Some ideas:

Affaire Tournerêve

Les Cueillettes de Landecy

Association les Artichauts

La ferme de Budé

Le jardin des Charrotons

Ferme des Verpillères

Les mangeurs

Or: plant on your own balcony: tomatoes, salad, zucchini, aubergines, potatoes, cucumbers....

As someone who is currently going vegan because of a book I read, I know where you're coming from!

I think that in Europe, certainly in the UK, there are quite stringent certifications needed before food can be labelled as organic. (I think it is different in the US). 

If you're really concerned, buy fresh from organic vendors at fruit & veg markets/butchers where you can talk directly to the growers.  

There is information here about the standards that relate to the organic label in Switzerland, known as Bio Suisse. Bit technical, but if you're really concerned :-)

http://www.ocia.org/documents/biosuisse-docs/Regulations_Implementation_BioSuisse_Standards.pdf

I find the people in the Urban Bio supermarkets in Geneva really helpful - you can always ask them where all their goods are sourced and about the different labels.

Good luck!

Yes, would love to know more, I like to eat and support bio regulated food but want to know whether the prices are honest or a marketing trick. For example i heard that the margin Migros or Coop earns on their bio products is so high making it difficult for the farmers to comply and earn enough. I dont know how i can check whether this is true?

Thanks for the links on all the different biological food providers in swiss! Does anybody know whether Lausanne has Urban Bio supermarkets?

Swissymissy: let me take a wild guess about the book that made you go Vegan...is it "Eating Animals"? I just finished it, and I went off meat...

Jcat: the #1 bio super-market in Geneva is www.urbanbio.ch, highly recommended. I think their prices are ca 10-15% higher than non-bio stuff, on average. They are transperant about where their products come from, and the owner is passionate about Bio himself and does his best to bring only excellent stuff into the stores. 

Nir

I agree that Urbanbio is great, they have products you don't find elsewhere.

The part I really don't like is that they keep their fridges and freezers open - I noticed the other day because they were working at full speed and producing an immense amount of heat.

I will never understand why so many places just focus on the "bio" part of what they sell, and not on HOW they sell it.... closed fridges and freezers would be just so obvious for me (even many Coops and Migros now have closed freezers).

Anyway, remember that if something's labeled "bio" it doesn't mean that it is 100% "nice and happy"...

"if something's labeled "bio" it doesn't mean that it is 100% "nice and happy"..

Keyword E.coli....

Hi all, Thank you all and a special thanks to Eva for all those useful links. Are you member of one of those farms ? I love the idea about participating in growing my own vegetables and fruits : )

My big question is could we really trust the label BIO SUISSE in Switzerland and AB certification in France ? Or it is only marketing for higher margin ?!?

I am also very concerned about Bio Store in Lausanne as my parents and most of my friends are leaving there. Thank you for sharing if you have any info...  : )

Have a good day :)

Swissymissy and Nir,

Congrats on going vegan!  If you need inspiration on what to cook, I recommend this site:

http://vegancucc.com/

And if you need any advice, I am happy to help!

Have a lovely day!

http://vegancucc.com/

Also try the Satoriz markets in France:  Ferney Voltaire, Thoiry, and Annemasse. Everything in them is bio

Hi Nir and co,

In fact the book I read was "Skinny Bitch" which was quite clever as it is marketed/presented as a sassy diet book and then it hooks you with its vegan manifesto (its really not for everyone as this 'trick' and the writing style has apparently p*** some people off). The writing is pretty accessible and then the authors bang you over the head with all the nasty animal stuff.

Anyway, produced a lightbulb moment for me :-)

In response to your queston jcat, I believe the AB and other official labels are genuine, and truly indicate organic food and processes.

If you can get hold of it, a new magazine by L'iilustré, called "Green" has an article about the organic food process for the Bio Suisse label.

http://www.go4media.ch/article5398/Home/News/Lillustre---GREEN.html 

It may be the fact that "organic" is now for many representative of a trendy lifestyle rather than a set of ethics and has been hijacked by companies with less integrity that you are concerned that it is a marketing ploy.  

Thanks for the link tikati :-)

Just a quick note to encourage any and all of you to grow whatever you can. I have been a member of the slowfood, local food, organic/bio movement for my entire life (my dad was kinda a hippie and we ate mostly what we grew). These days, I still grow much of the food that my family consumes. I am blessed to have some space to grow a lot but even when I was living in an apartment I grew lots of lettuce, peppers and tomatoes on my balcony. There are many, many books available on how to get started and both Migros and Coop offer many seedlings that are certified bio to get you started. Growing from seeds is a labor of love and difficult to do in a confined space so I REALLY recommend that you start from little baby plants. On a side note, my husband and I are in the process of opening a bakery/pâtisserie/take-away shop that focuses on locally grown (mostly by us) ingredients and general bio goodness. I think that you'll find that most people who have businesses that focus on slow, local, organic food are a passionate and knowledgeable bunch who are happy to answer any questions that you have and can give you a wealth of information about the products that they sell. Good luck. Trust me when I say it is good for the body, good for the earth, good for the economy and good for the conscience. Cheers, rebecca

Swiss_Wilson, when you open your bio bakery/patissery, please think of the vegans! Here is a link for inspiration:

http://veganbaking.net/

Hey Tikati, yes....no worries. We're working on some delicious vegan recipes.

cheers,

rebecca