PETALING JAYA: A high price tag and an ‘organic’ label can encourage people to choose healthier foods.
However, many Malaysians find it difficult to assess the authenticity of organic products on supermarket shelves.
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Housewife Lynn Abdul, 45, from Ampang, said despite being more expensive, she buys organic vegetables for her family of three as it lasts longer than buying in bulk.
“The organic ones last longer,” she added.
She looks out for organic products placed on the shelves.
However, Lynn admits to not scrutinising the certification closely.
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“I hope there will be clear guidelines for consumers to purchase expensive organic products,” she said.
Retiree Stephanie Santiago, 60, from Kuala Lumpur, said she would rather spend more on unprocessed organic products for her cooking like nuts, flaxseed, wheatgerm and barley as she has stopped eating regular canned foods.
“At my age, I would rather spend more as I know it’s healthy for my wellbeing compared to cheaper (alternatives).
“The shop staff would assist me and explain whether a product I buy is genuinely organic because I’m not sure how to verify its authenticity.
“It would be helpful to have a guideline to tell the difference as I am spending so much money on foodstuff that I believe is healthy for people my age,” she added.
Executive Aina Zalani, 27, said she spends RM50 monthly to buy snacks that are labelled organic.
“I am very particular when it comes to snacking healthily.
“So I make sure to stock up my kitchen with organic nuts, bread spread, dried fruits and brown rice crackers,” said the fitness advocate.
Aina scrutinises the sugar level of each food product carefully, but not much on its organic certification.
“I rely on the packaging since it’s labelled that way because I am not sure on the specific certification for the product.”
Gemmima Lee Ying Hwei, 28, from Petaling Jaya, said she is unsure of how to verify the certification on organic products that her family buys.
“I know that it’s expensive compared to the regular options, but my family still consumes the organic food as they are labelled as healthy and grown without pesticides and chemicals,” says the assistant manager.
Lee admitted she does not know for certain how an organic product is verified and buys the item based on the word ‘organic’ on its packaging.
“I assume the foodstuff is organic if it’s sold in a health store or if the packaging says so.”
