That about says it all...Topic title and topic description ...having both are redundant, anyway I'm looking for any sources of organic, healthy foods...Premature thanks...Jack

http://www.happycow.net/asia/thailand/chiang_mai/index.html

Moving to the Chiang Mai subforum, where the post may get more response.

Aden on Nimmenhemin Rd is one that springs to mind.

And Good Health shop next to Suriwong Bookcenter. If I remember well, they also have an organic market every Saterday mornings.

That about says it all...Topic title and topic description ...having both are redundant, anyway I'm looking for any sources of organic, healthy foods...Premature thanks...Jack

There is really just one choice and that's Baan Suon Pak Store. The woman Nong who runs it is a pharmacist by training and does weekly tests to detect pesticides. Still only a fraction of the produce she sells is organic while the remainder is reduced pesticide etc.

The 2 Aden stores are respectable also but less focused on high quality/organic.

Baan Suon Pak store and Aden are in the same little set of shops at

419/27 Vitchayanon Road

053233317

Same road as the US Embassy but closer to the moat and the old city.

There are several levels of organic produce in Thailand. As with most thing here, there are also many shades of compliance.

The most pesticide free and regulated produce in Chiang Mai can be bought at the ISAC farmers' market located at JJ Market behind Tesco on Superhighway. These farmers are certified by NOSO (Northern Organic Standards Organization. Open Wednesday and Saturday mornings. The problem with these farmers' markets is that they will supply only seasonal vegetables, which may also be considered a good thing too.

Next in line is the farmers' market at Chiang Mai University Multiple Cropping Center off of Nimmanhaemin Road. Also open Wed and Sat mornings, these farmers are trained in pesticide free agriculture. Some market Royal Project vegetables purchased wholesale. These are a bargain as vegetables with the Doi Kham label will sell at 2 to three times the price.

My girlfriend operates a produce stand in Thanin Market. She also sells pesticide free from farmers in San Sai, Doi Kham, and Royal project under her label.

Royal Project vegetables are pesticide free and are currently all being moved over to certified organic. These are the Doi Kham veggies available at all supermarkets. The Royal Project does a pretty good job at screening their produce grown by Hill tribe farmers in an effort to reduce poppy production.

There are many other vegetable labeled as organic and soon there will be a flood of "Organic Thailand" labeled products. The trouble here is that certification tends to be granted for life. Thai government certifying agencies will not check the quality of the product once it enters a supermarket and will not return to the field for verification. Supermarkets contracting these farmers will impose severe penalties for failure to meet supply quotas which leads to a certain amount of cheating. One report estimated that over 10% of organic certified vegetables in Bangkok were actually unhealthy.

Organizations like Greennet and NOSO will do annual inspections.

Anything produced by Swift Farms or River Kwai is 100% internationally certified.

There are several levels of organic produce in Thailand. As with most thing here, there are also many shades of compliance.

The most pesticide free and regulated produce in Chiang Mai can be bought at the ISAC farmers' market located at JJ Market behind Tesco on Superhighway. These farmers are certified by NOSO (Northern Organic Standards Organization. Open Wednesday and Saturday mornings. The problem with these farmers' markets is that they will supply only seasonal vegetables, which may also be considered a good thing too.

Next in line is the farmers' market at Chiang Mai University Multiple Cropping Center off of Nimmanhaemin Road. Also open Wed and Sat mornings, these farmers are trained in pesticide free agriculture. Some market Royal Project vegetables purchased wholesale. These are a bargain as vegetables with the Doi Kham label will sell at 2 to three times the price.

My girlfriend operates a produce stand in Thanin Market. She also sells pesticide free from farmers in San Sai, Doi Kham, and Royal project under her label.

Royal Project vegetables are pesticide free and are currently all being moved over to certified organic. These are the Doi Kham veggies available at all supermarkets. The Royal Project does a pretty good job at screening their produce grown by Hill tribe farmers in an effort to reduce poppy production.

There are many other vegetable labeled as organic and soon there will be a flood of "Organic Thailand" labeled products. The trouble here is that certification tends to be granted for life. Thai government certifying agencies will not check the quality of the product once it enters a supermarket and will not return to the field for verification. Supermarkets contracting these farmers will impose severe penalties for failure to meet supply quotas which leads to a certain amount of cheating. One report estimated that over 10% of organic certified vegetables in Bangkok were actually unhealthy.

Organizations like Greennet and NOSO will do annual inspections.

Anything produced by Swift Farms or River Kwai is 100% internationally certified.

According to Nong at Baan Suon Pak store who tests produce as it comes in, there is very little "organic" obtainable in CM. She has tested CMU's product and will not sell it as organic. She has all the same suppliers who will deliver so called organic but she turns down most of it after tests. She could sell plenty of it if it were available. In her store not even 20% of the produce can be labeled organic. It's slim pickens sadly.

Nong feels that some of the other "health food stores" here are too trusting and sell things that are not what's claimed on the labels. For example, she thinks that most of the "fresh, 100 peanut butter" has lard mixed in to prevent seperation, so she does her own.