patterns.

1 For a comprehensive list of organic food stores in Singapore, see Cicelo Sereno: http://www.cielo-sereno.net/healthfoodshop/HealthFoodShop42008.pdf

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(2) Research Methodology

This study is based on findings and analysis from literature reviews, interviews and an

online survey. A total of 11 interviews were conducted with organic farmers, retailers,

traders, a food science and nutrition graduate, a retired Agri-Food and Veterinary

Authority (AVA) official and an organic advocate to investigate their attitudes towards

organic food and organic farmingi.

An additional 100 surveys were carried out with Singaporeans via an online platform to

gauge their organic consumption practices and attitudes to organic food and farming2. Of

the 100 respondents, 5% were of age group 13-17, 65% were between 18-25; 22% were

between 26-35; 6% were between 35-45 and 2% above the age of 45. 75% of respondents

were organic consumers.

Fieldwork was supplemented by readings on organic farming and food, and human

attitudes towards food and agriculture.

(3) Literature review: The ideological underpinnings of the organic movement

Organic farming is commonly defined as a form of agriculture that relies on crop

rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to

maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of

synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed

additives, and genetically modified organisms.3

The organic movement was, in many ways, the product of the second wave of

environmentalism in the United States post World War II that emphasized the value of

wildness preservation and ecological health (Petulla, 1980). Sir Albert Howard,

2 The survey can be previewed here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?PREVIEW_MODE=DO_NOT_USE_THIS_LINK_FOR_COLLECTION&sm=gIN5Wlt1OJhIWLtcGmd1EJ9XSc3UyhvBLhyILrb6HCo%3d 3 See: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/organic-farming/what-organic_en. Accessed Sep 24, 2008.

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commonly regarded as the father of organic farming, based the principles of organic

farming on the belief that soil health was intricately linked to plant health, and hence

human health. His advocacy of “an approach to the plant that stressed the unique physical

environment, the interrelation with other plants, the climate, water relations, and soil

fertility” (Barton, 2001) essentially revolved around a form of agriculture that closely

resembled the most “natural” model of vegetation – the forest.

Arguing that ‘man’s survival depended on the efficient use of nature, and that human

health depended upon a broad-based preservation, in which forests, parks, and farms-the

“earth’s green carpet”-provided physical and spiritual health’ (Howard, 1945), it is clear

that the original ideology of the organic movement was firmly rooted in the nature-food-

health nexus within which nature was “extended” from the forest to incorporate

agriculture and the human body (Oelschlaeger, 1991), the quality and long-term

sustainability of food was intimately linked with the health of the environment within

which it was grown, and the holistic health of the consumer was dependent on both how

“naturally” the crop was grown and the consequent implications of this on the nutritious

value of the crop produced.

The overall belief was that, with careful management of the agricultural environment

based on respect for its inherently valuable natural qualities (such as the ability to recycle

nutrients efficiently), nutritious food could be cultivated for an extended period of time,

contributing positively to the health of all who consumed it.

The increasing popularity of organic products has also been attributed, in contemporary

times, to the sensitivity of organic food companies to consumers’ desire for “stories” that

relate the food to the land it was grown on and the lives of the animals from which it

originated. This appears to strengthen food’s ‘natural’ credentials and hence, its health

benefits (Pollan, 2006). The emphasis that many organic retailers place on the marketing

of these aspects is certainly testament to this.

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(4) Results – Public attitudes towards organic food

A 2005 survey on consumer attitudes towards functional foods in America revealed that

awareness and interest, and consumption, of foods for the purposes of health are indeed

on the increase. More than eight out of 10 (83 percent) Americans are interested in

learning more about foods that have health benefits that go beyond basic nutrition and

may reduce the risk of disease or promote better health, whilst the number of Americans

who are eating foods for their functional health benefits has increased from 72 percent in

1998 to 78 percent in 2005. Similarly, our survey and interview results reveal organic

producers’ and consumers’ strong belief in the health benefits of organic food.

Organic producers: Re-conceptualizing immunity

The emphasis placed by all four organic farmers on the importance of understanding the

intimate relationship between nature, food and health, specifically in the context of

human body immunity, suggests that strong links between these three concepts exist in

the minds of these organic producers.

For Mrs. Evelyn Lim, a retiree-turned-farmer and former Honorary Secretary of the

Nature Society, the greatest value of organic farming is how it places the concept of

health and immunity back into the context of nature. Said Mrs. Lim,

“What most people don’t understand is that we’re a composition of many many

organisms – good bacteria and bad bacteria. The problem with conventional

agriculture is that it’s obsessed about killing pests with all kinds of things (chemical

fertilizers), but after awhile we’ve got to realize we’re sharing this world with them,

we’ve got to learn how to live with them. Organic farming…does that.”

