About Organic Foods & Café

In 2004, the first OFC store opened its doors. It all began when Nils el Accad, OFC’s founder, faced a personal health crisis that made him realize there was a serious lack of wholesome organic food in the local market. He decided to fill the gap himself by establishing the first organic shop in the UAE.

Two decades later, Organic Foods and Café now has six stores in Dubai, one in Abu Dhabi, and a facility for online organic food delivery, which delivers groceries within two hours.

Organic Foods and Café has grown much bigger than when it first started. It carries over 5,000 hormone- and chemical-free products and the largest selection of organic fruit, vegetables, dairy, bakery, meat, fish, supplements, body care, cleaning and baby essentials. If you’re looking for specialty products — organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, lactose-free, vegan and so on — you can be sure, Organic Foods and Café has it.

However, no matter how big the company has grown, it remains true to its values, particularly its guiding principle that food must not be about money but nutrition.

Quality control and standards are rigorously enforced, with products bought not from the open market and traders but directly from family-run organic farms the company has personally visited and continues to vet. Considering its carbon footprint, it prioritizes sourcing its produce from more accessible locations like Egypt. To ensure the best taste, it buys vegetables grown in open fields when possible and always buys fruits in season.

Today, Organic Foods and Café symbolizes a family’s commitment to quality, organically grown food and traceable, ethical sourcing. It makes a healthier lifestyle readily accessible and more convenient to everyone in the UAE.

This is a great thing as millennials and younger consumers in the UAE grow more mindful of the long-term effects of their food on their health and general well-being. Consequently, they are becoming increasingly discerning about their food choices.

The organic retail market growth reflects this trend. The UAE organic retail market is expanding at a growth rate of 25% and is set to exceed $50 million by 2025.

What Does Organic Mean?

Organic food is grown or farmed unaided by chemicals. These include chemical:

• Fertilizers
• Pesticides
• Fungicides
• Herbicides
• Larvicides

Note the keyword chemical. Using (typically certified) organic fertilizers from compost, manure, slurry, and biosolids is allowed. Organic farmers would also often use herbs and flowering shrubs by using their extracts or planting them in their fruit orchards or around vegetable plots as pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and larvicides.

Organic foods are also minimally processed, and when they are, they’re not treated using chemical and artificial:

• Colorings
• Sweeteners
• Preservatives
• Stabilizers
• Emulsifiers

The keywords are chemical and artificial; organic foods cannot contain both. Genetically modified ingredients are also prohibited in processing organic food products.

It all depends on the organic standards used. The organic foods industry is strictly regulated. Food products that use “organic” on their label must satisfy organic standards.

Additional regulations apply depending on the products. Agricultural produce, livestock and processed products must satisfy different requirements to be certified organic.

Organic Food and Café Organic Standards

Organic Foods and Café carries products that pass organic standards by various regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the European Union, and Eco Garantie. Organic Foods and Café itself is annually audited by Ecocert Germany against EU organic standards.

Why Go Organic?

Organic meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and other products contain little to no synthetic fertilizer and pesticide residues. They are also free from antibiotics and hormones.

The absence of chemicals alone makes going organic worth it. By choosing organic products, you can significantly reduce your daily chemical intake that may, in the long run, cause health issues.

Consuming organic meat can also help you avoid drug resistance problems.

When you eat the meat of animals excessively treated with antibiotics, you can become infected with drug-resistant bacteria from the animal. It becomes perilous if the bacteria successfully adapt to humans.

Additionally, meats from antibiotic-treated animals can also lead to the ingestion of antibiotic residues. This can then induce bacteria in humans to develop antibiotic-immune strains.

Enjoy Discounts and a Healthier Lifestyle at Organic Foods and Café

Wholesome, organic produce, meats, fish, and other food products contain little to no chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones. They are a better choice for you and your family’s health.

In the UAE, you can choose from the widest selection of organic products at Organic Foods and Café and shop every third weekend of the month to enjoy a 20% discount.

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