To Beat the Credit Crunch Blues Shoppers need to Check Out their Chakras, according to organic dairy

01 August 2008

A group of organic dairy farmers have come up with a novel way of increasing the nation’s wellbeing and hopefully helping everyone feel a bit better, in the face of the current dismal summer weather and depressing news. The Federation of Organic Milk Groups (FOMG) has launched The Chakra Checkout (www.chakracheckout.com) – an online shopping tool which combines ancient Eastern wisdom and modern technology to help us get the best out of our shopping baskets.

The organic dairy farmers, already famed for practicing Tai Chi amongst their cows, have identified switches we can make to our shopping that will feed our chakras, which are energy centres in the body, resulting in an immediate increase in overall wellbeing. They've developed a web-based calculator offering tips on making switches in your shopping, which then generates a personalised shopping list to hopefully maximise your health, wellbeing and, most of all, your happiness – just what is needed in the present climate.

Roger Kerr, chairman of the FOMG, explains: “What we all need right now is a ray of sunshine. Chakra Checkout is a bit of fun, but we can all make small changes that can help everyone feel better, without breaking the bank. As organic dairy farmers, we are really conscious of the balance between the wellbeing of the environment, our animals and consumers and we're sure that comes through in our milk. Organic milk, therefore, gets five out of five when it comes to chakra ratings but we appreciate that not all grocery items tick all the boxes. It costs a family of four less than a £1 per week extra to buy organic milk instead of normal milk. There are, also, other things we can do that won’t break the bank but are kinder to the environment, people and animals that will help to make them and you feel a whole lot better too.”

Roger adds: “The idea behind Chakras, which literally means ‘wheel’, is that they can be visualised as a set of cogs or wheels within the body. And rather like the inner workings of an engine, these cogs need to run smoothly. When one or two chakras are performing at a reduced level, the remaining ones have to pick up the slack so you need to make sure you feed all your bodies chakras daily to live a happy, healthy life. Choosing organic milk everyday would be a great start.”

www.chakracheckout.com rates common grocery items against five different chakra energy centres located in the crown, brow, mouth & throat, heart and solar plexus and proposes beneficial upgrades:

• Get ahead! When correctly aligned the Sahasrara chakra, located on top of the head, represents full enlightenment. Switching to a product with added wellbeing, choosing organic milk instead of a fizzy drink or tap instead of bottled water for example, will raise your chakra rating.
• See the light - To chakracise your Ajna, the chakra between your eyes, the Chakra Checkout suggests switching to grocery items that are kinder to the environment e.g. buying organic bacon or switching to organic eggs.
• All you need is love - The Anahata chakra influences your heart and is associated with love, compassion and affection. The Chakra Checkout suggests that you choose items that are kinder to the people and animals that help make them such as Fairtrade coffee instead of regular instant.
• Embrace the carrot crunch - Manipura, the solar plexus chakra, represents personal power, sensitivity and joy and when it is healthy, you will have more confidence, more optimism and a better sense of humour. Feed your Manipura by switching to carrot or celery sticks instead of a bag of crisps.

Learn more about how organic milk can improve your wellbeing at www.love-om.com.

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For further information, great photography or to arrange an interview please contact:
Melita Swan or Emily Enright at Love OM HQ
T: 0117 973 1173
E: mswan@brayleino.co.uk

About Organic Milk
• Organic milk is kind to your purse - It costs less than £1 a week for a family of four to switch to organic milk
• Organic milk is kind to you – organic milk offers all the healthy goodness of milk and, due to the natural diet of the cows, some studies have shown that organic milk may contain increased levels of some beneficial nutrients
• Organic milk comes from happy cows – organic cows roam and graze in lush meadows for as much of the year as possible, when they are not grazing they have plenty of space and comfortable bedding in well aired barns. Organic cows are only treated with antibiotics when they are sick
• Organic milk is kind to the planet – Some studies have shown organic milk production to be a relatively low user of energy. Organic farms encourage biodiversity, there are more birds, butterflies, beetles, bats and wild flowers found on organic farms. The organic system encourages healthy soil, replacing essential nutrients like nitrates without the use of synthetic nutrients


About the FOMG
The Federation of Organic Milk Groups, FOMG, is a stand alone trade organisation representing farmer cooperatives. The objective of FOMG is to promote the interests of and develop the organic dairy sector to the benefit of organic dairy farmers and other parties within the organic milk supply chain.

The FOMG is made up of the following cooperatives: Calon Wen, Dairy Farmers of Britain, Milk Link, First Milk and the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo).

About the MDC / DairyCo
The Love-OM campaign was initiated in early 2008 with funding from the Milk Development Council (since replaced by DairyCo Limited). This joint venture with the Federation of Organic Milk Groups (FOMG) has the continued aim of supporting and promoting the organic dairy sector and stimulating the market for organic milk.

DairyCo Limited was set up in April 2008 following a fundamental review of agricultural levy boards by Defra. DairyCo’s current focus is on improving the profitability of dairy farming by focusing on four specific areas:
• The provision of a world-class information service
• Helping dairy farmers increase their profits while meeting regulatory and environmental requirements – through better business management.
• Helping promote the positive perception of dairy products and dairy farming with the general public
• The development of DairyCo towards a self-sustaining model.