Mrs. Ivy Singh-Lim, who owns a lifestyle farm open for tours that also has an adjacent

eatery, adds that the very activity of working the land contributes to better health, both

through the physical aspects – “active living…not active aging” – as well as through its

indirect contributions to a better understanding of food systems and its impact on

human health. Said Mrs. Singh-Lim:

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“I grew up learning to work the land. Back then (1970s), even the poor households

had a food garden and we learnt how to love the land and treat it with respect. These

days, people talk about going ‘green’ but focus on little lifestyle aspects without

considering what they’re putting into themselves and where it came from, or whether

that’s even safe or not. We have to go back to the Earth to learn these things.”

For Mr. Chai, a food science expert who worked with AVA, chemical fertilizers, and

even high technology, are poor substitutes for what nature has to offer:

“Hydroponics and aeroponics…cannot survive in Singapore. Why? The vegetables

are totally tasteless! In this kind of farming, they only include 18 nutrients for the

plants… but in the soil, there are over 50! How can the plants be healthy and tasty?”

Farming advocate and founder of local NGO, Ground-Up Initiative, Mr. Tay Lai Hock,

conceptualizes the nature-food-health nexus a little differently. For Mr. Tay, the value

of organic agriculture is not in the health and environmental benefits of organic food

per se, but in the opportunities that farming creates for communities to “connect with

the land and, through healing the hand, heal themselves”. This will eventually inspire

them to connect with others, thus creating a virtuous cycle whereby a community

builds cohesion and solidarity, as well as respect for the land, through partaking in the

meaningful activity of farming. Within such a unique ideology, we can nevertheless

still observe the strong relationship between “nature”, “food” and “health” whereby the

naturally-embedded activity of food production that is representative of a sustainable

lifestyle, is seen as a powerful tool for strengthening personal and community health.

From these comments, it is clear that some farmers and farming advocates in Singapore

see the health of people and the environment as inextricably intertwined and four broad

themes related to the nature-food-health nexus can be drawn:

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(1) the popularity of organic farming as a livelihood is due in part to the desire amongst

farmers for a lifestyle that emphasizes a personal connection between with the

Earth;

(2) the process of organic farming is healthier for the environment not solely because

of its process (i.e. not using pesticides and excessive chemicals) but also because it

is a form of agriculture in which plants are nurtured instead of treated as economic

resources – and it is this attitude which encourages people to adopt a way of living

that is inherently more sustainable;

(3) the activity of farming itself increases awareness amongst people of how food is

grown and its relationship with other aspects of nature such as soil nutrients, water

and other organisms and, hence, encourages the re-conceptualization of food as the

product of its environment and a deeper respect for the relationship between

environmental health and food quality; and

(4) human health is heavily dependent on the ‘immunity’ and nutritious value of the

food that we consume; hence a form of agriculture that focuses on eradicating the

“undesirable” elements of the biological environment such as pests and weeds with

a view to enabling crops to grow rapidly is inherently misguided as we lose the

immunity that we could have developed through living with these other creatures.

Organic retailers and consumers: Farm vs. industry, nature as health

The perspective of some organic retailers consumers – that the environment plays a

critical role in determining food quality and human health – displays strong parallels to

the sentiments expressed by farmers and farming advocates, with 70% of survey

respondents believing that organic products were more environmentally friendly and

53% believing that organic products were healthier. 64% of respondents also directly

acknowledged the statement that “environmental health has a direct impact on human

health – we should not ‘pollute’ our farms with chemicals.”

The relationship between nature and human sustenance is reflected in the views of a

middle-aged (36-45) organic consumer,

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“Development of any society depends on its ability to sustain itself. If this

sustainability is at the cost to the environment, we are only destroying our own

livelihoods and habitats. So the only way is to be organically aware and to support

such lifestyles.”

The views from organic retailers Tuyet Nguyen and Mr. Lawrence Hoong, however,

are slightly more nuanced. Both feel that it not simply about “eating organic food”

but “embracing the whole concept of sustainable living, with changing your dietary

practices as the most relevant step” (Nguyen, personal correspondence) and

“changing your entire lifestyle and conception of food and health” (Hoong, personal

correspondence). While the former had decided to come into the organic business in

order to create an alternative business model which could both profit and promote

ethical and sustainable living, the latter chose to start selling organic produce in order

to give health-conscious consumers more choices of better food – displaying two

different, but overlapping, conceptualizations of the nature-food-health nexus in the

psychology of those who actively promote organic living.

