23/05/2025
Feed Your Souls mission is to provide unadulterated food to the local community near our HQ in North Ess*x. But why unadulterated, rather than Organic? In this article we dive into what the word means to us, as well as the importance of having food that has been grown from the Earth, untampered with. It’s all about food that you love, and loves you back!
Founder of Feed Your Soul Samantha Waterfield has been championing organic food for years. Organic food has got a bad rap for being more a more expensive option only available to certain members of society (this is a huge political and systemic problem, which we won’t get into in this article!). However, it’s not just the price point that makes organic food different, and not all fruit and veg is organic.
Organic food is produced through farming practices that exclude the use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and GMOs. The pesticides used to grow conventional fruit and veg are toxic, and are not good for our countrysides, wildlife, soil and our bodies. Washing fruit and veg only gets pesticide residue off, so plants grown in a pesticide cocktail take this on in their leaves, roots and flesh. The human body then has to detoxify this out of its system. On top of this, the pesticides kill off populations of insects and vital pollinators, including bees, as well as decreasing the quality of the top soil (monocropping does this also).
The way we farm and grow food is instrumental in healing the Earth. Our plants place carbon dioxide into the soil and turn it back into Oxygen. This can only be done if more farming is done naturally, using heritage breeds and wild varieties of vegetation as a part of the growing process to help a thriving garden, rather than hinder it. There is no doubt that heavily sprayed produce is a contributing factor to many diseases that are rife in society, as well as the declining health of our beautiful planet. In order for us to have more autonomy and responsibility over our health and to change the trajectory of our wellbeing as well as Mother Earths, it is more crucial than ever to become educated about what goes into producing our food, and to make changes where we can. It is in all of our best interests.
So, why are we providing ‘unadulterated’ food, rather than organic?
Because we believe there shouldn’t be categories of food. There shouldn’t be ‘Organic’ or ‘non-organic’. Every human being on the planet deserves to have clean food, without having to question what is in it or on it, or worrying about what that will do to them. It shouldn’t be priced differently, or farmed differently. It shouldn’t put us, or our home, in danger. We need to start farming in a way that honours our Earth and honours us. There shouldn’t be a hierarchy. There should just be food.
As we begin to get Feed Your Soul off the ground, we also wish to introduce methods of growing that are not used in Organic farming, such as permaculture methods and ‘no dig policies’. Natural farming methods such as this keep the soil mineral content rich, healthy and thriving, and employ the wisdom of nature to help with pest control.
How can you help to change the way we do things? You could start by buying organic food. We know this isn’t accessible for everyone, however you could look at ‘The Dirty Dozen UK’ list. This is a list of the crops that are most pesticide laden, meaning you can choose organic for those things. Or choose organic for things you buy a lot of. You could also grow your own food. Space doesn’t matter - you could grow leaves on a small windowsill, or other crops in large pots on a balcony! Allotments are also available for the public to rent. If you are in the North Ess*x area, you could also get involved in community projects or Feed Your Soul.
We believe ‘unadulterated’ is the perfect word to describe what we do at Feed Your Soul. We would love to get you involved in this natural, grass roots approach to providing food. If you are a gardener, own an allotment, homeschool, are part of a community group, own fruit trees or are just keen to become green fingered, then please reach out to us to get involved in Feed Your Soul. We all deserve to eat great quality food, with the satisfaction of knowing we cared for the planet in the process. Let’s make that happen.
