Organic products in Indonesia

I have no idea about cosmetics as my wife buys that sort of stuff, even though I use the products when I visit dodgy night clubs on the weekends.

As for food, most is organic unless you buy from supermarkets and other large chains.
It's rarely labeled as it's the norm.

As per above, no idea about cosmetics, but aren't Body Shop products Eco-friendly?

Supermarkets where I live have organic and non organic vegetables, and I don't mind which I buy as long as there is not a huge price difference. Organic vegetables usually have a tiny yellow sticker on them otherwise the packaging looks the same, but some specific brands are organic.

However, it is sort of meaningless because we buy street food and delivery from restaurants almost daily and I am sure those vendors and restaurants buy only the cheapest foods irrespective of whether they are organic or not. Anyway, to be honest, if you eat out a lot then I question what's the point of buying organic food? It's not going to keep you healthy unless you only eat in restaurants with organic food, or vegetarian food, and we don't really like that. It's not a fad, but in Indonesia I don't think it is that popular.

Initially it is hard to make a switch to organic food , if you are used to eating outside and buying groceries in shopping malls.  However, the idea is not too make every piece of food you eat organic or vegan ...

When we switched to healthy eating around 7 years ago, the first thing we did was to find a reliable supplier of organic grains (rice, bread and pasta etc) and cold pressed organic oils (olive, avocado and coconut ) these don't need to be bought daily so it's easy. Next we chose a produce market (in our case Bintaro) and after some weeks we knew which stalls were best for vegetables, eggs, meat and fish ...

On average we eat 65% at home - which by default becomes organic and healthy - the rest 35% we try to choose wisely when eating out but the focus is to enjoy - not worry!

In the end it's all about priorities.

Bhavna,
In reply to your email, I can be of very little help because I am not fussy about food or cosmetics. However, here's my experience:
I live in Karangasem, (East of the Island). If taste is anything to go by, most food here is tastier so I assume, that it's healthier than the food that I buy at supermarkets in Australia and that especially applies to tomatoes and 'normal' eggs. I'm not keen on the little white farm eggs, but I'm told they're much healthier and I assume organic. Also if you have strong teeth, the chickens from the markets here are free range, but the breed is very tough to eat.
But for me, burning off after harvesting the rice fields is more of a problem than organic diet or cosmetics. I mention this because you want to use organic cosmetics and therefore skin-care is important to you. Also, they use urea and not organic fertilizers so local rice bought at the local supermarkets is probably not an option for you.
I wish that I could be of more help but that's all I got. Good luck with your search for an organic lifestyle :-)
Theo

I general rule of thumb is, if you live in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, most of your food will be organic by default as little else is around. The closer you get to larger towns and cities, the less of a chance you're getting organic.

Dear Bhavna,

I would like to reply to your question and the threads, with regard to organic cosmetic products,

In Bali, you will find a few companies which make organic products, which could be manufactured by locals (handmade) or could be manufactured by the larger cosmetic companies,

However I have not found too many products which go beyond soap.

In Jakarta as well, there are a few people who make handmade products, however lesser known companies and they are usually seen at the exhibitions, and other larger events with stalls (such as in schools and annual events, or annual festive events)

****

Hi Vivek,

You might want to delete your post here and put an ad in the classifieds section at the top of the page.

Cheers,

Dear Shill88,

Thank you for your message
I shall do that

Now i just have to figure out how to delete my post,
i will do that

Thank you for your message

It says my post is under review,
so i cant delete or edit

I will wait for a day, and then if not then i will ask the admin to delete my post,

I am assuming that promotions of any kind might not be allowed on this blogging forum,
I thank you however for flagging me

Well anything being advertised whether promotion or not should be placed in the classifieds section. Same goes for people looking or offering accommodation, that should go in the housing section. Same for jobs etc.

If your post is under review, admin will decide whether to let is remain here or not. It might be quick or take some days, but I would not worry about it.

Vivek Agarwal wrote:

It says my post is under review,

I hid it because it was advertising - I might have been tempted to leave it alone but it had a link to an IG page

Hello everyone,

As a consumer in Indonesia, you may seek to maintain a healthy lifestyle by choosing mostly organic products. If you do favour such products, we would like to know more about your consumption habits.

Is it easy to find organic products in Indonesia (cosmetics, food, etc.)? Where can we find them?

Are organic products more or less expensive than in your country of origin? What average monthly budget do you spend on them?

Can we rely on labels on organic products in Indonesia? Are the origins of the products verified by an organization?

Are organic products part of Indonesian culture? Have you ever tried to make your own organic products (candles, toothpaste, gardening, food)?

In your opinion, is the consumption of organic products only a fad or does it have real benefits on one’s health?

Thanks for sharing your experience,

Bhavna
-@Bhavna

The average for Indonesian citizens who may have been born under the 90s.  There are still many who consume organic products.  They sometimes mix it themselves.  Or buy from peddlers.  For example, like a health drink that we know as Jamu.  In some places there are still peddlers selling ready-to-drink herbal medicine.

For products that have trade names, there must be a supervisor, namely BPOM.  In addition, because the majority in Indonesia are Muslims, there are institutions that issue halal certificates.  Those 2 labels are the most important for consumers in Indonesia, if a product has the BPOM & Halal label then consumers in Indonesia will trust it.  However, the case is different if the product is sold by the individual that I said earlier.  Itinerant traders or traders in traditional markets hardly pocket the two labels.

Most of the street sellers work within a small area, ususaly not so far from where they live, and tend to stick to the same place to stand or follow the same routes every day.

As they are mostly Muslims, people just assume their products are halal.

All you need to know about organic foods here can be found with Ben and Blair Ripple...   

https://www.facebook.com/Islandorganics … 91/?type=3