No matter where you find yourself in the world, it’s pretty easy to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, that said, it’s even easier to lose track of where the food you are eating has been produced. And with advancement in food technology in recent years, there are numerous methods and ingredients which alter how food is made and prepared which brings us to the question of where has our food come from?!
Whether you’re feeding yourself or you’re a parent feeding your children, you want to be sure that what you’re putting into your body is the best of the best and not pumped with nasties that you might never have even heard of…You can rest assured that everything that we produce at Daioni Organic, comes from our family-owned farms in Wales, the UK. All our products are produced following the strict practices implemented by the leading certification body, the Soil Association.
“Dye-on-knee” means goodness in Welsh. And we believe it starts with goodness. From our organically-certified farms, to our communities near and far, to the products on our shelves, we never compromise on goodness – sadly we can’t speak on behalf of the other foods you consume, but we can help you identify the good stuff!
The Good Stuff – the Organic Choice
Organic farming is a production system that nurtures the health of soils, the environment, and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of intensive methods which can have adverse effects.
When it comes down to the food that you’re eating you can be sure that organic food is free from hormones, pesticides, GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) and any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. But the benefits of organic food and farming lie further than just what’s in the food that’s on your plate. Organic farming aims to support our whole food system in a way that is better for the planet, better for wildlife, better for animals and better for your food. It means working more with nature without the use of any chemicals.
The organic standards set by the Soil Association are based on the EU organic regulations but in many cases, they exceed those laid down by the EU. No system of farming has higher levels of animal welfare than organic farms working to the Soil Association’s standards.
As organic food producers, we know that the benefits of organic are extensive:
- Free range
- More wildlife
- Healthier produce higher in nutrients and antioxidants
- Fertile soil
- No pesticides
- No antibiotics or hormones
- No Genetically Modified Organisms
- No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
If you’d like to find out more about organic farming and what we do on our farms then head over to our blog post on what organic farming really means.
Food Assurance Schemes – Food you can trust!
Have you ever looked at the labelling on your carton of milk or bunch of bananas and seen a collection of trademarks but not known what they actually mean? Well give us a minute and we’ll show you so you can be more in the know when it comes to food shopping!
In the UK, we have many food assurance schemes that provide a guarantee to both consumers and businesses, ensuring that the product has been produced to meet the specified standards.
Here’s a breakdown of a few you might recognise:
Red Tractor Assurance is a scheme which assures high standards across the whole length of the food supply chain from farm to packet, covering animal welfare, food safety, environmental protection and traceability. The Red Tractor logo can be found on many raw ingredients including meat and dairy products, flour, fruit and vegetables, and sugar. All products with the trademarked logo are traceable back to British farms. All our farms at Daioni Organic are audited by Red Tractor each year to ensure standards are being met.
The British Lion Mark is found on eggs with its Code of Practice ensuring the highest standards of food safety. The code covers the entire production chain and ensures strict food safety controls are in place including hen vaccinations against Salmonella and a passport-like system ensuring that all eggs, hens and their feed are fully traceable.
Fairtrade covers social, economical and environmental standards ensuring better prices, good working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. Companies benefit from a Fairtrade Minimum Price as well as a Fairtrade Premium which is invested in methods to improve quality of life of the local community such as better housing and education grants. The Fairtrade Trademark can be found on products such as chocolate, bananas, flowers and coffee and Daioni Organic is proud to source Fairtrade Arabica coffee for our range of ready to drink organic coffee.
The Vegetarian Society provides trademarks for vegetarian and vegan products which meet the strict criteria of the Society. This provides peace of mind to the vegan and vegetarian communities that they can trust those products. The trademarks guarantee that not only are the products suitable for vegetarians but that they also are GMO free, were not tested on animals and in the case of eggs, they must be free range.
The Soil Association is the UK’s leading organic certification body not only certifying organic food and farming but also beauty and wellbeing, fashion and textiles and forestry. Its organic standards cover many principles with the aim to produce food of high quality and sufficient quantity by using processes that do not harm the environment, human health, plant health or animal health and welfare.
Our Milk
Feel safe choosing Daioni Organic products because they are 100% organic and natural. No chemical pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers, or GMOs – you won’t find any of these nasties on our land. Nor will you find hormones, antibiotics, and artificial flavours or colours in our products. You’ll only find natural goodness here.
Feel confident that we’ll never compromise on quality. Our products are 100% produced and packed in the UK, certified by the leading British organic certification body – the British Soil Association. We’re fully traceable from farm to fridge!
Feel good about choosing Daioni Organic products, because our cows spend their days roaming freely in open green pastures, they’re happy and healthy – producing milk that’s full of nutritious goodness. Our products contain more Omega-3s, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than non-organic products… and they taste better!
Our process
The process in which Daioni Organic products are made is hugely important to us as it is what makes our products have that delicious taste that you all know and love.
Our process is simple – our milk is treated at a high temperature for a short duration to kill bacteria and extend shelf-life. We never use artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, or any other unwanted chemicals. At each stage of our production, we run tests to ensure the milk is at our premium signature quality.
At farm level, the bacteria count in our milk is recorded daily. We consistently achieve low scores meaning that our cows are healthy and free of infection, and that the cows’ udders and milking equipment were clean throughout the milking process.
During manufacturing, our products are put through several quality control where microbiology and packaging integrity are both tests. Of course, in addition to this, our products are always taste-tested to ensure you get that delicious taste every time.
You can trust us!
We might have mentioned it before, but at Daioni Organic, we are committed to producing quality organic products with minimal impact on the environment! A* for us!
From our family farms, to your family’s fridge, we never compromise on goodness.
So, next time you’re out doing your food shopping, take a moment to read the labelling and discover where and how your food has been produced, and maybe opt for the organic choice if you want to ensure that you’re not eating anything that’s not 100% nutritious, delicious and good for the planet you live on!