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Organic vs Non-Organic Tofu - What's the Difference?
Many people are still not familiar with the difference between organic tofu from non-organic tofu. So we have listed a few key points below to explain in more detail.
Organic versus Non-Organic Tofu:
Organic Tofu by law has to be made from organic, non GM soya beans which are grown sustainably without using artificial fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Environmentally, organic soya is a very beneficial crop because its roots fix nitrogen in the soil which most other plants take out. Because of this function you will often see soya planted on the banks of rice paddies in Asia. It is also very suited to low-input agriculture.
Conversely the vast majority of non-organic soya beans are:
- Genetically modified and/or grown using artificial fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.
- Often grown on deforested land using slash and burn techniques which are totally unsustainable practices.
Now, we want to explain a bit more about the ingredients used to make tofu:
Nigari Tofu vs. Non-Nigari Tofu:
The highest quality Tofu is made using a coagulant called Nigari, a derivative of seawater. Natural nigari is essentially distilled seawater with the salt removed. The base of nigari is magnesium chloride and it also has over 100 other beneficial mineral salts in abundance, such as potassium chloride and magnesium sulphate.Alternative cheaper coagulants without the beneficial minerals are:
- GDL (Glucono-deltalactone)
- calcium sulphate
- calcium chloride
Processing Aids:
The production process for Organic Tofu does not allow the commonly used processing aids:
- Defoamers
- Bleaches, which are sometimes used to improve colour
- Preservatives, often added to the water in which the tofu is packed.
Clearspring is proud of the fact that our expert producers use their skill and experience to make our tofu with just three ingredients: organic soya beans, nigari and water – that’s all, no fillers required!