The emphasis on personal health aspects of organic food in marketing was also

reiterated by organic retailers Mr. Foo (Unitednature) and Mr. Kang (Country Farm

Organic) suggesting that consumers are most responsive to organic food when these

are linked to health benefits. Through personal correspondence and through

reviewing promotional materials, it is clear that the quality of organic foods most

frequently emphasized is “free from pesticides and chemicals”, with a strong link

made between these “man-made” inputs and ill health.

As put by a early-middle-aged (26-35) organic consumer,

“Physical health reflects the environmental health. Looking at the diseases around us,

we do not become sick out of the sudden but it’s an accumulative process. Food that

we eat, contaminated by chemical, stays in our body and create havoc for us. It’s a

vicious cycle.”

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Despite the apparent sensibility of such an assertion, however, such a simplistic

reduction of nutritional sciences, as well as the processes involved in cultivating

crops and keeping them fresh for consumers, is potentially dangerous as consumers

are likely to equate “natural” with “healthy” without a proper conception of how

these two concepts are related.

Says Food Science and Nutrition graduate, Mr. Meraj Huda,

“Organic food is not necessarily safer than processed foods. The producers of

organic foods do not highlight that that lack of preserving chemicals etc. do not

always mean that the consumer is not going to be susceptible to diseases which the

organic food may possibly carry. There are valid reasons why food needs to be

treated, e.g. for increased shelf life, reducing harmful bacteria, etc. The human body

is resilient and is learning to cope with processed foods too. In fact, consuming only

organic foods could possibly reduce the immunity of a person and harm him/her in

the long run.”

The lack of consumer awareness about the holistic impact of food on health, coupled

with consumers’ strong desire to consume foods believed to confer specific health

benefits, may be one of the reasons why a large number of organic consumers consume

organic products ‘indiscriminately’ (i.e. without a proper understanding of the organic

certification procedure and selecting ‘organically certified’ instead of uncertified but

allegedly ‘organically-grown’ crops). The presence of organically-grown and

organically-certified products side-by-side in many organic shops shows that many

consumers are not particularly discriminating. This phenomenon is lamented both by

organic retailers who are committed to bringing in only organically-certified produce

(such as Go Organic Farm), as well as those who feel that such a trend is dangerous as

the relative ‘ease of eating healthily’ tends to reduce consumers’ initiative to seek more

knowledge and develop a better understanding of how human health is maintained

through effective eating and living.

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(5) Conclusion

This preliminary research, which explores the nature-food-health nexus within which

organic farmers, retailers and consumers situate their motivations and attitudes towards

organic food, has revealed that psychological connections between environmental

health, plant health and human health are very strong. Despite the similarities, however,

the understandings of these relationships differ greatly between people who grow, sell,

study, advocate and eat organic food. Whilst the organic farmers interviewed stressed

the importance of understanding the process of farming and human immunity in order

to understand how growing and preparing food in particular ways impacts the Earth,

food quality and health of consumers, organic retailers and consumers tend to accept

simple, linear relationships between “naturally-grown, environmentally-friendly” food

and positive health benefits. More dialogue between these two groups of people –

whose relationships with each other include both the market and the intellectual sphere

– is necessary in order to promote a more holistic awareness and understanding about

the connections between nature, food and human health.

Endnotes

i The interviewees are: Mrs. Evelyn Lim (60, Farmer, Green Circle Organic Farm), Mrs. Ivy Singh-Lim (60, Farmer, Bollywood Veggies), Mr. Chuo Sing Kwong (70, Farmer, Golden Technologies PL), Mr Alan Seah (52, Farmer, Go Organic Farm), Mr. Richard Kang (50, Managing Director, Country Farm Organics), Mr. Lawrence Hoong (50, Managing Director, Organic Paradise), Mr. Foo Kok-sin (50, Managing Director, Unitednature), Ms Tuyet Nguyen (34, Managing Director, L’Organic), Mr. Chai Boon Fah (70, Former AVA official), Mr. Meraj Huda (42, Food Science and Nutrition graduate) and Mr Tay Lai Hock (45, Founder and Director, Ground-Up Initiative). They were interviewed between Sep 22, 2008 to Sep 26 2008. References Books and journal articles Barton, G., “Sir Albert Howard and the Forestry Roots of the Organic Farming Movement”, Agricultural History, 75(2), pp. 168-187. Howard, A. (1945), Farming and Gardening for Health or Disease, London: Faber and Faber.

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Oelschlaeger, M. (1991), The Idea of Wilderness, New Haven: Yale University Press. Petulla, J.M. (1980), American Environmentalism: Values, Tactics, Priorities, College Station: Texas A&M University Press. Pollan, M. (2006), The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, New York: Penguin Press. Others International Food Information Council (IFIC) (2005), Survey on Consumer Attitudes toward Functional Foods/Foods for Health. Promotional material and information booklets from the various organic farms, importers and retailers.